I started in this hobby only a year ago and im absolutley hooked. I considered the arf for my first plane, but then decided i would rather know the internals of a plane rather than just finish the arf , and im extremely glad that i did. It cost me about 400$ to get my first plane built. But i also went on the more extreme side than i actually needed. I built the Goldeberg Eagle 2.Supertiger 40 and i bought a 6ch futaba ( Could have gotten away with a cheaper radio ) there were definitly cheaper kits and radio's i could have chosen. Then i picked up misc tools and equipment as they were needed. Now i have most things that would be required to build most kits.
For me i knew i was going to love this hobby so i wasnt worried about buying all this and not enjoying it. My father has been in this hobby for about 20 years and ive always loved watching him build them and fly them.
I Guess what im saying is yes it would be abit more pricey to buy the kit and build it yourself but its a bigger reward to me knowing that i constructed it and it does fly. Dont let anyone tell you your first plane should be a cheap arf because your going to crash it anyway, or that your not going to be able to make it look as good as an ARF. Sure crashes happen even to people who have been in for awhile. But at least i can repair mine, because i built it

Can you say the same for all the one who bought the ARF/RTF ?