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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/5/2011 5:41 PM   
opjose



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quote:

ORIGINAL: smithcreek

Enjoy it while it lasts. The only reason ARFs exist in the numbers they do is because for this brief moment in history the Chinese are willing to put their peasant girls to work in factories making toys for Americans at near slave wages. That won't last for long. In a decade people will look back on this with disbelief and say ''remember when we used to buy those ARFs from China for next to nothing?''



Yup. That's the rationalization I use on my wife to let me "stock up" before the coming apocalypse!

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/6/2011 11:05 PM   
oldtyme


 

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Status: offline 		Well.............I like to build it is just a chore to find the kit I want. I crashed an ARF last week and had the gear out of it looking for a plane to live in. I decided I wanted a SIG Four Star 40 kit because I've never had one and have heard a lot of good things about this model. Well, it seems like they have been unavailable forever...........so I did a search on Google and found what seems to be the last existing kit of this model in a hobby shop in MO. It is on it's way and I can't wait to start the build. It shouldn't take much longer to build than to assemble an ARF from what I've heard. I have all the gear and covering so I'm set to go. I think I'm lucky to be getting a SIG kit..........I hope they don't just go to ARF's because over the years........SIG kits have been great.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/7/2011 3:10 PM   
DenverJayhawk



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quote:

ORIGINAL: smithcreek

quote:

ORIGINAL: Charlie P.

Ain't it wonderful to have choices.



Enjoy it while it lasts. The only reason ARFs exist in the numbers they do is because for this brief moment in history the Chinese are willing to put their peasant girls to work in factories making toys for Americans at near slave wages. That won't last for long. In a decade people will look back on this with disbelief and say ''remember when we used to buy those ARFs from China for next to nothing?''


As long as their government continues to devalue their currency, we'll continue to have plenty of ARFs to enjoy.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/16/2011 4:56 PM   
stevenmax50


 

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Status: offline 		I love to build.  Not very good at it but what I build does fly.  I also have plenty of time to do whatever I want.
Now my 20 year old stepson loves to fly.  And he will tell you that he does not have the time to build but he is wrong.  Its just not his priority.  He has plenty of time but lacks patience.  I actually thought of buying him a kit so that maybe he will learn some patience but decided against it.  I know him too well.  The plane will sit and he will only work on it in spurts.  Everytime he comes up on a hurdle he will stop until I bail him out. 
So its just my opinion but I think alot of people who claim that they have no time to build are just not making it a priority.  So what if it takes a year to complete a kit.  Have a little patience and it can be done.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/16/2011 5:46 PM   
378



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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 4/17/2011 12:56 AM   
Tx_RcFlyer



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quote:

ORIGINAL: stevenmax50

INow my 20 year old stepson loves to fly.  And he will tell you that he does not have the time to build but he is wrong.  Its just not his priority.  He has plenty of time but lacks patience.  I actually thought of buying him a kit so that maybe he will learn some patience but decided against it.  I know him too well.  The plane will sit and he will only work on it in spurts.  Everytime he comes up on a hurdle he will stop until I bail him out. 


Is this a bad thing?  

Fix a mans hurdle and it will always be a hurdle, teach a man to over come a hurdle and it will no longer be a hurdle. 



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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/18/2012 4:05 PM   
flyguy888



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Status: offline 		The reasons are many.

The most prominent, in my opinion, is culture. We have moved away from doing much of our own building and fixing of stuff at home. Overall, people are just not as handy as they used to be. Heck, most people can’t even do an oil change anymore. Simply put, the skills have not been passed down to the next generation.
Another part of cultural change is that leisure time now competes with so many other forms of entertainment and distractions. For that reason alone, r/c plane building will never return to its highest level (percentage to population).

Another reason is that there were probably a lot of people who hated building and are happy that they now have an alternative. Remember how many used to laugh at some of the builds on the flight-line instead of being helpful? Well, that gloating bit us in the ass. Everyone enjoy’s bringing a nice looking model to the field. Arf’s supply that.
I primarily build, both kit and scratch. However, I love having the option of ready to go from the box airplanes. I actually fly more now because I do not have so much down time between builds (and crashes).

