slightly off topic, ... but....I keep seeing a couple statements in this thread that are myth more than reality..

-ARFs are cheaper than kits.
not if you compare apples to apples
for example, top flite .60 sized p-40 kit is 199.99, and the arf is $339. you can argue that after buying coverring, gas tank, hinges, spinner, and everything else you get in the arf that the costs are comparable, but you'll be within a buck or two. Its really more of a question of "do you want to build or don't you?"

-ARFs help to keep down the rising costs of our hobby.
our hobby has never been cheaper. Lets pull out my Dad's Scale R/C modeler magazines from 1976.

4 channel Sanwa ( airtronics ) radio? $264, or $1108.55 in todays dollars


kit prices? on par with 1976, they have only gone up a $100 or so...





anyway, I get that it is off topic, i just don't think cost is the main factor in less people building... I think it is "don't want to"