RE: whats the ARF that started it all ????
"ARF" models started out in the late 1960's or so. I remember the DeeBee Stinger around 1967...foam wing and stab, molded plastic fuselage, ply and hardwood firewall and engine mount, and faster to put together than any kit. The Lanier airplanes were similar and also out at about the same time. Today, they'd not be called "ARF" because they take more work than most modern ARF models...however they are MUCH faster than building a kit. A friend of mine used to call them "reddi-fli" airplanes because you could get them into the air much, much faster than building a kit.