r1morris

My Feedback: (1)

[B][SIZE=3]:stupid:
For some of the older or economicaly pressed in the Hobby/Sport. Neccesity dictates finding ways to conserve funds. Here is a chance to share your money saving secrets with pthers.
I'm not just talking about buying used, thats a one time deal not everyone can get.

den1tjb

SPAD is about the only way to do it now. I still love building balsa, but when it comes a carefree morning of boring holes in the sky, SPAD all the way.

sdt22

Ha, r1morris. You have a great sense of humor.

hilleyja

My Feedback: (3)

Look for bargains on eBay and RC Universe.

*** WARNING ***

Know the value of the item you're looking for before exploring eBay. Unfortunately there are a lot of items way over-priced on eBay due to the normal auction mania.

My normal process:

When I shop on eBay I am looking for flea-market price. I very rarely pay more than 20% less than discount price. Remember, most of what your getting is used and have NO warrantee. On a normal day of eBaying I may look at 100+ items and only bid on 3 or 4. Even on those 3 or 4 do I rarely win the bid because I will not exceed the flea-market price bid that I set.

Here are some examples:

1) I average less than $15.00 for a 6-volt 1500+mah RX pack -- they retail for $35.00.

2) I just paid $80.00 for 11 brand new rolls of monocote.

3) I paid $24.95 for (2) 100oz torgue servos by GWS.

4) I paid $1.75 each for 12 36" Futaba extensions

5) I have several Hitec RXs that I have paid on an average of $35.00 for.

6) I just paid $30.00 for a brand new 1/2a airplane kit.

One of the best deals I've gotten in recent memory was from RC Universe. I paid $100.00 for an OS SX .50. It came with both the original muffler and a Mac's muffler. The engine was used but looked and runs like new. The engine discounts on Tower Hobbies for $159.99 and the Mac's muffler discounts on Tower Hobbies for $34.99. That's just under a 50% discount of the original Tower Hobbies price.

MikeL

My Feedback: (3)

Move north, and only fly 7 or 8 months out of the year.

I bargain shop. It's easy to compare prices online. I also do a lot of research before I make a purchase, so I know that I'm getting the best bang for my buck. Using lower nitro fuels is also a way to save a buck here and there. Building with glues other than CA can lower expenses, too.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Have cash and make offers to people. I buy stuff all the time on RCU, ebay, swap meets and other places. I buy from hobby shops a lot too. One boat I bought in particular. I had seen it sitting there for at least 2 years and it had a $300 price on it. I told the guy I would give him $125 for it. He laughed. I said, "just had to try, its been here forever". He said to hang on, and then came back and said "Cash?" I gave him a check and left with a nice boat. He got rid of some dead merchandise. Never be afraid to ask. Bought a box of 6 gliders from one place that was closing them out. Got them for $10 each, sold 4 for $40 each. Bought 6 kits from another shop going out of business. Wanted one and couldn't get my price, so I said "how much for all of them" and got them all pretty cheap. You just have to look really hard, and be willing to buy it without thinking. Sold the kits I didn't want and made almost enough to pay for the one I wanted. Not a bad way to do it.

banktoturn

r1morris,

It depends on what ballpark of expenditure you want to stay in, and what you insist on owning. When I browse this forum, I read posts from quite a number of people who own 10, 20, or 30 engines, build or buy at least one plane every year, and other things that seem kind of extravagant to me. There are others who seem to need to fly 'on the edge', and then just shrug their shoulders when they wipe out a plane, which must, of course, be replaced the next day. There are some who simply need to fly planes that cost a fortune, and own the most sophisticated radio. If you are in any of those categories, then the best you can do is shop for deals on used stuff. On the other hand, if your main interest is in flying one or two planes that are appropriate for your flying abilities, you can be fairly frugal. Don't buy new stuff for the heck of it. Early on, pick an engine ( or electric motor ) of a standard size, and use it in future planes. Make it a decent one, so you will be happy to use it, and won't feel the need to replace it after a year of struggling to get it to work. Get a decent radio with the features and number of channels that you need, and keep it until it stops working. Carefully build a balsa, or SPAD, plane, and then make sure that you don't fly 'over your head', so you don't crash it all the time. There's no reason at all that a plane shouldn't last you 10 or 20 years. Same thing for an engine. Same for a radio. Upgrade the plane when your skills make it appropriate. If you do those things, and shop for good deals on all the stuff you buy, you can do OK. In any case, this is not the cheapest hobby in the world, so you can only save so much money.

