I agree with everything said. There seems to be a generation now of jet flyers that are not able to even screw the engine or servos into an ARTF and have to employ a 'builder' to do it for them. There is no hope of them being able to make an 'old school' kit or a scratch built plane. For those that do scratch build, the fun in making the plane is working out how to make it and solving all the little problems as they surface. I personally love making things and always have since I was a boy. I can remember 60 years ago standing at the top of a small flight external stairs up to the school hobby room and launching our latest gliders off and seeing who could fly the furthest. The planes I make now are not that different but are larger and made of balsa and liteply but do have turbines. The challenge for me now is to make a design that may never have flown either full size or as a model. It certainly makes the maiden memorable. I well remember the Horten I made on its first flight was not quite set up correctly and would only turn left. Dave who flies for me did a brilliant job of making a series of turns to line up with the runway just as the fuel ran out. I am not the slightest bit interested in competitions and feel they are pretty pointless.

I have bought a number of ARTF planes and these are used as models that can be pulled out of storage to go flying with the minimum of work. For me thought yet another F-16 or F-15 is not of the slightest interest. If I am making a scratch built plane I like it as unusual as possible. Early German jet designs are a great source of inspiration.

There are still a few scratch builders in the UK but there are now younger builders coming on the scene to replace them. It has been great to see the skill of those making composite structures, maybe this is the future. It is however a lot more work than balsa bashing but can result in moulds that are used to pull a few fuselages off for friends. In Germany there are still plenty of scratch builders and it is great to go to the shows and see unusual models being flown.

To me there is no future in the old school kits the demand falls year by year. They are an evolutionary link to the ARTF's we know today.

By the way the analogy with cars is not a good one. Take Morgan cars as an example. Plenty of people are prepared to put down deposits and wait 6 months or so. The waiting list was 10 years at one point! People moan about the Chinese ARTF's but they are a far superior product to anything that is produced locally and a wait of 6 months or so is not unreasonable if being made to order with customised paint schemes. There is just the risk of putting cash up front that is a worry. My self I will continue to make some scratch built models as well as owning some ARTFs.

John