2020 continues to be 2020. Being a resident of Oregon, our state has been hit with prolific wildfires his year. This means fire threats, smoke and poor air quality. Because of this, I’ve revised my lineup of first models.

After the productive learning month of August, I set my sights on finally production the first AeroMaiden model. Before I intended to release RM001, I wanted to run through my entire process once for personal review and improvement. This involved developing model entirely without production.

From here, the “Classic Quad” was born. Originally designed as a racing ship took inspiration from the Il-62M and the F-117. The design was purposefully simple to encourage a quick prototype.

Over time the final design took shape into something I thought was relatively pleasant. I pushed my design style with the inclusion of 2 different thicknesses of wood and carbon fiber sheeting.

I ended up finding the thicker wood made a great skeleton for the model. It’s relatively strong and easy to handle. Most of the center of the Quad uses it… as well as the wing supports.

The rest of the model fell into line quite nicely. I’ve discovered a few areas needing improvement, but overall I’m happy with how easy it was to put together (something I knew needed work for a commercial release). With the first model done, I can start work on a livery and packaging.

With everything going on in Oregon right now, as well a positive reception from most people I’ve shown the model to, I’ve decided to make this RM000. A limited release model. The design has changed slightly into a firefighting water bomber and will be sold as a fundraiser for the local Red Cross to help with relief efforts. I figured I could give back to the community as well as get my first product out in the wild.

At this point I still have a lot left to do. I want to be on-sale by the end of the year which will require some hustle on my parts. At this point my path is close to diverging. Once I finalize the design, I can send the model off for livery design and info off for packaging artwork. At the same time I will be working on my box itself, both part list, layout, and packaging design. I don’t plan on selling until I have the entire limited run inventory completed.

See you next month!