What to do with these....

Hemikiller · Oct 30, 2009, 08:53 AM

Looking for a little advice here, I'm helping a friend liquidate his father's modeling estate. Since I'm mainly R/C, I really know very little about free flight stuff. He has at least a dozen various ships, ranging from small 16" w/s balsa gliders, 48"~60" built up jobs and at least three gas free flight in the same size range. All of these are nicely crafted and in excellent condition.

What would the best venue be to offer these for sale?

skylake · Oct 30, 2009, 10:05 AM

Try www.smallflyingarts.com

Megowcoupe · Oct 30, 2009, 10:36 PM

The sad part is that they have very little cash value. The engines and timers off the gassies probably do, but everything else is basically find it a good home. This weekend, there's an indoor rubber FF meet at Glastonbury High School gym from 8 till noon. If you bring them along, somebody may have some ideas.

Sam

JetPlaneFlyer · Nov 01, 2009, 04:02 AM

eBay will usually bring the best price but I'd agree that the actual airframes probably have limited cash value. Also the size and fragile nature means that they cant easily be shipped. 'Collection only' often considerably reduces the price stuff brings on eBay.

It may sound like a shame but you may well get better overall price if you strip out stuff like engines and timers and sell seperatly because they could easily be shipped and so would be available to global rather than strictly local buyers.

Steve

BMatthews · Nov 01, 2009, 03:41 PM

Sadly the guys have the right of it. The airframes just do not command a price that makes it worth much time to sell them.

The little chuckie gliders I'd just hand out to some of the older and more capable kids in the hopes you'll trigger a spark of love for model aviation.

For the big gassies I find it hard to believe that there isn't a group that he flew with in the area. Or were these in storage for a number of years?

Given that shipping them is a real pain I'd suggest selling the engines on something like EBAY or the MECA (Model Engines Collectors Association) newsletter. For the models perhaps see if the local hobby shop wants them as ceiling docorations or would be willing to display them to see if anyone would be interested in them. The other thought is if you can't find someone that is interested in them as free flight models then convert them to RC assisted. If they are old timers then they are often fun to see in the air. If they are the more modern "broom poles with wings" then you may still find some intrest in using them as a climb and glide style of thermal soaring model.

And finally I gather that no one in the family wants any of them as keepsakes?

Megowcoupe · Nov 01, 2009, 09:42 PM

One other long shot- I once sold off a bunch of my FF airplanes to a restaurant- which apparently folded a few years later- I guess my builds were so bad, the customers figured the food would be bad too....never saw any of them again.

You can also try the AMA museum.

Sam

Hemikiller · Nov 05, 2009, 12:40 PM

The father had been gone for almost a decade and my friend has no interest in modeling. His gear was collecting dust in the basement until my friend moved home to help care for his mom. He wanted the space for his own interests, he knew I was into r/c, so he called me in. He kept a couple that he and his dad flew together when he was a child, the rest he wanted sold off.

I explained to him pretty much the same thing you guys are saying. Maximum return isn't really his goal, he would like to see the planes in the hands of a modeler, even if he has to give them away. If it comes to that, I will remove the engines and timers and sell them on eBay so he gets a little something.

I dug around the AMA club listings and found a freeflight club in my state. I've emailed the contact to see if he has any interest or could put me in contact with some of his club members.

I was thinking about an R/C conversion on a couple of the planes. They have elevators set up with dethermailizers, so it wouldn't be a huge issue to retrofit some micro gear.Might be a nice diversion down at the field with a bungee launch on a calm day.

Megowcoupe · Nov 05, 2009, 05:07 PM

The next Glastonbury indoor session is Dec. 20- and there's an outdoor meet Nov. 22 at White's farm in Durham. Finding it can be a bit tricky though.

RC conversions of FF stuff can be wonderful, although I've never bothered with D/Ts.

Also reminds me- Mark Fineman in Cheshire may be a resource for helping dispose of this stuff- he does handle estates and is an old time free flighter.

Sam

dephela · Nov 05, 2009, 05:18 PM

Maybe I can help.
I got back into ff about eight years ago. Most of my flying has been hlg, catapult, p -30 and the FAI events F1a and F1h. Just last weekend I put my first gas ff in the air in fortynine years! I plan on building a few more over the winter too.

I also help locally to promote model building with Art Ellis. We run a Friday night building session for kids.

Hemikiller · Nov 06, 2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Megowcoupe

The next Glastonbury indoor session is Dec. 20- and there's an outdoor meet Nov. 22 at White's farm in Durham. Finding it can be a bit tricky though.

Sam, White's is pretty easy to find for me, that's where I first experienced R/C. I was probably 7 or 8 at the time - a very definitive moment and place in my life. I heard that the Black Sheep had a big problem with a neighbor and I rarely see anyone flying there. I live in the next town over and have tossed around the idea of joining. I'm with the Swamp Flyers in Northford, currently doing my time as treasurer.

dephela, I think he'd have no problem donating some of the airframes to your building program. i also have some small indoor FF kits that might go with as well. Send me a PM with your email when you get a chance.

Megowcoupe · Nov 06, 2009, 01:59 PM

Hmm- do you know an old buddy of mine name of Karl Ehrenfels? He might show up there occasionally, although he hasn't been active for a bit (kids.) He's an OFB of mine.

In terms of problems with a neighbor- give you 3 guesses as to what the profession of the guy is.....but I every so often I do get out there for a rubber meet, and occasionally fly a little RC.

Sam

Hemikiller · Nov 06, 2009, 05:20 PM

I know Karl, knew his dad Al too. Haven't seen Karl in quite a while.

