ma_mulcahy

FYI, while Horizon purchased Tower and Great Planes, they did not purchase Great Planes Model Manufacturing. I suspect that means that Horizon will NOT be in the kit business and that the kit inventory at Tower may be the last we get.

mgnostic

I wonder if any of the bigger companies will try "cut on demand". Keeping model specific hardware on hand would still be an issue but it would allow more flexibility in terms of wood inventory.

paladin

My Feedback: (9)

I have had k&s music wire on order at tower since well b4 they were bought. and maple a sig for over a year. really sad commentary on building.

joe

karolh

As we say here....' woe is we ' !!

born2build

I have a number of kits lined up. So, I'm good, as far as that goes. But things like hardware, covering, wood, and accessories are becoming increasingly hard to find.
Here in Vegas, with a population approaching 650,000, we have only one viable hobby shop (HobbyTown) left.
And they aren't inclined to keep these things in stock.
Things ain't lookin' too good for us builders in the high desert!

acdii

Looks like Hobby King will be the go to source for decent covering material.

born2build

I have never done business with Hobby King. And I never will.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

It's pricey but you can get some music wire through Brodak.

TomCrump

I have, and it was a huge mistake.

If Hobby King becomes our best option, for anything, the hobby is in deep trouble.

mgnostic

I wonder how much of the business end of our hobby is being effected by the "Baby Boom" generation. Some of these folks are hitting 75 and although I know people who are flying in their 80's, there are people aging out of the hobby. Although I suspect that there will always be some builders a lot of people coming into the R/C hobbies seem to be more into ARFs and drones. I'm betting that with that shift in demographics the bigger distributors like Tower can't afford to keep a lot of kits or building supplies on the shelf. If one looks at the business situation in terms of opportunity it may be a time for a return to cottage industries. An example is my local kit cutter. He started off as the LHS and branched out into laser cutting. At this point his hobby shop is more of a sideline and the laser business provides most of his income. He keeps a storefront for things like etching and engraving trophies and the like, but most of his kit sales are via the internet. You could operate the kit cutting aspect of his business out of a two car garage. It's true that we benefit from sophisticated manufacturing and electronics, especially with our engines and radios but a lot of items could be manufactured in a relatively small shop. Another interesting note from my LHS guy is that he observed that his business took a big drop just after the 9-11 attacks.

Tom Nied

I wonder why the 9-11 attacks would have such a profound effect on the hobby industry. Seems like a constructive hobby like model airplane building would be a good stress reliever and anti-depressant with all the doom and gloom that was going on. I remember the day and just had to get away from the TV and went out to the field to fly my Sig Kadet Senior. Didn't even realize that even model aircraft was suppose to grounded as well. Our field in the western suburbs was exactly the western approach for O'Hare. Eerie we didn't see anything going into the O'Hare, but we could hear the military fighters streaking across the sky

warbdluvr

I dont think Ill ever be anything but a builder now. I started in the hobby about 25 yrs ago but I always had an interest since seeing this amazing plane buzzing around as a kid. Im in my late 40s now. I didnt know anyone in the hobby so I had a hard time getting started. I started with a trainer although I dont recall what one, maybe a tiger trainer. So I started out just flying with planes I bought built. Then I got my hands on my first kit, a great planes cub (Still have it). Before rc, I built many plastic models so getting into building for me was kinda natural. I loved it from the start and I still do. For me its many things. I dont care for the looks and quality of most ARF birds but thats just me. I love to create a plane thats mine alone. I may build a P-51 but there isnt another one exactly the same as mine. I get a real sense of enjoyment seeing a new plane that Ive massaged and loved into existence taking flight. Even when I dont have time to fly, I can still mange to get in an hour or so in the workshop. Its how I destress too. I get so wrapped up my plane that it pushes everything else out of my head. Some people drink to escape, I create balsa dust lol.
I get that its not for everyone. In this day and age many people just dont take the time to stop and enjoy the simple things. I find that the people that are builders are die hard builders. Some love to be creative but most are older people that found this passion long ago when if you wanted a cool plane, building it was the only way to get it. People that didnt have a desire to build just didnt fly. Now theres choices, RTF, ARF or build it yourself. Us builders are still here but now we are just a portion of the hobby population. At one time we were the whole population. Any hobby supplier will have to go with what they sell most. While we may have some choices as beginner and intermediate builders for kits available, most of the old school and die hard builders have moved up to more advanced and specialized kits like Ziroli or Vailly or scratch build. Most hobby shops would never stock such a kit simply because of cost and it just wouldnt be feasible. So in the end us builders are still here. Are we really such a small number or are we just kinda lost as a small percentage blended into a much larger hobby?

