RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed?  
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Tower Hobbies
Enter up to 4 keywords or Tower stock numbers
Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
       

All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> Kit Building >> RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed?
Page: <<   < prev  1 2 3 [4]

Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 12/17/2004 11:52:38 PM   
50+AirYears


 

Posts: 1166
Joined: 7/29/2004
From: Lorain, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Most of the GOOD ARFs in my possesion are kits friends started building, lost interest in, and sold or gave to me. The best Commercial ARF I ever had was a Kyosho Cessna Cardinal ERC, that just became re-kitted last Sunday, after over 10 years of relaxing flying. The second best was a GP 'Modern' stick with a Fox 46 that didn't quite survive giving it UP elevator when the nose dropped at point 2 in a 4 point roll at 20' altitude. The only wood built ARF I ever tried that had a good glue in ALL joints.
My RC Air Force currently is a mix of about 3 ARFs 6 kits and 2 scratch built.

(in reply to dbruening80)
       Post #: 76

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 12/23/2004 4:00:01 PM   
69chevelle



Posts: 25
Joined: 8/28/2002
From: The Colony, TX, USA
Status: offline 		I tend to be very hard on the plane when flying. I like to over power an airplane for unlimited aerobatics, hang on the prop, etc. Although arf's are built better today I have not yet found one that will hold up to the abuse I give it in the air for very long. I have built and flown arf's but I do not like going to the field and seeing 5 other planes just like mine. When I build a kit I build in strength where needed and the plane holds up very well. It also is the only one like it at the field. I have way more confidence in a plane I built than an arf. Many people never stress their plane as much and an arf will hold up to that flying well. It is easy to sell my airplane when finished with it at my field and it is not because they look outstanding but because they know I build them to last. Arf's do however have their share of problems. How many times have you seen an arf come in for a landing only to see the landing gear pop out?

(in reply to 50+AirYears)
       Post #: 77

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 12/23/2004 5:04:11 PM   
50+AirYears


 

Posts: 1166
Joined: 7/29/2004
From: Lorain, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Had a low wing ARF that had one or the other main gear pop out about every 9th landing. At the end of the season, I stripped the covering, glued the joints, including stripping off what looked like hot-melt, added plywood reinforcement plates around the landing gear blocks, and bracing the Oriental soft ply firewall with 1/8" birch ply. A few other changes, including some streamlining and doubling the control surface area turned it into a decent flyer. Never overcame the problem of each of the wing panels had a different airfoil, though.
Crashed when one of the cheap control horns on the elevator broke through the pin hole.

(in reply to 69chevelle)
       Post #: 78

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 12/24/2004 12:40:28 AM   
CafeenMan



Posts: 3907
Joined: 1/19/2003
From: Spring Hill, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I mentioned earlier that I was writing an article for my site. I posted it a couple weeks ago but forgot to come back here and provide the link.

The article stays mainly on topic. If I said everything I have to say about ARFs vs. Kits the article would have gone on for pages.

The bottom line is that I don't think builders are a dying breed and I don't care about ARF's. I think everyone should do what they enjoy for a hobby and not get any grief about it as long as their hobby is harmless.

Is Model Building a Dying Art Form?

_____________________________

Work is what I do for the love of it. A job is how I pay for it. :)
Please visit AirfieldModels.com

(in reply to 50+AirYears)
       Post #: 79

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/14/2005 3:20:22 AM   
rickygsg


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 11/7/2004
From: Magna, UT, USA
Status: offline 		numbers may be getting smaller but i think there will always be a few kit builders around. A newbie in our club wanted to try a kit as he had already done the arf thing. We both purchased a four star and i have been teaching him how to build side by side as he was to nervouse to try it alone. after the first hour of building i quote "im not buying anymore arf's" nuff said. there will always be kit builders.

(in reply to Jim T)
       Post #: 80

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/14/2005 5:03:56 PM   
ldelbert


 

Posts: 280
Joined: 10/31/2004
From: Muscle Shoals, AL, USA
Status: offline 		I started flying planes 6 months ago and my first plane was a Thunder Tiger Trainer .40. While I was learning to fly I started to build a TF P-47 Kit. I used to build plastic plane and tank models until about 8 years ago. Now a lot of people have told me "WOW a TF P47 Kit as a first kit, you are nuts". I have shown them my progress and they have been impressed with the work done on it so far. I have always had a passion building things from wood and making a work of art from a bunch of sticks has been more gratifying to me than building my ARFs. I have bought a low wing ARF and probably will buy 1 more aerobatic plane before I will take my P-47 to the field and I hope I do not crash it. As for the question in this thread, I hope kit building does not fade away because I would hate to buy a $300 ARF and have to strip the monokote off to make it look like the way I want it to look. I am not saying that ARFs are a bad thing, but I just do not get the same satisfaction of putting together something that is 80% finished. A lot of the people who are in our club usually travel a lot and do not finish their kits until a year later after they had bought them. Yet they still buy them.

(in reply to xplayer930)
       Post #: 81

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/15/2005 11:40:32 PM   
sctcrash



Posts: 168
Joined: 7/23/2004
From: Centennial, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I think that ARFs are grwoing because the hobby is growing due to the availability of ARFs. I may never have finally gotten into the hobby if it wasnt for the ARF Avistar my wife got me for my birthday a few years ago. I have since built two Sig Something Extra's and I am now starting a Goldberg Ultimate.

