Look at Skyshark RC. They have brought back all of their kits. They just released a new one, an IL2 Stormovic. Looks like a great model. Again, these can be scaled out as much as you would want. These tend to be smaller planes, .60 sized, but that may be what some want. I know ABU, you do not like to see this ever increasing size of models.

In reguards to future Scale builing , Hi , I am Billy Thompson , (Indiana Airworks ) Scale Building is the only way ! There is nothing like finding the perfect plane , sitting down , Drawing out every piece , and doing what it takes to make a Scale plane , I have glued my eye open , I have glued them shut , I have glued my , ( Minnie-Me ) to my leg . All resulting in unplanned trips to the Emergency Room ! Working feverishly to build 100 percent Scale airplanes . I have built 99.5 static airplanes for competition with numerous awards , and have flown with the worlds best TOP GUN Pilots finishing fourth place there my first time ! You ( I ) can not get that out a ARF Airplane . It is true , build times are getting longer and longer , But a true Scale builder will prevail over the Arf builders . Yes , there are not as many scale builders as there used to be , But there are alot of scale builders out here that do not make it in the publics eye ........ More than we know ! Yes I very strongly believe there is a future in Scale Building !

Billy Thompson

Interesting! Skyshark made the only WWII kits I ever considered building! I was looking hard at their Aichi, in part because I wouldn't have to be spending hundreds of additional dollars on retracts. And just when I was about to buy one, they went over to ARF only. [X(] So maybe this is my chance!

By the way, did they also bring back Skyshark Girl!!!

Still, nearly $400 for a 1/9 scale (63" span) model isn't cheap. On the other hand, it looks like a really outstanding kit:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_12..._1/key_/tm.htm

Interesting, the Skyshark ARF (p40, the only one they made that I know of) Really kind of flopped.We had one donated to one of our club events, and it was quite difficult to get ready to fly. Kits are much easier to bring to market, and it seems to be getting more difficult. I feel the kit future is bright honestly.

Maybe Stereolithography will make balsa-bass wood scale kits that take two years to complete obsolete. Just imagine you order a 1/3 scale Sopwith Camel all framed up by a computer using a supper strong light weight plastic or composite material. All you need to do is cover, rigging engine and radio installation and of course painting your favorite color scheme. When this happens I guarantee the only conventional scale builders will be scratch builders from plans or other means.

It isn't the building that takes two years, it's the detailing!

The color schemes will come prepacked as "skins" (including rivets and panel lines) that you can just print out and apply to your model. Seriously though, I think we are going to see more and more 3-D printing (both home-based and through services) creeping into scale modeling. This is a good thing in the sense that a company can keep hundreds of 3D models on file ready to print, but maybe only a few dozen molds. But it will also be a sad day when scale modeling is reduced to "press print."

I think some of you guys think that building is a chore and a way to a means. i think your wrong and many will agree. When we built my Don Smith B29, the fun actually was not in the flying and the accolades of the crowd, it was a bunch of guys getting together and talking, building, schemeing, bonding and comapnionship. Your not going to get any of that in a ARF and if and when they start making these lithographic planes, the hobby will become cheapened, the airplanes disposable and the craftsmanship a theory in a text book somewhere. Building is not the glueing together of 2 pieces of wood and if that is the way you see it, then your missing out and your only enjoying a 1/3rd of the hobby[:@]

I am not sure if scale kits have a future or not, but as long as as one can dream then there will always be a future for building. Building is the hobby and flying is the sport...

Bob

I think there could be a market for a packaged deal from companies that currently just do laser cutting. Make it more like a kit. A kit of laser cut parts that come with plans and fiberglass parts. Most laser cutters offers hundreds of airplanes but you have to go buy your plans somewhere else and then get your cowl, wheel pants, etc. somewhere else too. They could even be short kits, but still have the plans and glass parts.

Dave

ValleyK
"The build time is becoming intolerable now with the new detailed ARF’s to choose from"

Those who feel this way are not their target market. Unfortunately those who feel this way are increasing. Modelers come in all definitions and not just one is correct however, each will pursue the hobby to his or her satisfaction. I build kits and have moved to scale. If those kits become less, which they are becoming, I can see the move to plans building in my future if I cannot find the subject in kit or short kit form.

I do beleive kit cutters will be thriving soon as many in my opinion would much rather send the plans off and the have the kit, of thier choosing show up at thier door. However I also prefer my 100's of records to CD's but that doesnt mean I don't by CD's. However thank goodness you can still get LP's

I wonder about the plans issue here. Maybe there is often a copyright issue or something. They obviously studied the plans to program the laser to cut out all of those parts. So at least 1 set of plans existed by the kit cutter. Plans are not getting cheap either. It seems printing costs are going way up.
It depends on where you get your kit cut, but many do have cowls and other parts available. Just not all.

That's great news about Skyshark. I really liked that Aichi too, and then poof, it was gone.

We have a 13 year old helping us restore a Thomas Morse Scout. He knew nothing about WWI airplanes and he's totally into it now. Kids like castles and caravels, why not old airplanes? They were amazing, beautiful machines. There will always be some interest.

Jim

Don't know the prices stateside but here in the Netherlands I found it not expensive, even cheaper the last years with all the digital possibilities. For a A0++ size I pay only $3,50 right now.

[link=http://www.repro.eu/cad-print-b-w.html]Example[/link]

It certainly would be easier if complete packages were available, but I prefer to choose my own harware, glass parts supplier, etc.

Buying the parts separately allows me to spread out the cost. It also allows me to choose my own harware, and not pay for something that I may choose not to use.

By not stocking glass parts, hardware, etc, kit cutters can keep their overhead down. If they were to stock these parts, there costs would rise tremendously, and therefore, ours would, too.