how can it take so long to build an arf kit?

6hrs?
8hrs?

bullcrap! lol, but all the arf kits ive made i have done over a period over a couple of days, a wee bit at a time, can anyone accually back up that it takes 8 hours to build an arf kit?

Add up your wee bits at a time, surprising how much it adds up to.

Ive done two so far. First one, electric glider took about 3 hrs in total but I made it longer by changing the servo setup from a single aileron to two servos. I had no engine or fuel tank to mount in it though. It couldve been done in half an hour out of the box at the field if need be, everything was done right down to battery pack holding straps and ESC soldered on etc.
Second one was a Blackhorse CAP232, Id guess at about 8hrs over a couple of nights to complete. It was my first glo ARF, so mounting an engine and tank etc was new to me. If I take into account curing time for the epoxy to join wings etc itd be more like 30+ hrs total. I like to let 30min epoxy cure for at least 24 hrs before subjecting it to load.
I once bought a glider that said ARF on the box but it was more like Almost ready for you to do all the tricky fiddly wing joining, mounting blocks, tap threads sand wings, cover or paint etc. etc. Everything except lay up the glass fuse, sheet the wing cores and cut-out the tail surfaces had to be done. I WAS SPEWING considering its price tag compared to the Blackhorse CAP or E-Glider. It was 1/3 MORE expensive but is a fantastically awesome model now its finished.

Took me 6 months to complete my Sig Cap, working a wee bit at a time. Took me one evening to get my ugly stick in the air. Just depends on how long you go at it at a time, and how easy it goes together for you. What glues you use, your building abilities, attention to details, trips to the hobby store for the forgotten extras, it all adds up. Some can get it done faster than the box says, some take much longer.
It's not like everyone will complete it in exactly 6hrs, or 8hrs.

Have you tried one of the Seagull Models ARFs? 6 hours is very generous to try and assemble it! Between the crappy instructions (install the wheel pants and wheels by following the pictures [:@]), and other things like that I think it probably took 8 hours, and I was in a hurry! If that is what you get with "inexpensive" ARFs, I will pay more in the future for a good manual. Engine rotated 45 degrees counter clockwise. I think it took over an hour to locate the proper places to make the cuts in the cow (misspelled intentionally, that is what the manual calls a cowl) for the cyliner head and needle valve extension.

You can't judge an "Instruction Manual" by the price of the ARF/ARC/Kit it represents. I paid over $500 for a World Models giant scale P-51, and the instruction's sucked. I've also seen them the size of a small catalog, for planes that are less than $100. Go figger....



Gary

Yes you can take 6-8 hours to build a plane. The manufacturer means ACTUAL working time ON the plane. Let see how this works ok. Assume is a simple plane and nothing too fancy to build, not your H9 TOC Ultimate. I will work based on the World Models Sky Raider Mach II:

joining wings - 30 mins
aligning tail feathers - 15 mins
attaching tail feathers - 15 mins (screwed on and then add CA)
attaching main UC - 15 mins
attaching rear UC - 15 mins
attaching engine mount - 10 mins
attaching engine - 10 mins
attaching linkages - 45 mins
attaching horns - 30 mins
attaching ail servo - 15 mins
attaching rud/th/ele servos - 30 mins
fixing and attaching tank - 20 mins
installing radio and checking end points etc - 45 mins
trimming control surfaces - 20 mins
CG check/adjustments - 20 mins

Total is 335 mins ... 5.6 hours. Not bad huh?

I think that if I had focused and been able not to do anything else, I could have finished my last ARF (Seagull SpacewalkerII) in about 8 hours. Now that's if I hadn't used gold'n'rods, changed the alierons to 2-56 h/w, made a few mods and had to cut out covering to install braces. And of course that dosen't include epoxy cure time, varnish drying time, etc etc. I put my WM SS 40 together by the book, mostly, and I think it took me all of about 12 hours, but I spent a lot of time sanding the engine mount to fit, and I like to "measure twice, cut once" only I do the measure part twice. I wouldn't take the build time too seriously, and certainly not as a challenge.
But to contradict myself, I think that I could have had my Avistar at the field within an hour of opening the box, actually with some experience 30 minutes would probablly have been doable.

