K & W Model Airplanes Inc.| Flying Scale Models

UK # 11-2001 (November)

Model Flyer ( November 2001 )
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*product feature* ARTF true scale kits K & W Model Airplanes, Philippines Report by Gordon Ward

Gordon Ward combines pleasure with business - and brought home two large boxes...
In this age, you will not find true scale model aircraft professionally manufactured by traditional construction techniques, of course not! Producing model aircraft ARTF today, you employ foam and fiberglass - quick and cheap. Kits hand made by craftsman will take 250 man hours each, at say £10.00 per hours makes £2,500 in labor alone, with cost of employment adding another 20% then there is materials, packaging, marketing, factory overheads, distribution, shipping, dealer and retailer margins - so the all up price would end up over £3000!. So we have to make do with ARTF kits that are sports scale at best, of the common or garden types - Corsairs, Spitfires, Mustangs, J3 Cubs, Etc. Few people have time to scratch build scale models of lesser known types., however, there is a little light at the end of the tunnel. ENTER GORAN KALDEREN... K & W Model Airplanes Inc. Manufacturing, in the Philippines, employ 35 cabinet makers, under the personal supervision of Goran (pronounced Yoran) Kalderen, a former world champion team scale modeller from Sweden, who now lives with his family in the idyllic tropical setting of Lapu-Lapu Island, an hour flight from Manila, Philippines. This region is renown for its furniture and guitar making, and has an abundance of skilled craftsman. Interestingly, in 1521, it was this island Magellan invaded with his seafaring rebel rousers, and met his death at the hands of the local king Lapu-Lapu, after which the island is named. As I was traveling to the Philippines on business, I decided to make a visit to K & W and find out for myself what is it about K & W that makes it unique in the world. Traveling from the UK, it took me 11 hours to reach Hong Kong, then a two hour transfer flight to Manila, Philippines - and then a 1 hour domestic flight to Lapu-Lapu. AN INTERESTING AREA... Well, it had to be monsoon season, of course, with a typhoon thrown in for good measure. 55 people had died from flooding and landslides the day before I arrived, several Chinese had been kidnapped by Muslims fundamentalist, a former aid of the recent impeached President Estrada is on trial, accused of being a drug baron - and then to cap it all, a hotel burned down, killing 85 people (the owner had absconded, with the police in pursuit). But then I had never been to Apparantly just a normal week in the Philippines! K & W, AT HOME On the way to the factory, as we drove through lush tropical archipelago, Goran explained that he set up his scale aricraft operation just five years ago, and that he was really interested in the period of aircraft development up to about 1930. He thought it might be possible to produced aircraft in traditional materials. using labour-intensive construction. Of course, labour is plentiful in a country that has over 15% of its workforce unemployed. My mind immediately thought of "cheap labour" and the morality of supporting this economy, but I was to discover that all of the staff are very well cared for by the Company. They earn as much as in any job locally, and are fully employed - this a country where many nurses have to do volunteer work, in order to get 12 hours, or so, paid work in a week, at £1.57 per hour! The K & W craftsmen are not 'cheap labour' - they work hard, but are well paid, relative to their economy. As we passed through Goran's own plantation of Balsa, Goran explained they grew all their Balsa and other exotic woods. It took five years for Balsa tree to be mature and useable as aircraft quality materials.
The 'secret room' - new prototypes under development - This is the Antoinette - note the RCV that Gordon took to Goran.
The Balsa is regrettably subject to damage by termites, and about 30% of the material is unusable. Goran has staff working fulltime on the husbandry of his raw materials and it was certainly impressive to see all this 'own grown' timber on hand to the factory, going through the various processes of planning and cutting to size. The locally grown wood has particular qualities that are superior to that which is grown in Papua New Guinea, in so much as it grows relatively "hard" due to the typhoons, which cause frequent severe bending of the trees, which causes the balsa to strengthen, producing a harder wood. Goran likes harder wood as it is best suited for the open frame construction of the period he is modelling -just as on the original aircraft, hard woods do a better job of providing a suitably stressed airframe. The factory is surrounded by lush, palm-fringed gardens, where Goran also has his home and the home of his brothers in law. It is a quiet area, shared by the staff and the local wildlife of exotic snakes, spiders, and gecko's etc!	The Macchi M7 - just one of the many unusual, and attractive, prototypes available from K & W
Gordon couldn't resist buying a Be2 - he saw it being prepaired while he was vesiting the factory.		The man himself - Goran takes rare time to sit down and chat.


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Model Flyer ( November 2001 ) modflymag@aol.com