Good luck,

banktoturn

Backwing

My Feedback: (3)

So far I've saved about $60 on a plane and receiver that I bought from RCU classifeds.
I have bought a couple things off eBay, but like Hilleja said know the price first. I won't buy on eBay unless I know for certain that the price AND shipping cost are going to be in my favor. Some people rip you on shipping.

Roby

Many years ago when my children were small , I didn't
have much money to spend on the hobby.

I got the hobby to support much of the expense by
building for other people. A real pain in the neck but it worked
for me.

If someone wanted an airplane built,(ready to cover)
I would tell them " give me 2 kits, you'll get one back"
Then build both at once and sell the other.

Regards
Roby

Unstable

we have our local "walking flea market" at our field. this guy buys stuff, new used whatever.. he MIGHT fly it... then sells it for well below what he payed for it (all the while b%@$^in about how we are driving him to the poor house )

I just picked up a OS 91 4-stroke for $75 from him.

Its going to go into a Aeromaster bipe that I got for free from a friend (airframe only).

where theres a will, theres a way.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Sells it for below what he paid for it? Seems like a bad way to do it. Does he tear it up first?

As far as ebay goes, yes, watch your shipping prices and know what you are buying. Same as anyplace including RCU. If they can't give you pictures and exact shipping so you know what you are buying and paying, don't buy from them.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

I would say that the best way to save money is RCU. Second, find an alternative to the normal RC products. I use to purcahse battery packs from Batteries Plus. With the discount card, I was getting 1800maH packs for under $20

Robby

My Feedback: (18)

Geistware --

And now you purchase batteries from ___________, for $__.-- ?

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

OH, I get the from Radical RC. www.radicalrc.com

Tattoo

related thread:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...41&forumid=235

r1morris,
Do not let these guys fool you! It's very hard to save mony flying Spads! Oh yeah sure...if you only had one of them...but then there's the issue of self control. A Spad plane costs $10 or less to build, and it takes an afternoon to build it. It's all plastic so there is no covering and everything is already fuel proof...so you save on paint and covering. But...there is a catch...a BIG catch! They are addictive! I flew Balsa for 20 years and at the heyday I had 3 flight packs and always had one flyer, one is some state of repair, and one on board. so, lets say $200 for a flight pack and engine, and approx $100 for each kit. So the most I had into the hobby back then at any one time was $900 plus support equipment and fuel. Then along comes Spads...WOW!!! A plane I can build for less than $10...in an afternoon, and it's tougher than anything else I ever had so it will last a LOT longer. It's one of those few things that too good to be true...but it really is...and...you can't stop...you get new ideas...you want to try to design your own...you can't sleep at night because seeing if an idea will fly is only a few hours in the shop away...you have total freedom at the field because fear of crashing is gone...what the heck, you can always build another one...you spend a fortune in fuel because you have MUCH more time to fly...you don't want to decommision the one you're flying so you buy another flight pack for the next one...and the next one...and the next one...and the next one...buy this time you are hooked and to date there is no known cure. I currently have 20 fully equipped ready to fly airplanes, all with engines and flight packs...I have 10 transmiters, and 24 engines, and a BUNCH of extra battery packs and servos...and I'm still thinking I need more!!! Darn it all...because of Spad I now have somewhere around $5,000 worth of R/C stuff!!!!

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

Don't crash

ANd if you do, shop on here for your next project..

james

lynngordon

I switched to gas engines/larger planes - instead of a $60 a month fuel bill, I now pay about $10. More cost initially, but more than recovered in a year's flying.

