Well about the nitro thing, It isn't for everyone. I am a mechanic in my day job and after working on countless turds that don't run all day everyday the last thing i want to do is go home and play with another engine that is finicky at the best of times. After a long day of work i just want to "plug and play". So electric is by far the better option for me personally. I get my gear head fix at work and then some.(Sometimes with a lot of cursing along the way).

As for the RTR debate, I am fully on board with you guys. Every R/C I have owned has been an RTR not because i wanted an RTR but because the model i wanted was not available as a kit. It frustrates me greatly. They might as well be kits, because RTR really means ready to run twice, before screws start falling out and falling apart. You usually have to take it apart and loc-tite everything anyway. For my next rig that I plan to purchase soon I am actively seeking a kit on purpose for these very reasons but its hard because EVERYTHING is RTR now.

edit- My other beef with nitro is the smell, the mess, and grime that goes with them. If you have a garage to keep them in that's fine but I would bet over 50% of the people in this hobby live in apartments or town houses or something along that lines and they have to store their RC in their home. Not only is that messy but nitro is dangerous and cancerous and should not be stored in your home. I don't have a garage myself anymore. I am saving to buy the company i work for and downsized to an apartment and am currently using my kitchen table as my work bench for my RC's lol. When i bought my new 2013 f150 my friend spilled gasoline in the back seat a few days after i got it for his baja and I didn't much care for that smell in my truck for a month let me tell you. So there is lots of reasons why nitro is not for everyone whether it be the room, the noise, the mess, the added cost. Electric is just simpler and cleaner.