The Lazer 200 Story ..... 10 years in the making 

Mark 1 - The Prototype

During the late eighties the 100 inch Lazer 200 with ST3000 power had become  a popular model on the New Zealand rally scene thanks to guys liek Bert Street and Wayne Cartwright. At a Hawera rally, someone had scaled the plane down to 2m, and Mike took a liking to its performance. 

Soon after, Mike Briggs constructed his first 2m Lazer. The fuselage was blue foam and brown paper, and the model had a one piece wing which slide in through the fuselage. The engine was an O.S 90 with home made muffler. At the time Peter Blake and his Steinlager yachting had just won the round the world race, so the model was painted all red with Steinlager lettering.

Mikes first Lazer. 2m span, weight about 10-11lbs, power OS 90 FSR. Prior to this we had flown only sport models. This was the best thing we had ever flown !


At about this time, Scale Aerobatics in New Zealand was started by Lloyd Dickens. The first ever Scale Aerobatics competition was held in Taupo, it was attended by a mix of pattern pilots, and scale flyers. Mike and Frazer both flew this model in Sportsman at the 2nd Scale Aerobatics event in Taupo. All was going well until the freestyle. Mike disorientated at the bottom of a spin, stalls, snaps, spins and stalls again. The model was totalled and Frazer was not to happy, this would have been his first go at flying freestyle. Bugger !

Frazer's first Lazer. Built as per the prototype. Blue Foam and brown paper fuselage, one peice wing. Powered by an ASP 108 on pipe. Frazer placed 1st in Sportsman IMAC at the New Zealand Nationals in 1992 with this model.

Mark 2 - Fibreglass Fuselage 

In 1992 Scale Aerobatics in New Zealand was growing, and a few more people have become interested in the 2m Lazer. Mike decides a fibreglass fuselage is required so a plug and moulds are made. The first fibreglass fuselage is soon ready and the 3rd Lazer is built. The glass fuselage required an internal structure of firewall, plywood crutch and formers etc in the model. The model still had the one piece wing, but now used an OS 108 with the pipe inside the fuselage....Woo this is gonna have some grunt. 

Again Peter Blake had won some huge yacthing trophy for New Zealand and the model is painted in Steinlager 2 colours. It is completed just in time for the Nationals.

This model lasted a long time. Scale Aerobatics had taken off and after well over 1000 flights Mike eventually flew it into the side of a hill and it was totalled .... Bugger !

Mark 3 - Finlay and Krippner 

In about 1993, Grant Finlay and Paul Krippner of Hamilton borrowed the moulds and over a period of about 2 years made approx 50 laser fuselage's for keen IMAC flyers around New Zealand. The 2m Lazer takes off and IMAC events in New Zealand become more popular than Scale !

At IMAC competitions in the North Island of New Zealand during the mid 90's all most every pilot flew a Finlay/Krippner/Briggs Lazer 200 

The mark 3 version of the Lazer now featured plug in wings and could be built as light as 10 1/2 lbs. The O.S 108 was still the engine of choice but Krippner goes crazy and bolts in a ST3000 on pipe !

Mike and Frazer with their 4th Lazer at a Turangi IMAC competition 

Scale Aerobatics at the 1994 Nationals was won by Frazer, 2nd Grant Finlay, 3rd Paul Krippner, all flying the 2m Lazer. The following year there were enough people to start flying the unlimited class.

Mark 4 - Mike makes a new plug 

In 1997 the moulds were starting to signs off wear. Mike decides its time for a new version thats easier to build. A brand new plug is made. New technology is used to create the moulds and the fuselage now comes with the firewall and pipe tunnel already moulded in place. No more crutch assembly required, the fuselage only needed something for the tank to sit on, and something for the servos to screw too. The model can now be built as light as 9 1/2 lbs and flys better than ever.

It wasn't long before Frazer got his own back, smashing Mike's Lazer a an IMAC event in Tokoroa, during a typically wild Bogan Freestyle that eventually got a bit too low..... three weeks before the Nationals and no model ! Mike and Frazer built like crazy and finished 2 identical lasers from scratch in a record 21 days. 

Frazers 4th Lazer. 10 pounds. OS 140 RX powered.... so much power it would accelerate vertically. 




Mike continued to produce Lazer kits as they were required. Mike and Frazer concentrated on TOC. The success of TOC videos "Pretty Bloody Good", prompted the new company name, PBG Composites.

Mark 5 - Cheek Cowls

Early in 2001 Mike decided that the kit needed reviewing. A new cowl mould was required, and scale like cheek cowls were added. A new canopy mould was also made, with a slightly longer looking canopy shape.

The guys we had met in Phoenix over the last 4 years during TOC practice were keen to become agents for the kits in the U.S. An initial batch of kits was sent over.

Jim Dornberger from Chandler AZ.

 

 

Click here for more about the Lazer 200 from PBG Composites