I think as we are supportive and helpful to those who are interested in building, it will make a comeback. Some say it already is, I’m not so sure about that. The amount of “complete kits” on the market is still small. I have also noticed that the prices of vintage kits on ebay have been falling. Most of the collectors have what they want, and most of us builders have 20 years of kits to build on our shelf by now.

Its both tragic and amusing, but you can tell when one of us old guys die by the glut of similar kits that hit ebay or RC universe in one day.

One increase is that the selection of short kits has dramatically grown. However, those kits cater to an experienced builder or one who does not mind the time it takes to get the plane built. I think those kit cutters are going to see their business fall off as us old-timers die off. They will be forced into making more complete kits that help the novice builder, or going out of business.

What really perplexes me is why these ARF’s companies don’t release a limited amount of kits. In my opinion, they are more than halfway toward a kit anyway. I would pay the same amount for some ARF’s as a kit for what they charge for the completed plane. I just love to build!

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 11:26 AM   
fliers1



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Status: offline 		When I owned a hobby shop, the majority of my customers were or quickly became kit builders. What I did was offer guaranteed and on-call flight instruction. Once they realized they could learn to fly very quick, safe and easy, using my trainers or their's and within a couple of days, they bought kits instead of ARFs.

Some already had ARFs, but once they learned to fly them and pretty much knew they weren't going to crash, they bought the kit of their dreams. I also helped them transition to what they wanted which were war birds. Most were very good builders and some were first time builders.

fliers1

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 12:42 PM   
sensei



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Status: offline 		Because there is only a handful of affordable kit's still being manufactured these days to build, nothing like 30-40 years ago. You can still get some incredible giant scale kits but many do not have the resources to get in that deep. So I scratch build, that allows me to build anything I can dream up.

Bob

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 5:08 PM   
jetmech05


 

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Status: offline 		Like I said in the beginning of this post I have built kits and I have flown ARF's...I don't understand the arrogance of just kit builders...You aren't more hobby if you build...you're a builder....plus you're missing out on some very nice flying aircraft. Would you be more baseball if you had to widdle your own bat?
This is the only community that I know of, where, if you need it and I have it, it's yours...why can't we just be RC'ers

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 5:16 PM   
Gray Beard


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: sensei

Because there is only a handful of affordable kit's still being manufactured these days to build, nothing like 30-40 years ago. You can still get some incredible giant scale kits but many do not have the resources to get in that deep. So I scratch build, that allows me to build anything I can dream up.

Bob

For those of you that have never done it, go into Bob's photo file to see what he is talking about. I used to build giant scale {IMMA giant scale} and would build up to 40%. It doesn't cost a lot to build big planes but once the plane is built {framed} then stand back and start throwing money at them. I keep mine down to about 80 inches these days, IMAA giant. Go look at what Bob does. I could do my next two builds on what it would cost to cover one of his planes. Very impressive!! Something you don't even see a lot of at IMAA events.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 7:20 PM   
DenverJayhawk



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Status: offline 		Because many ARFs today are of the quality with laser cutters and modern assemblies with covering that easiky surpass a layman's kit build.

This wasn't the case even 12 or 15 years ago. I remember getting an ultra sport Arf in 1997. That thing was a POS in terms of quality.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 10:12 PM   
Gray Beard


 

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Status: offline 		Before the advent of the ARF you either built your own planes or had someone build a plane for you, perhaps bought one RTF? Today the lack of a big selection of kits and the lack of the need to build means less kit builders. I still build from plans more then kits but I no longer have the means or desire to scratch build my planes.
The ARF has allowed a lot of people to fly RC that would have never been able to in years gone by. I still enjoy the building part of the hobby. I still teach building as well as flying and I also assemble and set up ARFs for others. The kit selection isn't there any longer but there are still some nice, affordable kits to be had. I like building and flying the old class C pattern planes and the Bridi designs are still alive and well at Blue Jay models. There are still quite a few kits out there but even more plans with better selections to choose from.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/19/2012 10:53 PM   
GaryHarris



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Status: offline 		I'm one of those that got into this hobby just for the building part. I bet I built 20 planes before I ever tried my hand at flying. But once I learned to fly, that just made the building part even more fun seeing what started as a box of sticks, some electronics, a nitromethane burning 4 stroke, put them all together and see my creation fly.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 3:09 AM   
sensei



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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gray Beard


quote:

ORIGINAL: sensei

Because there is only a handful of affordable kit's still being manufactured these days to build, nothing like 30-40 years ago. You can still get some incredible giant scale kits but many do not have the resources to get in that deep. So I scratch build, that allows me to build anything I can dream up.

