But plenty of pattern pilots, who will or won't end up in F3A due to skill, time or.....just not wanting to play that game.

A few years back, there were good planes, great planes, and not so good planes. Now, they've all sort of figured out what works for the patterns and flying style we've all sort of adopted, so there are no real stinkers flying-wise. Construction and finish are another story entirely. That's pretty much up to your skills and your wallet, and how closely you pay attention [8D]

As for why the Japanese don't actively sell overseas, well, they build wood planes. I can tell you from first hand experience, it's a chore. Ever notice what Naruke charges for a custom built and finished plane? Guess what....it's worth every penny. I doubt I would do it for less, that's for sure. It's very time consuming and that's why there aren't that many and you have to wait and even then you may not get one. Long ago I wondered if it was snobbish...now, I have NO DOUBT why he does it that way. He knows what he's doing.

As for wood kits, there are a few. Why they don't sell kits of thier current latest and greatest, I don't know, nor would I guess. But do an experiment: take the outlines, block them all white in photoshop, and then tell me which plane is which. Good luck, you will miss a few. And some will suprise you. We're at a point now where unless something drastic changes, design of these things is going to be slow and subtle. When something works you don't throw a monkey wrench at it.

Here's what I get a kick out of: All the time I see and hear people (many who should know better) praising one plane and poo pooing another from rumors and impression. In most cases these people have not actually had any direct experience with the planes in question themselves. One thing I have tried to do is fly everything I can get my hands on, and quiz the pilot about set up and mix etc. I want to learn all I can learn and that's the only way to "know" and not guess. I've learned a lot, and applied it. It's also very eye opening. Many of the planes that are thought of as god-like have some serious shortcomings, and many of the planes that get poo-pooed by "experts" are some of the most amazing planes out there. And a lot of planes that are largely ignored are some of the best planes you can fly. (no I am not referring to my own, it's anything but ignored LOL) But at the end of the day, no plane I know of is unflyable or unfixable. Some require more work than others though....but if we shared what we found with names and such, it would be armageddon in pattern land...

If you have the chance, fly everything you can. Talk to people. Talk to the owners and if you are able, talk to the desingers. No airplane is perfect but some will suprise you. The japanese planes are no different. I just wish they'd paint them different colors once in a while! There is a reason why they still build them out of wood. And if you get it, you get it...and if you don't, you don't...and neither is "wrong". I too wish I could get my hands on some of the drawings for say, the Altair 200 etc. Thanks to a friend overseas I did have a peek at some drawings/measurements of the Starcraft Addiction and the results were a little suprising....needless to say, I think that one should be an awesome plane But since the japanese style has always been far out, fast and smooth, I'm interested to see how the Altair flies for instance.

Ahh well I'm rambling sorry, this is just a subject that I am very interested in....

-Mike