Thank you every one who replied, you answered my question. I'm glad to see people actually take the time (and pride) to build such beautiful planes. One thing about kit building vs arf, no 2 will look alike.

I will be the only one at the lake with a 100 in electrict short solent .lmao I like to scratch build as much as i can , it sure beats a hanger 9 cub on floats.lol joe

Fabulous!!!!! Ron.

When I started (1952)in RC I built the radio and the airplane from scratch. I sometimes felt even kits were a waste of money because I was always changing them during the build. I have lost the urge to build my own radios but still prefer to scratch build my airplanes.

Currently I am building a jet model of the full scale jet I flew in the late '50s. You can't buy this one in kit so I had no choice but to build from scratch. The white finish will be replaced with Aero Foil after successfull test flying. Estimated weight dry is 21.5lbs. You can see my build photos on my web site: http://www.sidgates.us

The answer to your question is yes. We are a dying breed but I still build everything I can. If I could do only one, fly or build, I would choose to build.

Frank,
VERY nice plane indeed! Are any plans available of this plane?

Reuben

Frank,

Your Meteor is superb, and it is good to see builders like yourself moving away from main stream subjects and building models like the Meteor.

I am sure I saw it fly at the LMAevent at R.A.F Cosford three years ago

Keep up the good work.

Alistair.

Those who scratch build jets are gods.....
the rest of us are just...... assembling and installing stuff ...praying it will all work when its done.

Nothing like scratch building your own jet, the pride, the satisfaction
one gets when your fellow pilot and modeler compliments.......
YOUR WORK, YOUR PAINTWORK, YOUR COCKPIT WORK... not the cnc cut glassed work of some kid in china making 50cent/hr.

Modeling........ is the other half of the hobby that is slowly vanishing. Now we just buy the stuff, most of the time don't even take the time to paint it, then have the balls to call it........ ours.

I think the bigger question would be ....do the younger kids build? Any new hobbist is being introduced right from the start on ARF's ( by that I mean trainers) The basic building blocks aren't there.(is that a pun?)

Scott

Luv to build. Just finishing this old AerodromeModels Stinson Voyager 108-2. Very rare kit, took about three months. Now deciding on color scheme. MM

I would have to put the burden of "mentoring" on US, those of US who learned to build, then took our creation to the field and was instructed how to fly it, after we crashed it....then we learned how to fix it. Modeling was and still should be a learning process.

Now its much harder to take the ARF trainee after they learn to fly and say....now we want you to spends hours learning to build, learning to fix, learning to engineer, route, sand, glass , and paint things.....when they can just go out and buy "another one".

So it looks like there will be no lack of future JET pilots, as the ARF culture of " jet modeling"is right up the ARF alley so to speak.


I'm going to go start a thread ........ Jet plans scratch building data base.... it will serve us dinasours that love to slice and dice balsa.
( before the balsa trees in south america are all gone).

I have my 7 year old son helping me cut parts and gluing some on my planes. He also gets to go with to the lake and watch. This summer he has a trainer to learn on and we built it too! I hope some of my making balsa dust rubs off on him but you never know. I never force him to do any thing ,if he knows i am not upstairs he finds me in my work shop and asks if he could do anything. Iam keeping my fingers crossed. joe

If I'm not mistaken that was Dolf Schelvis Meteor(and if so he built both the engines too!).

You bet we still build. I think building is at least half of the fun of the hobby. While I like the ARFs and have several I believe you are missing out on a lot of fun and pride of accomplishment by not building at least part of your fleet.
[img][/img]

Thats partly right Selleri (and Alistair) bit off topic though, The Meteor I have is a project from the foundation PHantasy in Blue ordered by the Royal Dutch Airforce which started more then ten years ago!!!
Way way before Jet ARF's! Dolf Schelvis kind of borrowed the molds and made his version, flew first and could provide me much valuable information about the CG, flying characteristics and settings.


Cheers,

Frank

Here is a nice build log for an all-wood EDF SAAB JA-37 Viggen kit. The text is in Swedish, but the pictures speak for themselves. [link=http://www.rcflyg.se/forum/showthread.php/22860-JA-37-%28JAKT%29Viggen-1-12-byggandet-av-f%C3%B6rserie-fr%C3%A5n-svenska-MBS-RC-Models?highlight=viggen]JA- 37 Viggen 1:12[/link]. The kits are manufactured by the Swedish company [link=http://www.mbs-rcmodels.se/index_eng.php]MBS RC Models[/link]

So many ARTF's now especially jets are massive money especially if you fancy something scale, if you have the ability and time a plan or kit built version can be a lot more affordable.

YES! love to build have three planes going right now! Building is the cake flying is the icing on the cake!

yes and even my wife gets into it as well

The objekt of my current building frenzy is a Mig29. 1/5 scale and will have IC DF propulsion. Yepp.........
Jonas

I spend as much time as possible building. I hate arfs .

Mitchell

Just beginning a big build myself. Mostly scratch build, with some fiberglass parts made by Norbert Rauch.

If it weren't for the builders of the RC world, how would the ARF's ever be created for the masses of non-builders, in the first place

Got a NIB Synergy N9 Heli for trade.

Outstanding project guys and I do agree, building is the way to go. I have a RTF turbine and a foamie when I need to go flying. When I need relaxation and therapy scratch build is the only way to go.

I tried to upload pics, didnt work! maybe this time! My Mig29 taken some time ago. second pic last week!
Jonas