I don't think ARF's are junk. I think the new ones are up to the standard of kits. However, as someone stated earlier, there is a certain amount of pride when you take a plane to the field that started as a box of sticks. The only thing I do not like about ARF's is the inability to customize the look of your plane. For example, when I covered my SU-31, I spent 2 days looking on the web for a color scheme that didn't have a pink or power blue color and a star. When our float club gets together, the guys with seamaster's have to fly one at a time. The most popular sea plane only comes in one color scheme. This is the biggest drawback to ARF's that I can see. I think for quality, ease of assembly, price and flight characteristics ARF's are hard to beat. I do still enjoy building however and it still is an important part of the hobby for me.