I haven't been down the field much this year either, new baby, other commitments, yada, yada. It seems I fly more in the winter than the summer anyway.

Oct 30, 2009, 08:53 AM	#1
Hemikiller Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Killingworth, Connecticut Posts: 383	What to do with these.... Looking for a little advice here, I'm helping a friend liquidate his father's modeling estate. Since I'm mainly R/C, I really know very little about free flight stuff. He has at least a dozen various ships, ranging from small 16" w/s balsa gliders, 48"~60" built up jobs and at least three gas free flight in the same size range. All of these are nicely crafted and in excellent condition. What would the best venue be to offer these for sale?

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Oct 30, 2009, 10:05 AM	#2
skylake Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Skylakes Airport Posts: 148	Try www.smallflyingarts.com

Oct 30, 2009, 10:36 PM	#3
Megowcoupe Balsa Flies Better! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 5,542	The sad part is that they have very little cash value. The engines and timers off the gassies probably do, but everything else is basically find it a good home. This weekend, there's an indoor rubber FF meet at Glastonbury High School gym from 8 till noon. If you bring them along, somebody may have some ideas. Sam

Nov 01, 2009, 04:02 AM	#4
JetPlaneFlyer Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Aberdeen Posts: 1,778	eBay will usually bring the best price but I'd agree that the actual airframes probably have limited cash value. Also the size and fragile nature means that they cant easily be shipped. 'Collection only' often considerably reduces the price stuff brings on eBay. It may sound like a shame but you may well get better overall price if you strip out stuff like engines and timers and sell seperatly because they could easily be shipped and so would be available to global rather than strictly local buyers. Steve

Nov 01, 2009, 03:41 PM	#5
BMatthews B for Bruce Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Vancouver BC Canada Posts: 4,683	Sadly the guys have the right of it. The airframes just do not command a price that makes it worth much time to sell them. The little chuckie gliders I'd just hand out to some of the older and more capable kids in the hopes you'll trigger a spark of love for model aviation. For the big gassies I find it hard to believe that there isn't a group that he flew with in the area. Or were these in storage for a number of years? Given that shipping them is a real pain I'd suggest selling the engines on something like EBAY or the MECA (Model Engines Collectors Association) newsletter. For the models perhaps see if the local hobby shop wants them as ceiling docorations or would be willing to display them to see if anyone would be interested in them. The other thought is if you can't find someone that is interested in them as free flight models then convert them to RC assisted. If they are old timers then they are often fun to see in the air. If they are the more modern "broom poles with wings" then you may still find some intrest in using them as a climb and glide style of thermal soaring model. And finally I gather that no one in the family wants any of them as keepsakes?

Nov 01, 2009, 09:42 PM	#6
Megowcoupe Balsa Flies Better! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 5,542	One other long shot- I once sold off a bunch of my FF airplanes to a restaurant- which apparently folded a few years later- I guess my builds were so bad, the customers figured the food would be bad too....never saw any of them again. You can also try the AMA museum. Sam

Nov 05, 2009, 12:40 PM	#7
Hemikiller Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Killingworth, Connecticut Posts: 383	The father had been gone for almost a decade and my friend has no interest in modeling. His gear was collecting dust in the basement until my friend moved home to help care for his mom. He wanted the space for his own interests, he knew I was into r/c, so he called me in. He kept a couple that he and his dad flew together when he was a child, the rest he wanted sold off. I explained to him pretty much the same thing you guys are saying. Maximum return isn't really his goal, he would like to see the planes in the hands of a modeler, even if he has to give them away. If it comes to that, I will remove the engines and timers and sell them on eBay so he gets a little something. I dug around the AMA club listings and found a freeflight club in my state. I've emailed the contact to see if he has any interest or could put me in contact with some of his club members. I was thinking about an R/C conversion on a couple of the planes. They have elevators set up with dethermailizers, so it wouldn't be a huge issue to retrofit some micro gear.Might be a nice diversion down at the field with a bungee launch on a calm day.

Nov 05, 2009, 05:07 PM	#8
Megowcoupe Balsa Flies Better! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 5,542	The next Glastonbury indoor session is Dec. 20- and there's an outdoor meet Nov. 22 at White's farm in Durham. Finding it can be a bit tricky though. RC conversions of FF stuff can be wonderful, although I've never bothered with D/Ts. Also reminds me- Mark Fineman in Cheshire may be a resource for helping dispose of this stuff- he does handle estates and is an old time free flighter. Sam

Nov 05, 2009, 05:18 PM	#9
dephela uUHHHHuuuhhhhh! Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Hamden, CT Posts: 1,318	Maybe I can help. I got back into ff about eight years ago. Most of my flying has been hlg, catapult, p -30 and the FAI events F1a and F1h. Just last weekend I put my first gas ff in the air in fortynine years! I plan on building a few more over the winter too. I also help locally to promote model building with Art Ellis. We run a Friday night building session for kids.

Nov 06, 2009, 01:59 PM	#11
Megowcoupe Balsa Flies Better! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 5,542	Hmm- do you know an old buddy of mine name of Karl Ehrenfels? He might show up there occasionally, although he hasn't been active for a bit (kids.) He's an OFB of mine. In terms of problems with a neighbor- give you 3 guesses as to what the profession of the guy is.....but I every so often I do get out there for a rubber meet, and occasionally fly a little RC. Sam

Nov 06, 2009, 05:20 PM	#12
Hemikiller Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Killingworth, Connecticut Posts: 383	I know Karl, knew his dad Al too. Haven't seen Karl in quite a while. I haven't been down the field much this year either, new baby, other commitments, yada, yada. It seems I fly more in the winter than the summer anyway.