i live in Virginia,and the two hobby shops we have around this immediate area don't have hardly any kits in stock,in fact the ones they do have,have been the same ones they had on the shelves for a few years.you cant hardly build a kit for what an arf costs.but IMO you cant get the same quality out of an arf as you can one of your kit's( baby's).most vendors carry the kits and can be ordered through the mail.i look in the hobby shops and to me it seems to be an indication of the way kit building has been going for the past few years.i hope they will always be available,i enjoy building.my 8 year old daughter has shown an interest in kit building and has helped me on a lot of our projects.just that fact alone is enough for me to keep trying to find the kits and building,plus i enjoy the therapy and sense of satisfaction i get out of it.