TWIN REBEL
What had to be one of the most unique jets on hand at Florida Jet Week was the Twin Rebel (Twerble?) brainchild of Lukey Martinez. He added an additional fuselage from the Elite Rebel to produce this cool-looking sport jet. The conversion is reportedly straightforward, and it can be readily converted back to its single-fuselage “production” version. When in flight, you have to look twice to determine if it’s a single model or two Rebels flying in very tight formation. Nice job, Lukey!
Equally evident—and just plain amazing—is the availability, diversity, and degree of prefabrication of the jet “kits” of today. A relatively small number of manufacturers and importers have found a ready and growing market for some incredible projects, such as Roberto Zelaya’s enormous Fiat G.91, the nearly 1/3-scale BAE Hawks, a turboprop Pilatus PC-2A, and a range of swoopy sport jets that look as if they’re going Mach 1 sitting on the ramp. Nearly all the current offerings not only come as pre-molded composite structures but also, in the case of the scale subjects, have all the panel and rivet detail crisply molded into the surface.
The latest feature for these new-generation jet products is the incorporation of the color scheme (frequently of your choice) applied directly into the mold during the fabrication process. No painting or prep necessary. I don’t think I saw any of the numerous Elite
Havocs in identical schemes. In spite of that, don’t let this level of sophisticated prefabrication lead you to believe that the term “ARF” as we’ve come to know it applies to these models.
There is a significant amount of work still to be performed, but much of it is a systems integration effort rather than traditional building and finishing requirements. So, OK, turbine-powered models are not for everyone. I get it. But you don’t have to own one to appreciate the level of sophistication some of these models represent. Regardless of your position on building versus assembly, someone had to do all the work necessary to make products like these available. And to make it happen, that work includes design, engineering, fabrication, and component integration. Some great examples of this were seen in models like the unique Dassault Mirage F1, expertly flown by Greg Arnette; the distinctive Elite Aerosports Twin Rebel by Lukey Martinez (see sidebar); and the nicely finished MiG-21 of Bill Culberson. These jets are amazing to watch. I also saw Kris Gunter’s new F-84F Thunderstreak, which looked like it flew