50″ Homage Models

There have been several 50″ versions of old gliders coming on to the market.

It’s interesting to me that Ray Hayes actually did something similar way back when with mini-Jousters and other models.

Of the new ones that I know, one is the 250 gram compliant “Gentle Lady” made by Willys Nillies.

Another is the 50″ Oly II model by SKybench Aerotech, which also comes in as 250 gram compliant.

The difference between the two is that the Willys Nillies is truly an “homage” where it takes its inspiration from the original model, but the rib spacing and structural details vary wildly from the original. The Skybench 50″ Oly II is, essentially, a shrunken version of the original Oly II except where physics prevents actual scaling. You can see the difference between the two most easily by looking at the wings.

I am gearing up to do a Sophisticated Lady 50″ model. I plan on keeping the original rib spacing and as close to possible structure. However, I also want to make sure there’s an electric launch variant available right out of the box.

What do you guys think of these shrunken “homage” kits?