ORIGINAL: ThunderbirdJunkie
Why would you continue making things that don't sell?
Then you have a business that goes under, and more unemployed people...then they don't make anything anybody wants. Then the people that work for Great Planes, Horizon, etc, that do enjoy the hobby no longer have a job to support it, or their family.
There are more choices for glow powered ARFs now than there were 15 years ago...what's the problem?
As electric options get bigger, your glow options get bigger, too. In case you haven't noticed, E-flite has a metric crap ton of .15 size models that could be converted for glow (oh no, there's work involved? Darn!), so you, too, can get away with flying at a smaller field. OS does still make .10, .15 and up glow engines. An OS FS30 in a .25 size E-flite SuperCub would be awesome! Or what about an E-flite .15 size Pitts Model 12 with a .25AX?
The only options getting smaller for glow powered aircraft now is peoples' willingness to convert or ability to come up with something with thinking that goes outside the box.
I only fly .46ts to 150FS glow aircraft and planning on going gas in a few years. A dinky little electric toy plane doesn't cut it with me. And I'm sure most of us who fly large aircraft feel the same way. Sure it's OK for Park Flying, but I'm not into that. How about making more Gas/Glow ARF's than just electric? So far all I've been seeing coming out new is electric and a good number of us don't fly electric and not planning to switch or buy dinky glow motors to convert small semi scale electric planes, just because some company wants to get cheap.
Time to go back building Kits again, they seemed to survive the ARF invasion and now since the ARF Glow/Gas market is going down hill, the Kits are doing well again and beginning to thrive from what BUSA said. GT and Proctors is doing well from what I read from the build threads, I talked to the owner of Proctors and he told me over the phone that he's is having fun trying to keep up with the orders when I ordered some hardware from him.
Also another issue that GP, Hanger 9 and Topflite miss the mark is how many P-51's, P-47's, Spitfires, Yaks, Edges, Extra's and Cubs are on the market, not to mention other manufacturers has their own version of the same planes. How about selling a ARF no one else has? It was Dumb for GP to get rid of the 60 Fokker, Geebee, Seawind and Spirit of St.Louis Ryan and Hanger 9 to get rid of the .60 Fokker DVII and Camel. The Fokker DVII was only on the market for 4 years and Camel for 5. That's Terrible! At least GP keeps their models in production a little longer.
ESM is doing well because they sell good quality ARF aircraft and they come out with stuff that no one else sells, like the Do-335, Focke Wulf 190D-9, BF-110, Val etc.
It seems that the scale glow/gas ARF fans are left out in the cold in this bad recession. Like I said, time to build kits again. Besides, I build better than the Chinese so maybe that's a good thing that I go back to the old ways.
Another reason why GP, Hanger 9 isn't doing well is they have no parts for discontinued ARF or Kits. Call up Fiberglass Specialties and ask how they are doing? I did, they are making a killing selling cowls and wheel pants for discontinued Kits/ARF aircraft and their quality is fantastic! I run into old planes and enjoy rebuilding them, it's a headache trying to find parts.
These companies have to start telling the Chinese what we want, not the other way around at the meetings or the ARF market will continue to go down hill.
Oh by the way, all those discontinued Kits and ARF airplanes on the market? They all eventually sell. Try to find a new 60 Great Planes Fokker Dr1 or Ryan still in the box- almost impossible and because it's discontinued, people don't sell them at a low price. They are considered a collectors item.
That's my take on it.
Pete