Harley,
I'll accept the dawdling award in good humor as a proud testimonial to a
lifetime of underachievement. Do I get a trophy or something?
Actually my shop overhead time is probably 50% due to non-productive, yet
somehow rewarding activities like scratching, getting distracted by
classic movies and transporting beer from the upstairs refrigerator to the
upstairs bathroom via the basement work area. A basement refrigerator and
enhanced use of the floor drain would alone have cut the Genie time down by
50 hours.
I think the focused types among us could do the first Genie in 100 hours
and the second one in a lot less. My #2 would have been done already were
it not for that dang Ingrid Bergman month on TCM.
Loren
At 12:09 PM 8/10/2005, you wrote:
I scratch build my designs primarily for myself and every personal ship
I've subsequently offered for sale has been grabbed up pronto. I've also
built a few new on contract at prices comparable to those being
paid for better ARF's and RTF's.
My interest in and capacity for building new ships is very limited. I like
the creative end of design and engineering, problem solving, etc., but take
no joy in production work, other than rarely/occasionally building a ship
for flyers in which I have some compelling personal interest.
3-4 airframes a year is about all I'm willing to do, since it's work and I'm
supposed to be retired. Doing it to generate income is okay, but that, in
and of
itself, is of no particular interest to me.
With the demand as it is for ARF's and RTF's, it seems to me that there is
an opportunity for some enterprising modelers to augment their income
working at home, by learning to scratch build the Genie line of airframes
for profit. If you do a good job, sticking to the construction as I detail
it is to be done, I
think you would be able to sell all you can build and stay as busy as you
care to be doing it.
To get started would require you to build one of these airframes to see
what's involved and learn how, wring it out to see that the performance is
comparable to other
contemporary airframes and, if interested, acquire supplies, figure out
production steps to minimize your time and make yourself known as available
to build.
I'd suggest that you make it a requisite that the buyers provide the proper
servos for you to install along with the Rotary Driver System drive shafts
and pockets so it's done right to provide the cleanest wings in the business
with nicely working flaps and ailerons.
I will continue to provide plans, CD, hardware package, RDS couplers, etc.
as mentioned in the What's Available? file and offer to be helpful by
e-mail, but you will otherwise be on your own. I want nothing except for the
airframes to be built according to the instructions so the quality is
maintained.
I thought I was a slow builder, but if it really took Loren Blinde 200 hours
to build his Genie (the 10' span LT/S version, yet) he takes the prize for
dawdling. (Just kidding, Loren. I know you are young enough to suffer those
distractions that interrupt one's concentration and productivity.)
I can turn out an LT/S in about 40 hours of genuine effort. I may take 6
weeks, however, putting it out. When the composite fuse is available, it
looks more like 25 hours . I'm thinking in terms of a plain paint job that
gives a 2 tone LE on the wing as seen on moldies, etc. Fancier paint trims
take extra time.
On the big 145-1/2" span big Genie, I'd say 60 hours if you scratch build
the glassed-over fuse, but more like 50 using the available composite
fuse/canopy.
The Genie Pro with its 130" span and the composite fuse takes a bit less
time than the big Genie.
I get about $275 into the LT/S with the glassed-over fuse. I'm guessing it
will add another $75 or so to use the forthcoming composite fuse/canopy.
With the composite fuse/canopy used on the Genie Pro or big Genie, it's
about $400 in materials.
The above costs reflect the cost of the ready-to-use CNC cut wing cores that
Les offers.
The Genie pages at http://genie.rchomepage.com/, particularly in Files 1,2
and 3, give a good overview of what's involved, but the CD I offer as part
of my package always includes later editions of the various files posted in
that website.
I see the number of hits on the website is over 12,500. I've mentioned it
only over the RCSE to which there are around 850 subscribers. Guys must be
repeatedly drooling at the material, but very few have built one of the
ships. Among those who have, three who had never even built a kit are now
building their third of the Genie line. Several are building their 2nd one.
It appears that many would like to own one of these, but for whatever
reasons, will never get to it. There must be a market for RTF versions.
Questions? e-mail me.
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