I'll never understand why saying "build" versus "assemble" bothers people so much.

Anyone who is in the hobby knows the amount of time and effort it takes to build a kit as well as what it takes for a typical ARF.

People who are not in the hobby cannot see any difference between a kit and an ARF, and they do not care.

We were at a family function a few years ago and had three planes in the truck. Two kits and an ARF
Sig Hog Bipe (fabric and dope finish) It won the "beauty contest" portion of our club's kit contest.
GP Super Sportster 60 (fabric and paint finish)
World Models Sky Raider (dirt cheap high wing ARF trainer). This was the one with the horrible light blue checkered fuselage side/top covering that looks like kitchen curtains, beige on bottom, and the red/blue printed pattern on top of the wings.

The one the relatives thought looked "cool" was the WM ARF, probably because of the colorful printed design on the wings. They don't care that it went together in a few hours and the other two took months.