04 What Customers Have to Say

TESTIMONIALS

Well the little Jet from Larry Richards is a sweet flying little plane. The kit was an absolute delight to put together and I thought if this plane flys as well as it was thought out and kitted, then we have something here. Finally the weather broke and I finished my honey do jobs and this Saturday it was time for its maiden flight. We had a wind of about 8-10mph with some stronger gusts but nothing that would keep me from getting this bird in the air. The plane came in at 27 ounces with a Brodak .25 in the nose. The plane balanced perfectly due to the careful thought and planning and selection of proper weight balsa in the proper places. I did not have to add any tail weight, nose weight or tip weight. I flew it on .012 x 52ft lines and line tension was great. I actully think it would do fine on .015 x 59ft lines and I will probably try them next flight. The plane did not hunt and stayed perfectly level at 5' off the ground. The plane handled all the aerobatics I put it through with no problem. The wing on the F94C is double tapered and not very thick so the plane does not glide like a Nobler or any ship with a larger thicker wing. When the engine stops and she starts coming down, get ready to land it. I tried whipping it like I do my other larger planes but it just didnt want to do it. When it wants to land, it will land.

I love this little plane and would say for a beginner it is very easy to build and you get a plane that will do just about anything you want it to. Congratulations Larry. Great Plane

Michael Griffin

L.Richards Kits-Hurricane

I recently received one of Larry Richards kits, the Hurricane, which I suspect everyone knows is a “replica” of the original Veco Hurricane, and was very pleased with the quality of the kit.
After tearing off the brown plain wrapping paper, to disguise the contents within, and opening the box I was greeted with a great deal of pieces, separately packaged and identified, laid out to protect any other “hand cut” parts of the aircraft.
There were multiple layers of parts, each protected by the ubiquitous bubble wrap. Larry went to great lengths to protect everything including putting the landing gear in a protective bag so not to damage all those great looking parts.
I can only guess at the weight of the “selective balsa” included in the kit just by doing a “float check” (holding pieces and letting them float gingerly back down to my hands once they were carefully dropped) as being a light grade of material. Each of the pieces are straight and lightly grained-whatever grade that comes out to be. The ribs were what I was most impressed with as they are “hand sawn” and are devoid of any splinters.
The plans are rolled, duly copied, clear, concise, very easy to read, and separated from the balsa parts so not to impinge on them or fray the plans.
I am currently “repairing” a Veco “Hurri-box” and Larry’s kit far exceeds the “original” in quality of the balsa and in parts preparation.
My evaluation at least equals that of Allen Brickhaus’s in the June ’08 edition of Flying Models, but not quite as eloquent. This is my first kit of Larry’s but will not be my last-God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Marto Engines

Richard-receive kit today an expectations were High- you do a nicer and better job than professional manufacturers. OUTSTANDING KIT--you are REALLY a CRAFTSMAN !---I am am very pleased and satisfied. You can use this email to future customers or they can email me for reference. SUPER WORKMANSHIP ! THANK YOU.

Zen Rusin.

I recently purchased a P-40 Warhawk 48" control line kit from Larry Richards. The kit was $115.00 complete with plastic canopy. As a young fan of control line models, I have built and flown many of the classics. In the 60's I built most of the Midwest 48" War Birds. Most will remember the wood quality found in the early C/L kits. When I opened the kit from Larry, I was pleased to find high quality balsa and clean cut plywood utilized in his kit. I'm astonished at the quality of the parts cutting by Mr. Richards. I took the time to lay out the entire kit and give it a thorough examination and found no flaws in this kit. All the parts fit snug and are sanded. Plans are full size and easy to build from. Many mistakes were corrected on the new plans. As an old control liner returning to the fold, I look forward to building the new Richards P-40 Warhawk. I have on hand some of the older kits and there is no comparison in the quality. You can order Larry's kits on line at richardskits.net and a full explanation and costs are readily available for each kit. All landing gear is pre-bent to fit the model. This kit contains no hardware other than pre-bent joiner wire for the flaps and elevators.

Once again, I received one of Larry's' outstanding kits. His Veco Hurricane comes neatly boxed and packed. All the multitude of small parts are labeled and placed into small plastic bags that are in turn labeled as to which sub-assembly they will be used for. As is the norm for Larry, all balsa is of the best quality, and weight/strength specific for it's intended use. Larry does not include control hardware, as many modelers prefer to furnish their own anyway. This is not a fault as I prefer to furnish my own as well. As always, I cannot find fault with this Veco Hurricane kit, or any of Larry's' kits. I would not hesitate to recommend any of them to anyone, they are just plain outstanding.

Dennis L. Lien

I've commented on several occasions about Larry's kits. I've been fortunate to have received 2 more recently. The small Midwest ME-109 and the Sterling F-94. Frankly I'm amazed each time that I get one of Larry's kits. For a reasonable price you get an impeccably cut kit with superb wood all in an impressively packaged box and shipped as if they were the crown jewels. Seriously these are some of the nicest offerings you will ever get your hands on and that might explain why he is so consistently booked and sold out. As I've said before, this really is the Golden age for quality kits and to deprive yourself of the experience of having a GREAT kit of that vintage model you really liked way back then is really inexcusable. So do this, Call Larry and book your favorite now from his extensive line, you'll feel soooo much better for it, I guarantee it.
Dennis

Dennis Lipsett (Sep-01-06)

The kit arrived today. Wow that is done right!!!!! I had toyed with the idea of doing something like that after I retire but that kind of quality has put me off. I am very pleased with the kit (understatement)
Thanks again!!!

