Our system automatically sends an email receipt as soon as the order is accepted. Check your spam folder first. If you still can't find it, please use our contact form to request the status of your order.

Most standard short kits are cut to order. Please allow 2–3 weeks for cutting and packaging before your order ships. Custom cutting requests may take longer depending on the complexity of the design. We will keep you informed if your order requires additional time.

Yes, we ship to builders worldwide. International shipping costs must be calculated and agreed to before you place your order and will be invoiced manually. Use the contact form to get a shipping estimate before ordering.

We pack carefully, but shipping can be unpredictable. If you receive a kit with damaged or missing parts:

• Contact us through the contact form as soon as possible
• Include a description of what is affected
• Photos of any damage are helpful and will speed up the process

We will work with you to make it right.

Kit Cutters specializes in large-scale and giant-scale radio-controlled aircraft. Most of our kits are designed for serious builders working from full-size plans — projects where accurate parts and consistent wood quality matter to the outcome. If you are unsure whether your project is a good fit, reach out through the contact form and we are happy to talk it through.

Our short kits contain all the shaped parts that would require significant effort to cut by hand. That includes:

• Ribs, fuselage formers, and all precision-cut structural components
• Parts in balsa, lite ply, birch ply, or hardwood such as spruce — selected based on each part's structural requirement
• Many parts, including ribs, remain in the sheet for protection during shipping
• All parts are segregated, sealed in labeled plastic bags, and accompanied by a pack sheet listing the contents of each bag

Short kits do not include:

• Stock sheet wood or sticks such as spars
• Metal, rubber, plastic, or fiberglass parts
• Plans or instructions — due to copyright restrictions, these must be obtained directly from the designer or their agent

Most of our kits do not include plans. We cut parts based on popular designer plans from Ziroli, Bates, Hostetler, Pepino, and others. Plans must be purchased directly from the designer. We provide links to plan designers on our product pages and on our Designers & Plans page.

We use premium, hand-selected AAA grade balsa wood and aircraft-grade birch or lite-plywood. Wood density is carefully selected based on each part's structural requirement — we don't use one grade for everything.

For most interlocking balsa construction, high-quality CA (cyanoacrylate) glue is the standard choice — thin for wicking into joints, medium for general assembly. For high-stress areas, use a good 30-minute epoxy:

• Firewall
• Landing gear blocks
• Wing joiners and dihedral braces

For more on materials and construction techniques, visit our Resources page.

Every kit is custom-cut to order — we don't maintain a shelf of pre-cut kits waiting to ship.

• In Stock — we have the raw materials on hand to cut your kit
• Out of Stock — the raw materials needed are not currently available

If a kit you want shows Out of Stock, use the contact form to ask about availability or expected restock timing.

We don't. Our commitment is straightforward — we cut what the plans specify, using the exact wood species, grain orientation, and thickness called out by the designer. If a plan calls for 3/32" sheet balsa, that is exactly what you receive.

Should we ever encounter a situation where a specified material is temporarily unavailable, we will contact you before cutting begins — never substitute without your knowledge and explicit approval. Your build deserves nothing less than precisely what you ordered.

Yes. If you have purchased plans from a designer and want precision laser-cut parts made from those plans, that is exactly the kind of work we do. Use the contact form and select Custom Cutting Request to get started. We will review your plans, discuss material requirements, and provide a quote before any cutting begins.

Yes. If you have your own design files ready for cutting, we can work from those directly. Accepted formats include:

• .ai
• .pdf
• .dxf
• .lbrn
• .lbrn2
• .tiff
• .svg

Use the contact form and select Custom Cutting Request — we will follow up to review your files and discuss the details before providing a quote.

We work primarily in LightBurn and CorelDRAW, so LBRN and CDR files are ideal. We can also work from .ai, .pdf, .dxf, .tiff, and .svg files. If you're unsure about compatibility, let us know through the contact form and we will confirm before you commit to anything. Clean, properly scaled vector files give you the best results and the most accurate quote.

The shop lists our current catalog, but it does not represent every plan or aircraft we can cut from. If you're researching a specific subject and don't see it listed, use the contact form and tell us what you are looking for. We will check our files and get back to you. It's worth asking — our plan library is larger than what is currently shown in the shop.

Yes. Use the contact form and select Custom Cutting Request. We will review your plans, discuss material specifications, and provide a quote before any cutting begins. We have worked from a wide range of designer plans and are happy to talk through what your project needs.