I'm relatively new on RCU, but have been reading a lot. I've read many of the ARF bashing threads and can agree with both sides. I really don't care what people choose, it is their hobby to enjoy however they want. I personally enjoy building from kits, so I generally choose kits and will probalby continue to do so unless the airplane style I want is not available as a kit.

One of the biggest arguments I hear against ARF's is that you are not building, but assembling.

My question/comment is then, at what point of kit contents does it become assembling and not building? For instance a scratch builder may not consider a laser cut parts kit building. I've only built a few kits in my on and off 15 years of flying (probably only 6 years total actually flying).One of my first kits was an old great planes kit. Many of the parts were die cut, but there were no tabs to align the wing ribs on the table, no interlocking fuselage parts to ensure proper location and right angles. It was relying heavily on the plans for location, measuring, using squares, and triangle stock to strengthen joints. Forgot to mention the intense amount of sawdust from the never ending sanding and cutting. It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it. Fast forward to a more recent greatplanes kit. Now I had interlocking parts. Wow, that made building easier. I didn't even think of this post idea until I built my most recent kit this January, a SIG SSE. I think I used the plans once to line up the wing ribs. About 3/4 of the way through the build (assembly?) I asked out loud if this can actually be considered a kit or an ARF. I found it absurd (not complaining here, I was excited to get this plane in the air) that I could have a kit flight ready within 2.5 weeks of opening the box. It seemed as simple as pouring the parts on a table and dousing them with CA.

I love the plane, literally fell together straight and true and flies great on top of that. However, I'm not as proud of it because I don't feel I really built it.

Thoughts, comments? Maybe being a builder is a relative term. At what point are we not considered building, but assembling?<br type="_moz" />