Guillow's Model Airplane Kit Review

My 11 year old son, Alex, has developed an affection for airplanes recently. He wants to be a pilot and take flying lessons now. Since that is not an option, we’ve been trying to talk to him about model airplanes. We found a great start to model airplaning, Guillow’s Model Airplane Kits! There are 6 new models to choose from, starting with the three military planes, the U.S. Hellcat or U.S. Warhawk each with red propellers, the German Fighter with distinctive black markings on its wingtips. The non-military Rockstar Jet, V-Tail and Stunt Flyer make up the rest of the miniModels, We had a chance to try out the V-tail and the Hellcat.

Alex decided to start with the V-tail, saving the Hellcat for another day’s build with his brother. We started building the model together, since the recommended age for these flyers is 13. . We got all of our supplies together- including the glue and wire cutters, which are the only 2 things not included in the box. We found that krazy glue worked best since it dries fast, though any craft glue would have worked. The instructions are laid out so that you build the model on a template. This helps to minimize mistakes and makes the process go much more smoothly. Alex was able to follow the instructions well, needing some help with the finer details. Before we knew it, the plane was starting to take shape. When the wings went on, he couldn’t believe how great it looked. One of the final steps allows you 2 different options for speed and height- and naturally, he chose the faster option. The finished product was nothing like I expected. This plane is nothing like the balsa model airplanes I remember using as a child- it has a wind up propeller, and landing gear!

Alex couldn’t wait to get the plane out to try it out. Fortunately, though we are still snow covered, we had enough clear space and it was a calm enough day to test it out. The plane requires a little engineering to make sure the weights are properly aligned, but that’s part of the fun! It was so exciting to see the plane he built fly- these planes can go up to 50 feet or more! I was positive that upon “landing” the planes would be unusable, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it held up and we were able to take it out for a few more runs before the weather forced us in. We can’t wait to build the other model- so he and his brother can fly together.