First Guillows kit you ever built

[peterc4]

First build was the NA Trojan - This guy in the neighborhood had once owned a novelty/toy store, but it had gone bust in the early 1970s.

He had basically parked all his remaining inventory in his basement and once in a while would let the neighbor kids paw through the stock. He had two 900 series Guillows kits, My buddy got the Mustang and I got the Trojan. Both looked pretty sad and neither flew - but it got me interested.

Second was the Arrow - which almost flew. I put about 5 coats of black dope on it - so it probably weighed 5 pounds. Basically used the whole jar of dope on the thing. It would go about 50 feet before tiring out.

I have probably built most of the 500 and 900 series, several of the larger kits. My all time favorite is the large Airacobra. I really wish Guillows would reissue that kit.

[BillParker]

I have the P-39 plan blown up to a 90" wingspan.... I'm looking forward to that one...

[dbcisco]

I think it was a Javelin 40 some years ago. Long lapse, then built an SE5a a few years ago. Built a DR1, Nieuport and Morse Scout since then with several kits on the shelf waiting.

[ecboehm]

My first build was the 500 series Hurricane. I didn't do it alone though as my partner in crime was my best friend Kenny. It did not fly well of course so I wound her up and stood ready for launch while Kenny lit the tail with a match. It streaked, trailing black smoke, over the backyard fence into the neighbors yard and landed at the base of her prized Lilac bush. It was fall and there were dead leaves all piled around the trunk of the bush. These were instantly ignited and the bush was in grave peril! Without saying a word. we nodded at each other, both Kenny and I knew what we had to do....we started to pull our zippers down so that we could extinguish the blaze and save the bush. Just then, the owner..a fine lady that I still remember as my "other mother" ...came running out of the house with a pot full of water. Luckily we had not yet had enough time to remove our "fire fighting" apparatuses and she saved the bush.
We didn't stop there...we went back to the store where we got two more kits...a Javelin and a Lancer....the rest is history.

[lukebozek1]

British bi-plane can't remember which, static model but it looked pretty good if I remember right. I was into the Carl Goldberg Lil Jumpin Bean. One of the best U-C .049 kits ever. Flew like crazy.

[skywarp]

900 series P-51 covered as a Blue Nose 352nd FG. I still have it, and it still flies better than my others. I built it about 4 years ago.

[Paul_B]

I was about 9 and built a Javelin. Was a total mess !
Then my mother bought me another one but this time my little brother's freind practised karate on the fuselage.
Finally her mother bought me the FW 190 and at last I had an airplane that could fly (well a little better than a brick).

[Squishyp38]

My first build was the rufe, later after construction it befelled a terrible mishap, and had to be converted to the zero. My mom thought it was a good idea to leave the window wide open, causing the breeze to severely warp the connector for the float and lower wing. I couldn't fix the warp, so I just converted it to the zero. I used titebond for frame construction, and a Uhu glue stick for the tissue covering, so it probably weighs about a pound.

[StefanJ]

Oh, man. I'm getting horrible flashback memories.

When I was nine or ten I had a brief fascination with balsa & tissue model airplanes. My father mentioned building them. I asked for a model for my birthday, figuring he and I would have a swell time putting it together. I picked out a NIEUPORT II. Really complex and intimidating . . . but Dad would be helping me, right?

*sigh* He got me set up with a bulletin board and waxed paper and pins, and maybe spent an afternoon helping with the wing frame, then went back to his own hobby, nightly binge drinking.

I remember completing the frame of a wing and stab, then the board got exiled to the dark, cold basement. I must have done a little work on the fusalage, but eventually I had to give up the bulletin board, and after that it was a matter of time before everything got trashed.

Well! Flash forward 39 years. I bought a 601 Cessna 180 and a 302 Cessna 170, and this time I'm going to finish them!

The frames on the Cessna 180 are complete. I'll be assembling and sanding the frames over the next few days, and putting on the tissue next weekend.

[dlazarus6660]

Mine was the smaller size SE5A I built it for a book report I did in the sixth grade History class. It was on Eddie Rickenbacker. I painted it orange, like on the box, it looked stupid and my brother said so.
BTW, I got an A for the book report and the visual aid.
I wrote Eddie Rickenbacker a letter telling him about my report and grade and he wrote back and said he would have been happy to help present my report with me if I would take care of his expenses, about $200.00.
That was 1972.

Daniel

[dlazarus6660]

Mine was the smaller size SE5A I built it for a book report I did in the sixth grade History class. It was on Eddie Rickenbacker. I painted it orange, like on the box, it looked stupid and my brother said so.
BTW, I got an A for the book report and the visual aid.
I wrote Eddie Rickenbacker a letter telling him about my report and grade and he wrote back and said he would have been happy to help present my report with me if I would take care of his expenses, about $2000.00.
That was 1972.

Daniel

[ADW 123]

that seems pretty cheep now, but i saw the guillows catalog from the 70's and realize that 12 bucks to buy my 1000 series corsair was a lot of money back then. now its 75 bucks. its important to realize money is worth what it buys.

[Pulsepilot]

The first Guillow model I built was a 500 series tbf Avenger about 4 years ago. My dad built most of it though . The first kit I built by myself was a 500 series P-40 warhawk. I still have both models

[Scuba400]

My first Guillow was the Lancer. Now I am working on the P-38(tough build). By the way, I am new here and looking forward to learning from you guys.

[Szyp]

Mine was the Dauntless Dive Bomber, now known as 1003. Back then in1960 they did not have series numbers- or at least I was unaware of them- I had been building plastic and some balsa models since I was old enough to read and understand the directions. Back then the 2 primary plastic model companies were Revell, which was the more detailed kits, and Aurora, which was usually too simple. I never finished the Dauntless because I was building it to fly, and just could not get the motor and cowl right. But I tried a few times, and at some point in the future I am going to build it. I think.