At least in that you are right.

They ARE cheap to mass produce, which is why FOAM manufacturers love them.

They can make far more on a foam airplane, than they are making on larger foam packaging which is just as simple to produce from the same equipment.

Then we are charged a fortune for cheap stuff.

Foamies would be far better if their costs reflected reality...

Imagine replacing a broken wing for $3.00 on a large EPP foamy! For that I'm in...

But $45.00+ for the same thing?

I'll let the foamy over balsa advocates continue to pay senseless prices for cheap foam thank you.


Are foamies fun? Sure they have their place. I have dozens (yes PLURAL) of them.

Do they fly well? Sure, but they are NOT lighter than Balsa or other materials. Foam has a higher density as it is used to say shape a wing.

My Typhoon 2 is VERY heavy compared to balsa or ply planes of the same size. It's still a "fun" plane to fly though...

Is a foamy cheaper? Nope. Manufactures can use cheap plastic parts in their manufacture and materials we would never tolerate on or kits nor ARFs.

Do foamies hold up better? Nope. They need CF reinforcement to have any hope of holding together. A season or two and any foamie is pretty beat up.
After a dozen years and many hundreds of flights my other planes still look brand new.

Are they "easier" to repair? Nope... gluing two broken pieces together leaving unslightly seams etc. is not a good "repair". It's just a shortcut.

What happens when the manufacturer of the foamy ceases production? With a Fiberglass or Balsa ARF or KIT I can make anything I need quickly. Unless the foamy is made from simple flat boards, you're pretty much out of luck.

Are foamies "better"? No way... people who believe that should try moving up, for the same reasons/ways we try to get beginners to invest in "better" computer radios...

Are they here to "stay"? Sure someone will always buy them.


So:

Cheaper: Nope
Fun: Yes
Lighter: Nope
Stronger: Nope
Hold up: Nope
Easy to repair: Nope
Fly Better: Toss up
Parts: Difficult once out of production
Here to Stay: Yes

Overall Score: Not "better", just another option.