Hydro Junkie

I myself can't stand an ARF, be it a boat or a plane. Been doing hydroplanes from kits or plans for 38 years and aircraft for 15. In all that time, no RTR/ARFs anywhere and only one composite boat. That one I bought used and needing refurbishing. I guess that makes me a builder since I have 6 or 7 boats under construction as well as a bashed Kadet Jr. And to those that think you have to draw up your own plans, several of my boats have been built from plans that I've done some major redesign work on. I figure that counts since the boat is nothing like the original design. The boats I have pictures of are a 1/8th scale 1999 Miss Madison Turbine, a gas powered 57" 1973 Pay'N Pak, a 36" Pay'N Pak, and a glass scale 1975 Miss Technicolor

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

You know what I love about RCU , its the only place that men get anal about this stuff ....... bla bla bla lol

I was sitting having some beers with some friends , in walked a beauty , thing of perfection , an incredible shape .
Well the real guys in the group simply appreciated the finished product , the admiration for the shape , the curves and near perfact smooth perfection ,
while others wondered (are they real ) him or are the ARFs??? did she build them herself ???? are they composite ? and the really scary ones in the group were askinjg wheer they can get there own (there is always one )

who cares , she was not going to give is the time of day anyway , so in the end life is to short to wonder why , but certainly not to short to enjoy the view with your eyes !!!!

the real builders as Todd so well stated "just fix things " and I mean anything , I just fixed half of the pitfalls of the cabenets in our kitchen after a very expensive remodel , I just physically rebuild , tiled and installed a new bathroom for my younger son , so while i may not be growing my own Balsa trees , harvesting my own wood , and hand carveing my own sheets and parts lol , I am still really active in building and fixing hahah

If you really want to complane about parts , pick up an old comit rubber flyer print wood , see if you can cut the parts out and build the plane , then you can express frustration lol

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

Good words but remember. A real airplane has a round engine and 2 wings!

mick15

My F15 has two wings and a round engine!

m

800mZero

My Feedback: (2)

I would love to be a be a buildertell you what you take my 60 hour work week and my 1 month old new born and I'll take your kit. Until this swap is made I'll never be a thrue rc flier according to some, and I'll continue to enjoy dressing up my ARFs.

DaddySam

My Feedback: (9)

I think there is room in the hobby for all of us. I get frustrated when I start a build on a kit or from plans because I like the plane and there aren't many at the field like it, and then "bam" out it comes in arf form! But I've also seen, just on the TFGS group build thread, several guys start that plane as their first build after having flown and assembled ARF's. I ran out of planes last summer and bought my first non-trainer ARF in over a decade. The workmanship was first class. I have to admit that when somebody sees it for the first time the first thing I say is "It's an ARF" as I don't want to take credit for building it myself.

That being said, I do think that if a guy repairs an ARF enough times he becomes more comfortable with the ideas behind construction and may eventually jump that gap. At the very least, the abundance of ARFs does let more folks enjoy the hobby and that's good for all of us. My first four or five planes crashed before I learned how to fly and I left the hobby (back before buddy boxes). I went through three trainers before I learned when I got back into it (with a buddy box!) but if they had been kit-builds I may have thrown in the towel. Because they were ARFs I did not have as much time/energy/me invested in them so it was not such a big deal to lose them.

More ARF's is a healthy sign for our hobby, and now that I've graduated from kits to plan builds, a whole new door has been opened. Unless it's affecting me, or unless I can do something to help my neighbor, life is too short to worry about what the other guy is doing!
Sam
Edit: The greatest thing about this hobby is the comraderie and fellowship. Look for the similarities, not the differences!

Carpilot

I used to build, because i had to if I wanted to fly. Nowadays i can fly some pretty descent arfs, I have bashed quite a few of them. The best part is Not caring what anybody thinks about it either. you are free to criticize me for not being a "true builder" .. and i am free to tell you to go jump in a lake. LOL

GlennisAircraft

My Feedback: (1)

And they make their own 190 gear too . . . . . .

Dennis

t_burley

My Feedback: (59)

shhhh now everyone will know what I am doing

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

I'm a real builder...build kits...just not warbirds. We're still out here. I just like the sport plane/aerobatic kits

frenchie79

Wow-Interesting discussion. I think that anyone who builds a plane from a kit, plans or other is a builder. Your first question "where did all the builders go" There are fewer builders but the real scale builders, I've found are on a different Web site, avoiding all the Blaa blaa blaa and truly helping each other-sorry guys. still fun to read the discussions.