Bob

For those of you that have never done it, go into Bob's photo file to see what he is talking about. I used to build giant scale {IMMA giant scale} and would build up to 40%. It doesn't cost a lot to build big planes but once the plane is built {framed} then stand back and start throwing money at them. I keep mine down to about 80 inches these days, IMAA giant. Go look at what Bob does. I could do my next two builds on what it would cost to cover one of his planes. Very impressive!! Something you don't even see a lot of at IMAA events.


Thank you for the kind words Gray Beard.

Bob


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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 3:31 AM   
Gray Beard


 

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Status: offline 		I do watch others build threads and get dazzled. It's nice to see big planes that aren't ARFs. There is one photo on my club site with three 40% YAKs or Sukhois? All three are look alike ARFs and they even have the same engine. Real pride in ownership? They all fly very well though. For some reason your planes impress me, these planes?? Not so much. Maybe it's the size difference? Probably not.
Everything my son owns is an ARF of some type, even his off road car. He just can't understand why I'm not impressed with his toys. He grew up around builders and do it yourselfers all his life, it just never caught on with him? I have showed him your photo file and he wants me to assemble him an ARF just like your 50%. He really doesn't get it.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 5:09 AM   
combatpigg



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Status: offline 		why don't many guys build kits any more..?
i was raised by a tv set in my familie's front room. i very rarely played outside..even if i wanted to play outside i would have done so by myself because all the other kids spent all their free time watching tv, playing video games and surfing the internet. both of my parents are obese and lacked the energy to show me a different way to exist. my dad can't even change his own oil and my mom is too lazy to chop her own lettuce, even though they don't make very much money they choose to have other people do jobs that they could do themselves if they weren't so lazy. the thought of building my own plane is just terrifying..i have no idea where to start. i just don't have the patience or the stamina to take on such a massive job. i have never in my whole life broken a sweat except for the time at school when they had me walk around the track for a whole 30 minutes before i almost collapsed. my mom got me a doctors note so that would never happen again.


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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 5:12 AM   
combatpigg



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Status: offline 		btw...i have worked very hard to max out all the black ops video game scores and that has taken up all my free time for play. i really have no free time left over to build a model plane anyway.


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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 8:02 AM   
Bozarth


 

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 11:11 AM   
sensei



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ORIGINAL: Bozarth

Deleted - too old of thread to comment




Then why comment on commenting? LOL

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 12:24 PM   
Bozarth


 

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 1:56 PM   
avidflyguy


 

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Status: offline 		devoting my time to building a "real" plane, so any rc plane that i happen to build would have to be an arf for the time being

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 2:03 PM   
sensei



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ORIGINAL: avidflyguy

devoting my time to building a ''real'' plane, so any rc plane that i happen to build would have to be an arf for the time being


LOL, Building full scale does take some time...

Bob

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 2:48 PM   
Steve Merrill


 

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Status: offline 		Probably been said B4, but I love building as much as flying. If you build from plans or scratch, the possibilities are endless, and you will have a plane no one else has. It is very therapeutic. A good session in the workshop is ALMOST as good as a good session in the bedroom.

On the other hand, the ARF's today are extremely good quality, so whatever floats your boat. I think there will always be kits and plans available, just might be harder to find.

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RE: Why don't many people build RC airplane kits anymore? - 12/20/2012 3:03 PM   
HighPlains


 

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devoting my time to building a "real" plane

I'm restarting my RV-4 project after a several year hiatus after building burnout. It's to the point where it is an ARF since most major components are done. Or as they say, '90% done, 90% to go'.

Goodbye 6 pack, hello EFIS (steam vs. glass)

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