Andy

It's pretty much the same with me, it takes a long time, but it's just like tIANci says, a lot of little steps over a couple of weeks seems like it takes longer than it really does. I build at my speed and do not take stock on other's comments on how short a time it takes to build their planes. I have a Sometin Extra kit that will have taken me 1.5 years to finish when it is done this weekend (or maybe not). Did it take me longer than someone who says it takes only two weeks. Probably because it it my first kit, but I have also built other ARF's during the same time just to keep me flying. Now if I could make my planes last as long as the SE has taken to build I'd have something. For example, the SE sat on the shelf for a few months while I replaced several crashed planes. But when I really started concentrating on it, it didn't take too long to get it ready to cover. It's all relative to how you build and irrelavent if you like what you are doing.

The Skylark ARF I recently got from Hobby-Lobby... I put a whole 5 hours into setting up... Most of that wos fddling around with the control system. (could be don n 3 hours if I hadn't fiddled so much. )

Goldberg's Tiger 60 ARF .. about 4 hours from box to RTF.

Depens on the person a bit on how long it takes every time... I've seen a guy need hours to put a RTF together... slide the wings together, bolt on the strap... connect the aileron pushrod and its EASILLY able to be ready in 15 min or less. [&:] (If some of the RTF's shipped with batteries that were charged and you could depend on it... You could take the unopened box to the field and fly same day you bought them.)

Last one I assembled was a Pacific Aero Laser 200. It took 18 hours and I finally gave up on the covering as soon as I realized it was never gonna get tight, even if I melted it. The one before that was Hanger 9's Twist and I think that one went together in about 8 hours. I am very picky about my planes and consequently I check everything 2 or 3 times before I am satisfied and move on. I frequently change things I don't like and it is not unusual for me to at least partially recover a plane. I get a lot of satisfaction out of putting a plane in the air for the first time and have ot fly comepletely hands off with out touching the trim buttons so that is what I strive for. Perfection takes time ans so does an issue free plane, (even an arf)!

I don't want to ruffle any feathers here,but I know it probably will.
So I'm going to post this and run like hell .

You guys crack me up. at least 80% of the work is done and you still
complain.

Why don't you just give your ARF's to someone else to "assemble",(not build)
and have them convert it to a RTF . That way you won't have to do any work
or spend any time at all.

I'll venture to guess that none of you fellers do much posting in the "kit -building"
forum.

That should do it for now and please don't take any of this personnally.

I'm now on the run , Don't work too hard on your ARF's, have a nice weekend .

The "Phantom"

That's funny....I can't find the word hard in any of my post I just said I take forever.

I'll be the first to complain about how an ARF is put together, then spend another $50.00 on top of the price of an airplane with decent hardware just to upgrade to my standards.

If radio control made sense, it wouldn't be any fun.

Andy

Hell, I put 2 1/2 hours into them just sealing hinge gaps! I never pay attention to the assembly time. Take your time, do it right and you will be rewarded!

You know Roby you are right. I hardly ever post in the Kit building forum. Because I don't build kits? Nooooo,,,,, because the last time I posted there no-one answered up. After about 3 or 4 attempts to get an answer I just gave up. I do build kits, but I do ARF's as well. Currently on the boards I have a Pica WACO and a Sig profile Ultimate.

On the other hand, I assemble ARF's 'cause unlike my WACO (13 months and counting) I can usually have one in the air in a couple of weeks and after all, for me, flying is what it is about.

Build a arf normally takesme about a week due to the fact that i got school homework. I just do a little bit a time

Guys ... its like sex, if you enjoy it don't rush it!!! I just started to put together the new Black Horse Extra 300 (60 sized), I fixed the wing and tail feathers in within 30 mins. Its that easy nowadays. It is NOT that I am good or experienced, just that ARFs are getting that much better.

[quote]ORIGINAL: tIANci

I don't see anything here about hinging. If you have to cut hinge slots as with the Sig 300XS & Cap it takes about 5.6 hours to do the hinging.

[quote]ORIGINAL: WacoOne

How about the usual reinforcment mods? Firewall, glassing wing joint etc..

Not a particularly complex model but...

Thorough inspection of glue joints and covering
Reading the manual
Rereading the manual
Cutting out and fitting canopy - gonna tint it?
Assembling wheel pants (and installing) This can take awhile for some planes
Fitting the cowl - including cutouts for engine
Install fuel dots etc
Hinging
Decals ...
Beefing up landing gear and firewall...

A lot of this stuff may not apply to an introductory trainer but is part of many ARFs. I would probably figure on 15-20 hours assuming that there are no major mods and I don't have to run out to pick up something I forgot. (Where is the spinner and aileron extensions?)

Ross