ORIGINAL: jmohn
Why not let ARFs compete. What's the difference if some guy pays a builder to make his "Top Gun" plane and then goes on to fly the plane and win?
I agree that buying a model built by another modelers is, in principle, no different from buying an ARF from the local hobby shop. You just get a nicer product. Personally, I'm always glad to see a nice looking model no matter how it came to be produced. Nevertheless, for me Top Gun will always be about "designer class" and all the rest is just window dressing.