AEROGRAMME HOME > AEROGRAMME #2 [Sent 20 September 2024]
COMING SOON!
Hello Friends
Let’s cut straight to the chase this week.
Our new rubber-powered, 22" (560mm) Westland Lysander kit will be released next Friday 27th September 2024 and we’re just a little bit excited about it!
Our Facebook group has been blowing up thanks to Barry Scollay’s ridiculously awesome RC conversion of a pre-production kit (see Community Builds section) and “free-flighters” on other forums are chomping at the bit to get their hands on this latest creation from the pen (or more accurately, CAD software) of Andrew Darby.
We’ve been flat out laser cutting balsa, printing plans, vac-forming canopies and organising box sleeves, labels and instruction booklets ready for the release.
Here's the first batch of over 100 laser cut parts sets:
The super talented Chris Long has now mastered the art of vac-form mould making and produced these superb resin moulds from Andrew Darby's 3D printed originals.
We bond the resin bucks to a perforated stainless steel sheet that allows air to be sucked past the forms, pulling the hot plastic super tight over them. Holes in the cowl bucks allow the plastic to form the inside walls of the cowls.
Here are the finished vac-form parts:
Instruction books have been printed and delivered:
Sleeves and labels for the boxes have been printed and delivered too:
And we're almost good to go!
With a week to go, it falls to superwoman Yvonne to assemble the components into finished kits.
The new Lysander kit contains a fair few more parts than the other kits in the Magnificent Flying Machines range and assumes at least some building experience, however we thought it was important to try to keep the price as low as possible.
I’m delighted to announce that the Westland Lysander will cost the same as the other kits in the range at just £34.99.
We think this represents excellent value for money in terms of joy/hour.
We hope you agree!
Make sure to read the next section to find out about a special draw this month!
Newsletter Pop Up
Over the next few weeks, you may notice a “pop-up” on our website inviting you to sign up for this newsletter and I think it’s important to explain why it’s there.
Let me start by saying that as an existing newsletter subscriber, you can simply click the cross in the top right hand corner and dismiss the pop-up. Under most circumstances it shouldn’t reappear unless you update your browser, reboot your computer, etc.
I’m sure you’ve experienced these pop-ups on almost every commercial website you visit and this is because, however annoying they may seem, they do actually work for most businesses.
Email is the remaining channel through which businesses can have a one to one conversation with customers and build a long term relationship of the type one might have had with a favourite shopkeeper in “the old days”.
When a potential new aero-modeller arrives on our website, they may not be ready to buy straight away - they may want to find out a bit more about the hobby, be inspired by what our community is building and what might be the best kit for them.
Signing up to this email is a great way for them to get a flavour of what we’re about and hopefully, somewhere down the line, they might become a customer.
To encourage new newsletter subscribers, many companies will go for the jugular and offer an instant 10-15% off the first order.
That doesn’t “sit right” with us.
It’s unfair to you existing subscribers who don’t get the discount and leads to buyers who are there just for the discount, never to be seen again.
Instead, we’re going to do something different to attract new subscribers.
All newsletter subscribers, including you, will be automatically entered into a draw on the last Friday of each month, with one lucky winner receiving a VMC kit free of charge.
The first of these draws will be on Friday 25th October 2024.
But what about Friday 27th September?
I’m glad you asked.
To coincide with the release of the new Westland Lysander, any subscriber to this newsletter who buys a Lysander kit between Friday 27th September and Sunday 29th September will be entered into a draw to get that kit completely free. We’ll put all the buyers into a hat and the winner will have the price of their Lysander purchase refunded!
I’ll remind you again next Friday when the Lysander will be made available to buy on the website.
Exciting eh?!
Classic Cars, etc.
The reaction to my new Frogeye Sprite (featured last time) was quite overwhelming - a big thank you to all who responded positively.
I suppose it’s no surprise that a good number of aero-modellers are also car nuts and a few community members shared photos of their vehicles.
Mark Bailey sent in this pic of his Morris Ambulance:
Mark added:
“…let me forward a picture of my 1950s Morris ambulance. Ambulances in the aviation world were always known as 'blood wagons'. And given Heathrow and a few other airfields graced our County they became quite well known. Not rubber powered, but they did have rubber tyres! My 'old girl' is now on display at the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport in Enfield (https://www.whitewebbsmuseum.co.uk/exhibits) .
It took me thirty years to restore her from a complete wreck, and back on July 23rd I donated her to the Museum, and that day the BBC radio and TV News featured her. 85 years old, she 'Wendy' was originally a utility fire engine serving in London during WW2, got blown up but repaired and returned to service. Post-war one of a number rebuilt as ambulances for the NHS.”
Terry Bolin’s customised Chevy Nova is an absolute beast:
Lastly, and a bit “out there”, Andy Mileham sent in this pic of his 1980s 30hp Case tractor (in his defence, he also has a Morgan!):
That’s it for classic road vehicles for a while - I promise!
Dad Joke Alert!
As a fully paid up member of the Miserable B****** club, I’m not known for having anything even approaching a sense of humour, however the following “Dad joke” from Pat Flynn’s newsletter did make me chuckle.
Why does the Norwegian Navy put bar codes on their ships?
So when they go into port, they can just Scandinavian
I wonder whether we too should have a Dad Joke Corner (or should that be Corny Dad Joke?) in the newsletter?
If you think this is a good idea, perhaps you could send in your favourite Dad joke and I’ll pick an appropriate one to publish here each week. Any jokes deemed inappropriate will be laughed at privately in the workshop dismissed…
COMMUNITY BUILDS
There can be only one community build this week and it has to be Barry Scollay’s Westland Lysander.
It’s very nearly finished and can only be described as a triumph!
There are a couple of video clips of the unpainted Lysander during Barry’s flight trials on our Facebook Group pages, so if you haven't already joined the group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagemodelaeroclub), it’s definitely worth it!
That’s it for this week - I can’t wait for the Lysander release next Friday...
All the best
Hadi & the VMC Team
This newsletter may contain offers/discounts and prizes that are now out of date.
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