Well said, fly24-7, I admire a guy with a good perspective on what's important. But we're just here venting a bit about a minor annoyance at how the terminology has been watered down. YES, we're proud of our work, who isn't ? Who doesn't enjoy the accolades of his peers? That's what Top Gun is about, after all. That's why they do it and that's why we admire their work. It's that kind of incentive that drives the creative wheels forward. And we get to know who these individuals are. Does anyone know who designed their ARF FROM THE ORIENT? Has anyone met, or heard of the workers who very skillfully BUILD those ARFs for us?

Several years ago, I spent some two months in the heart of downtown, Toronto, Canada. During that time, I visited all the hobby shops and clubs I could reach within several hours drive. One day, I was in a fast food place after visiting a club in the northern part of the city. After my meal, in walks a fellow wearing a jacket with some kind of aircraft logo, front and back. As he ordered and walked to a table, I struck up a conversation and was graciously invited to join him.

As it turns out, the unassuming fellow was Graeme Meares, Top Gun builder of some note. This year, in team scale, he received a 99.417 score for his F-16C. He was kind enough to invite me to his shop and I was very much surprised. I had expected, based on the quality of his work, an expensive and elaborate set up. What I discovered was a typical, well appointed workshop in his basement. He had all the tools and he had plenty of room to work. But it looked very much like the typical workshop you might see, occupied by a lifelong modeler.

Graeme revealed some of his techniques and tricks for getting near perfect, static scores. And they were not secret, nor special nor was there any black magic involved. Just about anyone could do what he does, IF they work hard at getting it perfect. Natural born skill is also required, of course, and Mr. Meares has that in spades.

It was an amazing experience, and it inspired me to vow that I'd get back to finishing that Mick Reeves, Spitfire that I started some 10 years ago. It'll never see competition but to own a truly good, scale model, you have no choice but to build it and finish it.

I will admit though, that the more work that I put into a project, the less I want to commit it to the skies. Probably why I'm so slow in finishing this kit but now that I'll be enjoying more free time, it may just happen sooner than later. Them dang ARFs have spoiled me though. [:@]