In my short lived RC career about 6 yrs now I've done both stick builds, ARF's , ARC's and BNF foamies. I personally side with there is a build -vs- assembly difference. Yet the hrs and work that goes into a stick build and a good ARC assembly can be significantly different as can be the craftsmanship demonstrated. I haven't gotten too hung up on the difference with one exception. Building something from scratch or stick is dramatically more robust than the same model in ARC or ARF form. That being said what the finished product looks like can depend on the skill set of the individual. I grew in the quality of craftsman-ship in a bash of an ARC that I I had not been able to do in previous stick builds. That may be due to learning from previous builds and so on. Each new build/assembly I am trying to stretch skills and learn how to use new materials, fabricate parts or better final finishes. I would prefer to do stick builds but my current skills do tend to gravitate to improving the ARC or ARF assemblies many manufacturers provide. As I grow I personally would gravitate to doing all kit and scratch builds. This debate has been hashed over in many threads but in summary I do think there is a difference between a build and assembly on several levels.

Z