Lil' Stuntin Ringmaster by Estes

Is the Lil' Stuntin Ringmaster the same plane as the Sterling Beginners Ringmaster? Does it use a sheet balsa wing or built up?

Estes made a Lil Stuntin Ringmaster (I have one) that has a built up wing. They also made a Beginner Ringmaster with a sheeted wing. Both of these had radial engine mounts. The Estes Lil Stuntin Ringmaster is basically the same plane as the Sterling Baby Ringmaster except the original Sterling version was set up with a beam mount.

> except the original Sterling
>version was set up with a beam mount.

I have some pictures of the older Baby ringmaster kits. None of them look like a beam mount. I think the smallest RM kit that had the beam mount was the RM jr.

I could be missing something. If so, let me know, as I'm trying to collect the RM series.

Jim Donaldson

I could be wrong on the original Sterling Baby Ringmaster having a beam mount because I don't have the kit. I've seen a few completed ones that were all beam mounts, but I guess that doesn't mean the kit came that way.

Kurt, I have a friend that has one. I'll get back to you. I think he has every Ringmaster that was produced.

ahhh, but does he have these?

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>ahhh, but does he have these?
>
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Well I just got the Lil Ringmaster Bipe for $11.49. Such a deal for a new coffee table model. Dennis

I have a sterling baby ringmaster kit s13, and it does not have a beam mount, the wing is also built different from the estes version, I think. I don't have an estes version, but my nephew built one of these a couple of years ago, and I don't think it had the thick preshaped LE, square if I remember correctly, and I think the body was two pieces of 1/8" laminated together, instead of one thick piece. I kind of like the estes kits from a scratch building standpoint.

I also have the bipe, bought it at Lonestar, I think they were getting rid of them for around 10.00 a couple of years ago. I bought it for my son, when we were only just starting to talk about having a kid, he is now only just about to turn 1, thought that when he gets ready it will be an easy build, by then who knows what the price for a good baby bee will be?(I've got one put away) Wished I could have found the beginner ringmaster for that price too, but I figure I can just make that myself.

The old Sterling Baby Ring came out in the late '50s and was set up from the start for radial mount motors. Heaven alone knows what Estes did later on. The Sterling kit was available into the 1980s.
There was an F4F Wildcat and a P-47 Thunderbolt that arrived a couple years later that were offshoots of the Baby Ring' kit. The T-bolt was much further from the Ring' than the F4F was, appearence wise. These latter were dropped in the late '60s to early '70s.

Jake

>The old Sterling Baby Ring came out in the late '50s and was
>set up from the start for radial mount motors. Heaven alone
>knows what Estes did later on. The Sterling kit was
>available into the 1980s.
>There was an F4F Wildcat and a P-47 Thunderbolt that arrived
>a couple years later that were offshoots of the Baby Ring'
>kit. The T-bolt was much further from the Ring' than the F4F
>was, appearence wise. These latter were dropped in the late
>'60s to early '70s.
>
>Jake

Jake, I had one of those T Bolts and it was really one of the better kits that I had from Sterling. It was a little large for a Baby Bee but I flew mine with an RR1, believe it or not people really did use those motors. Wouldn't mind having one again strictly for nostalgia purposes.
I was given a copy of the plans and templates for the 1/2A P38 and built one again just to have for the memories.
Dennis

MY Dad built a 36" P38 for my Son, twin BW(product backplates) on a single bladder. Sounds great, flies a little slow. Cooool.
MM

LAST EDITED ON Mar-20-04 AT 02:00 PM (CDT)
 
This picture was scanned from Sterling's S-13 Baby Ringmaster "plan". Not really a plan per say, but instructions on how to assemble and fly the plane. It's a built up wing, using a beefy leading edge and one spar towards the back of the wing. I'm re-building my Baby Ringmaster for "fun" project.

Does anyone have a good image of the stork decal that was used on this kit? I'd like to try to reproduce that if possible, for the re-build. Another question, where should the CG be placed? Sterling didn't seem to think that was important. A way back memory of a baby bee .020 powered ringmaster taught me that extremely tail heavy planes can take off, loop and land all in about 2 feet. Comical to watch but impossible to fly. I'm rambling, but the I like to keep a baby ringmaster around for sentimental reasons. First successful U/C flights came from this design, after the addition of some nose weight!

LAST EDITED ON Mar-20-04 AT 09:44 PM (CDT)
 
let's see if I can remember how to do this.

Oops, it's upside down, lookes like it cropped a little off the beak too, I can scan it again if that won't do.

Thank you Austin for the decal image!!!! That will work fine.