Steve Fauble

Thanks for the Squaw kit Larry. This has got to be some of the finest in kit manufacturing that I have seen. The best wood and cleanest cuts. Everything nicely bagged. Box was carefully prepared for shipping. Fast service too. I have built other kits but Larry's are the finest I have seen. I would recommend him to anyone who is looking for a quality kit to build. You can't go wrong.

Kurt Olden Edmonds, WA.

I currently own no less than six of Mr. Richards kits. In my time in modeling (since mid 60's) I have yet to see a finer kit available to those who enjoy control line flying. You will be more than impressed with the quality of materials, plans and personal attention that goes into each and every kit. Larry also offers a service that no one else has. Should you need any part of a kit he also offers them for rebuilds should you suffer a crash. I have known Larry for over ten years and can attest to the quality of his work. All kits are build and flown by Larry prior to his ever offering them for sale. So you can order knowing that you are purchasing the finest kit available and that Larry stands behind each and every one.

Mark Wentz, CA.

I have known Larry for over ten years and have never been disappointed by the quality of his custom kits. I mainly fly Old Time and Classic Stunt, and Larry is my prime source of these old kits. The Veco Mustang and Smoothie are fine candidates for O.T.S., as both are flapped models and have fairly good wing area. In Classic competition the Veco Chief which is a straight winged airplane with flaps and the later Hurricane are very good candidates in Classic, both are very capable of winning. I'm sure most of us remember the Brave, Warrior and the Squaw form when we were kids in the 50's and 60's. Larry's kits are absolutely "Superb". His choice of wood is excellent and the fit is beyond belief. The Sterling Navion and F94-C kits are a welcome addition to my nostalgia flying. By this fall, I should have another F94-C out again for sport flying with a Johnson 35 on it. It is a great airplane and a lot of fun. Later this summer I will have my Hurricane ready to test fly and it will be powered by an O.S. 35s. The level of fabrication and cutting on this has to be seen to be appreciated.

Dick Wolsey, MA.

TO DATE I HAVE PURCHASED 2 CUSTOM CUT KITS FROM YOU, THEY ARE COPIES OF THE OLD MIDWEST P-40 WARHAWK & P-63 KING COBRA. WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE IT WAS TO OPEN THE BOX AND SEE A KIT LIKE THIS, WOW!! OVER THE YEARS I HAVE PURCHASED MANY KITS FROM DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS AND THEY ALL HAD ONE THING IN COMMON "POOR QUALITY" THRU-OUT! EVERYTHING FROM BAD QUALITY DIE CRUSHED WOOD TO BLUEPRINTS THAT WERE INACCURATE BECAUSE OF PRINTING STRETCH. I ALSO HAD TO FACTOR IN THE COST OF REPLACEMENT WOOD AND MY TIME TO RE-CUT THE PIECES. UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS THE NORM AND YOU HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO LIVE WITH IT. I'M GLAD THAT A FRIEND OF MINE INTRODUCED ME TO YOU AND RECOMMENDED I GIVE him A CALL AND CHECKOUT ONE OF his KITS. WHEN I WENT THRU THE KIT I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE FACT THAT he Used CONTEST GRADE WOOD THAT IS PERFECTLY CUT. THE BLUEPRINTS ARE ACCURATELY PRINTED DESIGNATING ANY DESIGN CHANGES THAT YOU HAVE INCORPORATED WHICH IN FACT MAKE THE PLANE FLY BETTER AND MUCH STURDIER. he ALSO Took THE TIME TO BUBBLE WRAP ALL THE WOOD COMPONENTS SEPARATELY TO KEEP IT SAFE IN THE BOX, WHICH MEANS THAT I WONT HAVE TO REPLACE ANY OF THE WOOD. IT'S REALLY REFRESHING TO SEE WHAT A KIT SHOULD BE LIKE!! AT FIRST GLANCE IT'S OBVIOUS THAT his KITS ARE A LABOR OF LOVE! his PRICING IS MORE THAN FAIR CONSIDERING WHAT YOU GET. I WANT TO THANK Larry FOR A JOB REALLY WELL DONE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BUILDING ANOTHER ONE OF his KITS!!!!!!

THANKS AGAIN LARRY!! AN EXTREMELY PLEASED MODEL BUILDER,

JOHN MATENKO, Il.

As being a model builder all my life and former Kit M.F.G. of "Control Line Classics" I'd like to share some good news. There are control line kits being kitted by Larry Richards. Larry Produces 27 kits, you may view his list by clicking >here< His kits feature top quality balsa, pre-bent landing gear and the plans are straight forward, clear and simple to follow. All parts are hand cut and sanded to shape. "AND THEY FIT". The hardware is left up to you, to Me that's no big deal. I've built 7 of his kits, the P-63 King Cobra, F-9F Panther, F-84 THUNDERJET, A6M Zero, Ryan FR1, Fireball and the Veco Mustang. Larry puts the fun back into building. On the profiles you can start on Monday and fly by Sunday. The wings can be framed up and held together with rubber bands, check for alignment, then hit it with the instant glue. The Veco kits are great too! the Mustang went together very nicely and a heck of a lot easier than the original Veco's did. Now I can say from experience that his kits are fun to build and they fly even better. You will not be disappointed.

Sincerely, Tony Drago, NV. former C.L.C. kit mfg.

I have been building Larry's' kits for several years now. I have purchased, and built many of the kits that Larry offers. Larry's' kits are IMPRESSIVE to put it mildly. His choice of wood is chosen for each part based on the location that the part goes in. Each part is finished, cut out or shaped to a superior quality level. I have often joked with Larry that all I needed to do was to throw a tube of glue into the box, shake, and out will fall a model ready to cover. That's a joke but the fit and finish of the parts is that high. I highly recommend any of his kits, you won't be disappointed in any way.

Dennis Lien, CAL.