Tom Nied

Not to be cynical, but I think its something like this. Would you rather work and build something that can take weeks and you have learn how to do it, or would you rather just play some mind numbing video game that doesn't require any work or sense of diligence to complete it? But I'll admit, I like both ARF's and kits.

warbdluvr

I agree, theres that aspect as well. I can honestly say Ive killed many an hour fighting missions Ill never experience in real life or racing cars I could never afford or own lol. Those hours could have been spent in the workshop doing what some would argue as being more productive. Not only is it where our passions lie, but where our comforts are. Some may feel that actually building a kit is intimidating. They maybe dont feel they will complete it or do it well enough it will fly. That could lead to feeling that investing the effort and money would be wasted. Then the aspect of attachment to something you loved into existence and watching that OOPS moment. I admit, Ive had both ARFs and built planes that I was less than stellar with in my flying abilities. I was far less affected about damaging a plane I didnt invest so much effort into.
Lets also look at whats needed to build. You need space and it creates some unfavorable things to some members of the home like dust and glue fumes. Im fortuanate in that I have a space Im able to dedicate strictly to a workshop for my planes. Not everyone has that and it creates a whole new set of issues if all you have is shared space and your plane under construction has to be relocated often to make way for dinner. In those circumstances, Id be happy to settle for something quick and clean that helps maintain diplomatic relations, I can maybe assemble in 1 or 2 sittings and I still get to go fly. Id rather enjoy some of my hobby compared to give it up completely. There are a million factors that can been seen going either way so I can see why the ARF world has grown. I think the ARFs made the hobby possible or at least easier for some that otherwise would find difficulty. Us builders are still here but as I said before, I think we are just a small percentage of whats now a much larger group.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

A lot of businesses went under after 9/11. I was working part time at a furniture store and the weeks following business dropped to zero and they closed the doors for good. Uncertainty causes people to stop spending and save their money in case of an emergency. retail is like the stock market its driven by perception.

foodstick

I still think builders don't choose to build..they can't stop it..its like an addiction. I am buried in planes I love like a pet, I keep saying I am going to fly not build this summer.. And it still kills me to not have plans laid out on the building table.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Fortunately there is no cure and no 12 step program except for old age!

acdii

Bought several things from them and never had a problem, always got what I ordered. What I like about their covering is it goes on real easy, like Ultracote/Oracover and comes in 5 meter rolls. Key is to order from the US warehouse. If what I need isn't in the US, I won't order it. I also get the Orange RX from them, along with Frysky RX from them as they are the only ones I found that has exactly what I need. Everything else I got from LHS or TH. I wont get hardware from HK, maybe batteries, but mainly just covering material and RX.

Telemaster Sales UK

It's not so bad gentlemen. If there are no more kits from the traditional souces we now have laser cutters who will produce a kit of parts for you.

Let's take WW2 warbirds as an example. The traditional firms produced a limited range of popular types in the knowledge that these would sell. So they all offered a P51D, a P47, a Spitfire, an AT6, a Zero, maybe a Bf109 and an FW 190. Even P51Bs were rare and if you wanted a Hawker Hurricane or Typhoon you had to search for them. As for any of the Russian aircraft of the Second World War, no-one produced a kit of any of them.

However, we have had plans for decades and today, rather than cutting out each part laboriously by hand, you simply have to send your plan to the laser cutter and for a fee, you will get a box containing all of the complicated shapes cut out ready for you to glue into place. As for sheet or strip wood, well I'm sure we are all well stocked!

So if your thing is a Brewster Buffalo or an Ilyushin IL2, one of which I hope to build one day, the laser cutters will accomodate you.

paladin

My Feedback: (9)

WHAT HAS HAPPEN TO THE HOBBY?
for years we had a company who would see innovative things and sign the maker to a 2yr contract for 240% of what they could make in a year. the first product they got would be reverse engineered and made in china. then when the two year contract was up they would not reorder from the inventor, who had to hire people and buy machines to make the quantity, and they would go belly up. It does my heart good to see they went bankrupt after what they did to this hobby, though I would not wish that on any of the employees.

then we have a assault of cheap FPV drones and the government makes everyone register.

so between the profiteers and the gov. we have been under assault for years. so it makes sence that only the diehard's are still building and flying. the innovators were wiped out and that has to be built back up again.

Joe

mgnostic

I gotta agree with Food Stick. Some of us are just builders at heart. It still surprises me though that we don't see more of the "Maker" crowd drifting into R/C.

auldprop

Im building a P51 d as above and wonder if you have any tips. I was going to use the fixed gear but after installing the plywood doublers to the wing ribs I decided to install electric retracts.
I am inclined to leave the original doublers in and add the ones for the retracts as it will improve strength rather than damaging the ribs trying to take out the fixed gear doublers. any comments please?

hobbinr

My Feedback: (9)

acdii

The more hardwood or aircraft plywood you can get in the wing for the gear, the better. The original design suffers greatly and one wrong landing will rip them right out. Double the doublers and you should be good.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think that is a common with most Top Flite kits the Cessna 182 had all liteply in the gear area. I used the original pieces as patterns to recut the pieces out of real plywood. I shoot for as soft a landing as possible but I wasn't dippy enough to think I could get by with liteply.