Lynn

flicka5

My Feedback: (2)

Stay away from Vegas and you will have enough money to pay full retail!

warplaneinsane

IMO, I would not try to save a few bucks with lower nitro fuels and cheaper glues.
I always use the very best fuel Ican find. The better your engine runs, the less likely you are to have an engine related accident or engine damage....
I would absolutely not use cheaper glues.
Both of those suggetions are probably the last place I would consider scrimping on to save a few bucks....In this hobby, you deffinately get what you pay for....or what you deserve...
Steve

Flyfalcons

Get your nuts&bolts/tools from a hardware store. You can get balsa there too. And definitely shop RCU; you'll be surprised what you might find. I actually found a glass cowl and pants for my new Extra here NIB and saved some cash. Go to your field and post a wanted sign for crashed planes. I'd much rather give away a salvageable plane than toss it; it is nice to see planes come back from the dead. I have rebuilt two wrecks and ended up with very nice planes that cost me very little. Don't be afraid to make lowball offers on consignment items at your LHS. Hope this helps.

Unstable

he once bought a blue max ready to go at the feild. he sold it before he got it into his van. didnt even fly it (except once when teh other guy owned it)

so no... he doesnt tear it up... I dont pretend to understand it, I just sit and watch.. (and have a few bucks ready for when something I want comes along )

once he was talking about haveing the one guy build him a DP ultimate (he has someone build his planes.. he doesnt build either) I was joking that I should pick out the colors so when I bought it I would like the scheme

js3

My Feedback: (3)

Steve,

Lower nitro content in fuel in no way means that it is lower quality fuel. One can easily substitute 5% nitro content fuel for 15% or 20%, save about $4 per gallon, and have little effect other than having to readjust the needle valve.

One can also purchase a 12 ounce bottle of Titebond wood glue for about the price of one ounce of CA. Titebond is every bit as good as CA; it just requires a different technique. In some cases, wood glue like Titebond or Elmer's is better than CA.

warplaneinsane

I absolutely disagree.
I have several 4 strokes that I would'nt even CONSIDER running 5% nitro thru, they don't run worth a damn, rough idle, lots of backfires, slow transition, and crummy top end. 5% maybe ok for some smaller displacement engines, but anything over about .32 to .40 and I would avoid it.
As to cheaper glues, that is the very last place I would scrimp. Titebond is ok for some applications, but your looking at increasing your building time by about 10 fold, and the end results are no stonger than a quality CA, and don't get it wet. I had a buddy who used titebond to build a scale beaver, and the glue started to breakdown from the moisture.
You scrimp where you want, but after 35 years of modeling experience I'm here to tell ya, that I will not scrimp on fuel or glue.
Steve

gubbs3

My Feedback: (1)

Live as far away from a hobby shop as possible. That way you don't find yourself wandering around picking stuff you don't really need off of the shelves. Then when you really do need to buy something, you place a huge order on an internet site and get a discount.

flicka5

My Feedback: (2)

The argument about nitro content reminds me of all the drivers who waste their money on Hi-test gasoline when their car engines are designed for 87 octane! Unless you are some 3-D speed fanatic, 10% nitro content has run great in all my some 14 4-stroke engines and some 35 2-stroke engines over the last 30 years. Have even run some 4-strokes upside down with 10% and with great success. After all, the European modelers run no nitro at all in a lot of cases.

Been using white/yellow/brown wood glues for years to build models and unless you are going to put your model underwater,ie.: play submarine, it does a good job. Also, many "cheap" wood glues today are water resistant, sandable and paintable. Using a Elmer's brown Exterior Carpenter's glue right now to repair a 1/4 scale gas model. It is recommended for exterior bird houses. I really like it because it doesn't run. Yep, takes more time to build a model but that is the trade-off to save money. Also, use Ca intermittently. When you need epoxy, Walmart sells 2-ton, slow dry epoxy for less than $2 a package and fast 5 min. for the same price!

Another major way to save money is keep your models small like 1/2 A through .25 size and don't crash them.

My neighbor says I am cheap but I call it frugal!