Nitro Fumes

Back in the 60's and 70's there used to be a company called Heathkit and they sold stereo equipment, TV's even R/C radios in kit form. My Dad once built a Fisher stereo tuner and integrated amp from kits. That was back in the day before printed circuit boards. This was vacuum tube tech with a metal chassis. He's using the FM reciever. Back in those days Fisher was a high end audio company like Macintosh (not the computer). There were other companies that sold there audio equipment both as kits and allready assembled.

Access

They were still around in the 80's, I built my share of heathkits. Another family member had built a heathkit color TV and I built at least 10 of them as a kid.

J.D.T

no offense was meant by the fat and lazy american thing, I am one of them at 6'2" and 255 lbs, it was meant as a social commentary on how we in america have developed into a service industry world, unless your grandpa was a very wealthy man he didn't pay to have his house painted, even if he was the town doctor he was out there hanging off a ladder and getting it done, fast forward 50 years and now we got people that hire jobs like this out only to sit around in a lawn chair and watch it done for them. I love america and its our right to pay someone else to do it if we can't or don't want to, sure the plumbers charge $90 an hour to unplug a drain but they also ONLY charge $90 to stand in sewage water up to there chest when someones pipes freeze and the toilets empty into the basement, some things are worth paying for lol. I agree some people just don't have time, especially those heavy breeders with 3 and 4 kids, just getting them to every place they need to be(soccer, dance, piano etc) can just about suck the life out of ya, I got friends that make twice as much money as me but spend 10-14 hours a day at work so needless to say they have a lawn service to mow and even get there oil changed by someone that comes to the parking garage at work and picks up the car, every situation is different but I honestly can't see a day when I can't work in 2-3 hours to build a sweet little honey of a tamiya kit, if that ever happens I am calling in sick and building two

Nitro Fumes

I had one in the early 90's too. It must have been the last of them. I had built a Heathkit surround sound processor. It was the 1st generation of surround sound, not even pro logic.

Access

JDT you are right, especially most of the urban population, it has gone from a self-sufficient, individual, rugged society to one that is basically dependent on 'handymen' and people like that to survive. I've had the same thing with people who can't unclog a toilet or unstop a sink to save their own life. Instead they are happy to call the plumber who shows up with a plunger, unclogs their toilet and then collects $90. and goes on to the next job. But in the end, it's not entirely a bad thing, it means the plumber can feed his family too; basically the practical person can make a living by assisting the non-practical person who would otherwise be hoarding their money and spending it on wasteful things.

Nitro Fumes

Speaking about that sort of stuff, I always try to fix it myself first. I certainly do simple automotive tasks like changing my own motor oil and doing the brakes. But it seems at least from this thread there are plenty of others here that are mechanically inclined too. I thought I would have seen a lot more voting for RTRs. I'm glad to see it was all for kits.

ozium

I voted for the unassembled kits even though most of my RCs are RTR. They've all have been modded to a point where I've practically rebuilt every truck from scratch anyway so I guess buying the RTRs didn't really save me any time.

I can't really describe myself as lazy or fat although I am American. I have other hobbies that require a little (lol) more physical exertion than assembling a scale model truck. I train at a karate dojo 3-5 nights a week, I also train at a judo dojo 2 nights a week. I have been riding mountain bikes for about 10 years. I also work out at a gym and take spin classes to supplement my mountainbiking.

Am I lazy because I buy RTRs? How does sitting at a workbench, tinkering with a screwdriver and some allen wrenches, compare to riding a bicycle for 5 hours up and down a steep mountain...or 5 minutes on a judo mat against some 220lb behemoth with blood in his eyes? Building a kit never got my heart rate going 200 beats per minute like either of those two activities.

Yes, I know how to change the oil on my 1:1 car - heck I can pull the heads from a small block chevy and rebuild them. I can also fix a leaky faucet and unplug a stuck drain...I find that kind of work relaxing and enjoyable compared to my 9-5 job...but I pay a professional to do that stuff because there are SO MANY other enjoyable things to do.

So please don't call me lazy (you can call me fat I won't take offense). And please don't make me feel like an inferior hobbyist just because I buy RTRs. I don't buy only RTRs, every once in a while I'll get a wild hair that makes me buy a kit so that I have something to do with all the spare electonics I have.

And I'm sure I'm not the only RTR guy with a good excuse.