Rabid Models was started in 2006. At that time foamies were becoming very popular especially for indoor models, and Marc and Steve were enjoying the indoor flying scene. Flat-foam models look like crap and fly like crap – so we started designing our own scale models of famous twin-engine warbirds using BlueCore fan-fold foam with airfoils. They flew really great and our friends encouraged us to offer them for sale… so we did! We quickly filled our houses with blue foam and people said we were crazy – Foaming at the Mouth, so…. the rest is history! This hobby is definitely an illness.
You won’t find “common” models in our catalog. Our kits are scale models of unique warbirds, mostly twin-engine. Well, over the years profile model kits have lost popularity, but our models are still available because they (1) fly really well, (2) they are unique, and (3) they are simple and relatively inexpensive. Most of our kits are laser-cut. Out kits do require assembly and painting. <faint>
These planes all feature our own undercambered wing design. Through a simple bending process an airfoil is formed – and airfoils perform much better than flat wings! Undercambered airfoils are high-lift/high-drag and are not designed for high-speed flying. Our models are lightweight and don’t need big motors. They fly really well, and realistically – in a scale manner! They are all designed as close to scale as possible and they look great in the air. For best results, build them as designed!
Our models are all designed with a lightweight “pull-pull” control system. (included with the kit) Its very easy to install and you don’t need pushrods and clevises. CLICK HERE for a short demo video showing how we do it.
Our kits are constructed using 6mm “BlueCore” foam – fan-fold insulation with a plastic film on both sides. Why? This product is very easy to work with, light and strong, and easy to bend into an airfoil. Bluecore has pinholes and some waviness which is simply the nature of the product, but its not noticeable from 2 feet away. Depron is very hard to bend and is expensive. DTF is heavy – you can remove the paper and then it has no strength. EPP is too floppy.
One unique thing about RabidModels kits is that they come with an extremely detailed manual (in English) that illustrates each step with large pictures! LOTS of pictures! The manuals were originally supplied on a CD with the kits but are now offered as a free download for our customers. No paper – the idea is that you can use a laptop or “Eye-pad” to display the manual while building the kit. With electronic files we can efficiently provide many other useful things as well, such as files for printing paper decals, additional instructions, notes, pictures, videos, and so on.
The manuals are LOONG but our kits aren’t difficult to construct! Have you ever purchased a kit that had a one-page instruction sheet written in “Chinglish” with 1-inch blurry pictures? Yeah, we’re basically the opposite of that. The foam costs a few bucks… our manuals are worth about $1000 in terms of the time it took to make them!
Most of our planes are “twins” and most are offered in two sizes. (1) the smaller size models all have the same 28″ wingspan and were originally designed for the inexpensive brushed “IPS” motor with 3″ or 4″ props. (2) The larger models are scaled to the 3-bladed 9×7 propeller and use the famous “Blue Wonder” 1300kV brushless motor. (3) Over time we have developed some other multi-engine planes that are designed specifically for a 10-gm brushless motor, these are scaled to the 5″ 3-bladed props, such as the C47 and the 4-engine bombers. The 28″-size models can also use this motor. AND FINALLY (4) – we have a few planes that don’t fit in these categories (jets and others)!
We do a good business with adhesive products, only a few are shown here for kit-building. We have hundreds of different glue products for sale on EBAY – CLICK HERE TO VISIT the ebay Rabid Models store!
Besides the airplane kits, we also many of the accessories for our kits such as the motors, props, carbon fiber, and custom products such as 3D-printed spinners (but not the RC gear or batteries). We’re in the process of adding many new items to the website.
WHERE ARE WE? We are located in NE Ohio USA in the Cleveland-Akron area. We fly our own planes. All of our kits are designed and manufactured by us, packaged by us, and shipped by us. Virtually all the adhesive products are made in the USA as well. We do not have a “brick and mortar” store, we are a 100% on-line business. We accept bribes and tips. Marc has had a flu shot. We both have day jobs.
CLICK HERE to see our “DISCLAIMER” page. Yes it is for real. Seriously. Ha Ha. Our lawyers said so.
CLICK HERE to send us an email.
“There is a fine line between having a hobby and a mental illness.”
Our products do not have any mind-control microchips inside them and are Gluten-Free, but many of our customers are crazy about them! Foamin” at the Mouth, you could say!