Robert Compton's beautiful FW 190 brings to light something that can be done to expand the availability of more & more wonderful stunters.
Lost in the small aurguments of whether to modify & republish a design is something that is much more obvious.
Robert Compton, to his credit has the view that his FW190 is just a mod to someone elses design.
I personally get upset with "song writers" that use the name of an old song and I get VERY upset when someone builds an "Impact" or "Intrepid" or any other airplane, then puts his new name on the wing, when the airplane has had no obvious changes!
But here is what we are all missing... Model Train magazines, for years have had articles on "kit bashing".. making one rail car look like something else.
While Robert rightfully does not want to write a "new" article about a plane that he modified. My hat is off to Robert for saying this...BUT Robert, and many of us.. and the magazines should consider writing kit bashing or plan bashing articles! (The only article that comes to mind is Ted's modified "Twister")
What has been done to update or change a design?
The original designer gets the deserved credit. The magazine benefits by selling more of the original plans.
The "kit bashing" article can include drawings showing the modifications made with credit to the person who made the mods.
The magazine now has another feature article and can also sell the old plans with an additional plans page!
We all get the the benefit of new ideas on top of old!
In short, the magazine wins, the kit manufacturer wins, the new and original designers win, we all win!
Tom Niebuhr
Tom N