RE: whats the ARF that started it all ????
In the early 60s a friend of mine had a tiny foam Cessna 172 c/w Futaba single channel radio and Baby Bee 020. All in the same box almost ready to fly. It now resides in my attic (sadly) no longer flyable.
btw,,,,,,,,,,,,for years in the 70s and 80s kits with a glass fuzz and foam wings with solid stab and con surfaces were described as ARTF.
they were generally heavy but could be got flying in a weekend.