Me and a few of the guys I had been flying with just started a new club, I am one of the few that has an ARF. My Avistar and another guys Stik are the only two that I have seen out there. The rest are all Kits. Now granted we are a small club, but so far the 4 newest flyers have all built their first trainer.

Like someone up higher in this message said, its hard to take credit for someone elses work. I want to build my model and make it look like I want it too. I dont want to show up at the field and see someone with the exact same plane that I have. It would be like showing up to a party with the same shirt.

Another thing that is great about building is learning how to fix it. Now perhaps there are some people out there that give up on a plan after one crash, but I think its fun to try and fly them until they are so heavy with epoxy that they fall from the sky. How can you put one back together if you dont know how to build them?

_____________________________

Crash N' Burn!!

(in reply to Jim T)
       Post #: 82

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 2:06:19 AM   
duneguy


 

Posts: 3
Joined: 11/1/2004
From: , IL, USA
Status: offline 		I brought up the subject of ARFs at my last club meeting after winning an ARF aircraft in the club raffle and noticing that the only aircrafts they buy for the raffle are infact ARFs. I mentioned that I enjoy building and would appreciate it if they bought only kits for the raffle. Boy, did I say the wrong thing! The club preference is for ARF aircraft. I would have never guessed that. Times are a changing and I don't like it!

Jerry...

(in reply to sctcrash)
       Post #: 83

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 2:40:29 AM   
angulo


 

Posts: 7
Joined: 2/22/2004
From: osorno, CHILE
Status: offline 		The foot of the obligation and the foot of the passion.
We are biped, we move walking in two feet, first a foot then the other one, alternately, from this balance necessity, a way of life is born, one must live the life in balance. Being a gregarious specie forces us to maintain a foot inside society, this one is the foot of the work, of the profession, of the obligation, of the perspiration, of the effort. The necessity to move on trough life makes us look for support in a second foot that allows a balance to the foot of the obligations, this second foot, it is that of the passion, it must be the other face of the obligation.
The steam that generates the foot of the obligations is liberated away when the weight of the body rests on the foot of the passion, a foot will always be the negative of the other one.
Money belongs to the world of the grey and heavy foot of work, free things belongs to the world of the passion, the levity, the blue sky, the green of the recently cut grass.
A better balance is achieved by separating both feet, when the feet join man loses balance.
When money is call too solve the problems of passion, balance is lost and fall begins.
One can not solve modelers dreams and hopes with money, in other words you can not buy pride.

Andrés

(in reply to duneguy)
       Post #: 84

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 3:17:53 AM   
Swager


 

Posts: 583
Joined: 6/10/2003
From: Baldwinsville, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Kit Builders. Not dying.

Just more unique!




_____________________________

It's all a bloody cock-up!!

(in reply to angulo)
       Post #: 85

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 3:38:32 AM   
CafeenMan



Posts: 3907
Joined: 1/19/2003
From: Spring Hill, FL, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Swager

Kit Builders. Not dying.

Just more superior to low-life ARFers!




Can't argue with that.

_____________________________

Work is what I do for the love of it. A job is how I pay for it. :)
Please visit AirfieldModels.com

(in reply to Swager)
       Post #: 86

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 3:59:04 AM   
Hog Head



Posts: 185
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Eugene, OR, USA
Status: offline 		I don't think we are a dieing breed. I got started in this hobby about four to five years ago after messing around with R/C cars since the late 80's. I had always had my eye on the airplane part of the hobby, but with being at sea in the Navy and then work, the time just wasn't there. Then four to five years ago I decided to take the plunge and I haven't looked back. I started out with a couple of ARF's but I always had an itch to build from a kit. Now with my first kit almost complete and two more waiting on the bench, I'll never turn back to ARF's. As long as there are kits to be built I think that there will be people to build them. ARF's are just a way for more people to enjoy or to get started in the hobby. Just my opinion. Gene

(in reply to xplayer930)
       Post #: 87

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 7:14:16 AM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 2064
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Yes, lets face it. Some people really shouldn't build ! You know who they are. And many just haven't got the time.

I have gotten into building scale the last few years. THis is the true test. It is much more difficult to build a scale plane and make it fly well and reliably. The questions that many folks ask me demonstrate just how clueless they are about building.

But, that is just fine with me, makes my resale better !!!! hehe

_____________________________

turn left, your other left

(in reply to Hog Head)
       Post #: 88

RE: Kit building, are we a dieing breed? - 1/18/2005 7:22:05 AM   
CafeenMan



Posts: 3907
Joined: 1/19/2003
From: Spring Hill, FL, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: kingwoodbarney

Yes, lets face it. Some people really shouldn't build ! You know who they are.


I absolutely agree. One person I know shouldn't even be flying. His stuff is always crooked, half-baked, unsafe and a menace to society.

One day he brought out some piece of junk and while taxiing it was dragging a wing on the ground! He didn't even notice there was a problem and proceeded to attempt a take-off.

Another time he was talking about how much his plane was vibrating. I took a look at it and two of the engine mounting bolts were missing - the ones holding the engine to the mount. He said, "well, they broke." Yikes! I mean he knew about it and didn't see a problem with that either. Those must have been the two extra bolts that are optional.

I could go on for pages about this guy, but he's actually a nice guy and I like him, but he has no business flying model airplan