Wayne Axelson, co-owner and general manager of Backcountry Super Cubs, took some time to talk homebuilt aircraft kits with me. First, as kits go, there’s no getting around the fact that this one’s expensive. From start to finish expect to pay somewhere around $100,000 to $110,000. But, as airplanes go, that’s roughly half what you’d pay for a factory-built Super Cub replica. And if you were to sell it as a new homebuilt, you’d likely net $50,000 profit. That’s if you didn’t factor in your time. But hey, it’s a labor of love, right?

Exactly how much labor and love can you expect to put into one of these? Axelson estimates about 800 to 1,000 hours. “If you’re a really smart engineer, it’ll take you longer,” he says. “If you’re a corn farmer from Iowa, you’ll finish in a lot less time.” These kits are designed to be completed by the average person with no special skills, no welding or sophisticated machinery, nothing more than common hand tools. The biggest obstacle for some folks is that they overthink it and make it more complicated than it is.

Not surprisingly, Axelson said they consider documentation to be the most important part of their kits.

“Most of our customers have never built an aircraft kit before, and when they look at the unassembled kit, it can seem like a Space Shuttle,” he says. “But when they get into it, they quickly begin to understand that it’s actually easy and fairly straightforward.”

And for support, the large and well-established Super Cub Club at supercub.org is an extremely active community of owners, builders, and kit makers who are quick to share tips and answer questions for fellow builders.

-Dan Woods

This kit spares you that error. The pre-bent crank and laser-cut parts fit precisely; you only need scissors, glue, and a few evenings. Instructions are well illustrated, and online there’s a build video and a teacher’s guide. The delicate ’thopter weighs ¼oz, has a 16″ wingspan, and flies about 1 minute on 200 turns of the rubber band. At press time BirdKit.com was upgrading the kit, so yours may fly that much better.

My assembly nearly complete, I can happily say the components, fit, and finish have not disappointed. My SQ2 has gone together smoothly and I can hardly wait to go flying.

Intended for teaching kids ages 14 and up, it’s easily assembled in minutes with a screwdriver (included); you add only batteries. I’d say kids 10 and up could build it, with adult help to push the motors tightly into grommets. Caveats: the instructions have some inconsistent drawings (the online video helps), and the front leg is fastened by a nut on the deck directly in the plane’s path — a dubious placement, though it hasn’t tripped up my planes yet. (Incoming, Jake!)