All of the R/C airplane makers have had it tough. Even the quad suppliers have it tough because the competition is so fierce and constant new developments make FPV quad racing a full time venture if you really want to be competitive. Constant evolution in Open Source Software in Open TX and BetaFlight is a challenge to keep up with. But FPV quads are a lot of fun.

I have not been participating on RCU much lately because the audience is so limited compared to some other sources like Facebook. Plus photos don't upload correctly and attachments become corrupter. Just too frustrating. I mostly use the NMPRA Forums and my multiple pages on Facebook. On Facebook, my https://www.facebook.com/RCWarbirdRacing/ page has over 1200 Likes and more followers. The AirBorne Models Showcase page at https://www.facebook.com/AirBorneModelsShowcase is also over 1200 Likes. My other pages like https://www.facebook.com/club40racing has over 600 Likes. And I have other pages.

I worked with AirBorne Models in 2005-2006 to bring out the Sky Raider Mach II in solid colors with CA hinges. I pushed very hard to get the CA hinges so people could easily strip and trim their planes. We expanded from solid white and solid yellow to solid orange and solid red as well. Then the LA Racer 40 was brought out in solid white and solid yellow with CA hinges. In the heydays of Club 40 in 2008 and 2009 I once had over 55 Sky Raider Mach II kits alone on hand. Plus a variety of other planes from small electrics to giant scale. My mobile hobby shop was better stocked with ARF kits than any local hobby shop. After my "Pylon Racing for Everyone" article came out in the October 2009 Model Aviation, Club 40 boomed. However I had to take a year and a half hiatus in 2010-2011 due to my job at Bank of America t the time. Then in 2012, Club 40 was hit by a devastating blow. Thunder Tiger was shipping hybrid PRO /40/46 engines. Then they ceased production all together. Many Club 40 groups got discouraged and gave up.

Some people though that AirBorne was taking advantage of a monopoly on Club 40 planes, but the reality was that labor cost in China and the value of the Chinese dollar was making it necessary to constantly raise the prices.

We tried producing the Sky Raider Mach II in an ARC. They did not sell well, just as a previous attempt with the P-51 Mustang 46 had not worked either. There are problems with providing ARC kits that most people don't know about. Because the products are on containers on ships for long periods of time, the moisture causes warping of wings and other bad things.

In the case of the Spitfire 40 the plane was designed with input from Richard Verano. It was built super tough to handle the YS115FZ-WS. Unfortunately the wing has open bays. This was supposed to have been corrected in a recent production, but it was not. Bit the plane has CA hinges and is very easy to strip. I can turn one into an ARC in an hour. Technique is the key. Use limited heat from a heat gun and use acetone to remove the covering backing residue.

In the case of the P-51D Strega 40 Richard also had large input and they did listen to me and take my advise on fully sheeting the wing. And changing the ailerons from the strip to the more scale ones. And with CA hinges on everything. The only thing that is hard to strip on the Strega is the canopy. It is molded fiberglass and getting the ToughLon off can be a little harder than it is on the wood surfaces. The Strega can be fully glassed and painted quite easily if you really want a painted plane.

Hopefully the Spitfire 40 will get a fully sheeted wing in the next production.

The World Models is producing some really nice kits. I just got one of these 50cc Pilatus PC-6 Porter - ARF and it is great quality. Not top scale, but quite a bargain for a 125" wingspan. 2000+ square inch wing in a very high quality build.

I have an article about Sport Pylon Racing at the 2018 NATS coming out in Model Aviation soon. A good part of the article is about Club 40, and the coming Club 40 Electric class. Hopefully Club 40 can make a return and as Duane Gall likes to say "A rising tide raises all boats".

BTW, a lot of people don't like ToughLon. The biggest problem is they treat it like a higher temperature covering and damage the backing. I have a PDF that I will try to upload that will help you deal with ToughLon.

Please visit my video channels at http://DonStegall.com ... http://RCPylon.TV ... http://RCFieldBox.com

I have videos already taped about the new Outrageous EF1, the new Scarlet Screamer EF1, the Spitfire 40, and The Wings Maker Wingman II. Look for them soon