ARF WRECKER

I think all the real (bulders) wnet ot speilling calss. Sure I used to build balsa usa kits top flight, etc but I always liked to fly more than build. You will find you have pilots and you have builders very rare the case a serious scale or sport for that matter is both. I am glad for arfs and builders alike, It makes it easier for more (usually) good people to come to this hobby whether it b helis planes boats or cars, After all without camraderie just how much fun would it be.

arf.[8D]

daleflysrc

My Feedback: (26)

Open mouth & Inserted your foot !!! Jap Zero had tons of Balsa wood in it !! Most all of your WW I airplanes were wood !! Lots of Homebuilts from yesteryears were wood with lots of Balsa !! Now to were have all the builders gone !! I think it boils down to Patience !! My Meister P-47 took almost 3 years to build !! My Meister F4u, Almost done now. 2 years !! and those are just the Fun Scale, Not scale masters type !! I cut the P-47 myself !! The Corsair I got a good deal on a short kit !! Ribs & formers !!
Noting to me gets rid of strees like makin balsa dust !! Dale P.S. Wood is natures composite material & oh yah !! I almost forgot, British mosquito !! ALL WOOD !!

balsabuff

My Feedback: (30)

I'm one of the dinosaurs that prefer kits and building from plans. For me, glueing parts together, and watching the bones of an aircraft appear from a pile of parts, is the most enjoyable part of the hobby. In my opinion, guys who build only ARFs are missing out on a very satisfying part of the hobby. Of course, they are also missing out on endless sanding, re-engineering retract and parts fit, repeated runs to the hobby shop, glueing their finger together, and constantly having to clean-up their work area ! For a long time , many of the "scale" ARFs looked like toys. Spitfires without wing fairings, Mustangs with pointed noses, etc. Also, seeing 3 of the same P-51s, all with the same markings at the field was a real turn-off to me. Fortunately, these days, there is a variety of convincing-looking scale ARFs, and they are remarkable bargins. When I comtemplate how long it will take me just to engineer the gear doors on my Bates B-26 compared to complete assembly of a new ARF B-26, it's easy to see why I have become a dinosaur ! None the less, I'll stick with building for now, but can still appreciate another guy's well-done ARF. 'buff

Mike06659

Who has the time to build a kit in this type of job market??? Those who are working full time, a 40hr week is only a dream now. The economy is allowing employers to squeeze everything out of their current employees and we can't do anything about it. The few free hours we have I rather be flying then stuck in my basement building. It's a shame I use to like building but with limited time it feels wasteful. Plus, I can't build a kit any cheaper then an arf and the quality far surpass my building skill. Hopefully, this will change some day.

Bioguy231

My Feedback: (1)

I too enjoy building but there is a big advantage to an ARF. When I build a plane and have a few hundred hours invested in it, I'm reluctant to really push it's limits in the air because I have a real attachment to it. An ARF that's only taken 10-15 hours of my time is a different story.

People at the field should have an easy time telling whether I've built a plane or whether it's an ARF. If I'm flying like my grandfather drives, it's something I built. If I'm flying like a maniac, it's an ARF.

wobblyflight

There are still a few alive and well and building from plans. Where can you find a kit for a Wildfire now days? Glad I save the plans from the first one built in the mid 60's. This one, now electric, isa fun to fly model.

apwachholz

Hello Everyone -

1. I enjoy building whatever appeals to me (arf/kit)
2. Imodify continually as it's in my nature to 'tinker'
3. If I can find a short-cut (arf) to enable me to spend more time elsewhere (detaling / smoke / etc.), Ido

For me, being a builder of rc means you spend time taking care of, building on, & expanding your skills. Be in on kits, arfs, or other. It's part of the enjoyment of the hobby. And if anyone's wondering, I've built from kit many times and am currently building a Guillow's SBDDauntless(1.4 yrs in the making) and detailing the model, complete w/retracts. So would I be considered a micro-real-builder?

Cheers everyone...

dml232

My Feedback: (18)

I too love to build. I have a spacewalker ARF going right now with a reduced plans AstroHog 40 right beside it. I've found I'm doing as much modification to the spacewalker that I could have built it from scratch by now.
I just got Solid Works on my computer. Now the fun it really starting.[8D]

Evil_Merlin

My Feedback: (13)

Oh please Todd... the 190/Ta gear? When is the last time you actually WORKED on it???

[>:]

David Jackson

My Feedback: (15)

Always looking for a decent ARF, but if I can't find the plane in the size that I want (1/4 scale Corsair and 1/4 scale P-47), then I order plans, sandpaper, and plenty of glue. I enjoy this hobbies, so it doesn't matter whether it is an ARF, kit, or scratch build project.[8D]

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Hey BobH that that troll thing aint very nice! I sent my picture to the guy that makes the pilots that looks like you you when he's done, And he sent me a troll doll instead! and charged me 129.00 for it! I did not realize it was a troll doll till one of the guy's I fly with mentioned it! I was a bit confused about the orange hair however! also a BobH

Remby

My Feedback: (3)

Some aspects of the hobby requires building, as the other options are just not there anymore. Check out the guys at 1/2a forum. I even have to plan and build the fuel tanks for some of the models.

I'm sure there are other areas that require building such as that as well, its a way of life for that class of flying.

2-cents, FWIW.

racer639

Wow dind't know Rolls Royce built wood merlins for the mossie

wobblyflight

What do you call a guy (other than cheap) that can take a crashed ARF that the owner has discarded in the club trash can and makes it airworthy again?