I've been building kits for many years and was around when the first ARFs appeared on the market. They didn't have a good reputation and deservedly so. The current ARFs are much better but...

I decided to get back into R/C. My son is interested in model airplanes and we've been flying C/L for a few years. Control Line ARFs are relatively new with the inaugural offerings only 18 months ago.

With our kit built Sig LT-40, we had the satisfaction of working on a project together. It was a good learning experience for my son (who was age 10 at the time).

Most importantly, I know the quality of every single glue joint on the model. I trust my building. I get more satisfaction from assembling and flying a kit built model and I can cover/finish it to differentiate from the cookie cutter ARFs at the field.