Lets buy British!

[andy watson]

There are long running arguments about using a local model shop against importing from HK etc- that's not what I am taking about.  In that argument we are generally comparing where to source the same far eastern import from.

 

What I am talking about is buying items MADE in the UK.  I thought the thread might act as a list of UK manufacturing companies that we can support.  Don't list importers etc- it must be a value added, raw materials turned into beautiful RC gold.

 

To kick the ball off here are a couple I have used that produced excellent quality and good service.........and they were made in Britain.

 

Unitracts oleos/retracts.

Stunnning pieces of kit, and made in Kent.

 

A H designs

Still in business.  The orders are well backed up- expect a 10 week delivery, but well worth getting your order in early for superb, lightweight scale pilots.

 

I'm sure there's plenty more.

[Nobby159]

Nice sentiment Andy but we have quite a few international members, don't know how this thread would sit with them

 

Nobby

[Simon B]

West Wings

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

For ever popular kits:

 

DB Sport and Scale

Evergreen - great kits.

 

Flair

Where would we be without them!

 

BEB

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Nobby - there is nothing to stop anyone having a thread for Spainish, French, American etc. companies if they wish.

 

BEB

[Nobby159]

OK, in for a penny,

Green Air Design  I have three kits of theirs perfect

 

Nobby

[Clive Matthews]

Soar Ahead Sailplanes

 

 

[Andy Freeman]

I for one always try to buy British, even if there is a premium associated. It upsets me when there are no choices that can be made.

 

The world off EPP gliders is one. how can it be that there is only one company shipping kits from the UK?  People from the club i belong to have brought in at least 10 from the states this last couple of months from the likes of LEG and NCFM.

 

Seems to me someone with the skills to manufacture this sort of thing is missing a trick somewhere. 

[batcho99]

I always get optifuel. British made, and imo, better quality fuel. Unfortunately most things are cheaper when you buy from abroad, not just in modelling, everything!

 

Iain.

[Richard Wood]

Flair & DB for me too.

A real shame you can't get a British radio anymore - we used to have

Skyleader, Sprengbrook, MacGregor, Fleet etc.& some other kit makers

such as Micron,Waltron etc. We just can't compete with the Far East anymore.

 

[Steve Houghton 1]

Britflight

 

I'm looking to buy their Hustle.

 

Steve

[James40]

As nice as it would be to buy British, unfortunately it's no longer a sign of quality, would you buy a Rover or an LDV ? There's a reason why they don't exist any more, they were built by lazy British workers that would rather go on strike over pay than build a quality product. I'll buy what's good quality and best value for money and unfortunately it's very rare to find these qualities in home grown products. If the UK starts making well priced quality products I'll be first in the queue, until then, I won't be changing my purchasing habbits.

[Richard Wood]

Poor Industrial relations & the 'Us & them' negative syndrome didn't help.

There were some pretty lousy British products around but there were also

some lousy foreign products too.

Any makers still around today have to be good to compete.

Maybe Laser Engines & RCV are good examples.

 

 

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Now James I really don't want get political about this - but a few up to date facts, rather than folklore from the 1970's, might just help,

 

1. The failure of Rover was not the fault of the workforce - or the design team. It was the fault of the greedy management. I think this has been pointed out on this forum elsewhere recently by someone else.

 

2. As a British engineer I really can't let the slight at the quality of British technology go by without comment. I'll pick just one example - but its indicative as it deals with an entire technology. Consider motor racing. Of the 12 or so teams involved in Formula One the majority have their design and construction head quarters in the UK. And one of those who don't, Ferrrari, have a British chief design engineer. Of the 29 cars that started the last Indianapolis 500 race in the United States more than half were designed and built in the UK. You know that wonderful Mercedes engine that powers both McLaren and now the Mercedes team itself - do you know were its designed? In Essex - not Stutgard.

 

Why do you think that this is so? Britian's location offers no geographic explanation. Britian's tax laws don't particularly encourage the teams and manufacturers to be here - in fact the opposite is the case. The reason is we still have the the most innovative, best design engineers in the world backed up with the best, most skilled, workforce to bring their ideas to fruition.

 

Every year I watch as companies from all around the world queue up to recruit the cream of the crop of new young graduate engineers from my University. There's is nothing wrong with the British workforce. Would I could say the same of Britian's accountants, politicians, financial managers, bankers and "businessmen". They are the ones that wrecked UK industry. Their lastest exploits speak for themselves! But it has been just these people who for the last 20 years have been held forth as a shining example of British entrepreneurship - what a joke! We have become a country that believes the "city hype" and devalues activities like manufacturing which produce real wealth. Note, real wealth, not the imaginary wealth of the financial institutions that blows away at the first storm - but real tangible folding money!

 

The strike culture you speak of is ancient history now. Just take a look at the companies people are putting forward here - top class technology and innovation. Its very fashionable to knock "home products" maybe that's another of our problems - we lack pride in what we do really well.

 

BEB

 

PS I'll put my flak jacket on now - even though its made in Taiwan!

[Richard Wood]

Here here BEB,absolutely right. Eloquently put sir!

 

 

[Simon B]

I feel i must defend Rover.  I own a Rover 25 and it's a great car!

[James40]

Strike culture isn't ancient history BEB, let's look back to last month and a very British company, "British Airways" ! Are they going to let strike action drag drag the most British of British companies down ? The reason there isn't the big strikes of old is partly because the UK doesn't really have any industry left, it's all gone abroad.

[andy watson]

So we can all agree there are exceptional examples of British engineering around.  I am not asking anyone to compromise the quality of their work, quite the opposite- I just want people to know what's out there.  I would suggest the unitracts oleos are as good as anyones in the worlds.  Flair kits are superb. 

 

Most of these businesses are a couple of blokes in a shed, so lets not drag the problems of nationalised businesses into it.

 

Do Britflight manufacture in the UK, or abroad?  Any manufacturers want to point us towards their products?

[Bryce Allcorn - BritFlight.co.uk]

Part and part Andy.

 

Wings from the far east due to cost vs time to build and everything else in the UK.  It would be great to have everything produced here and for a couple of the things in development they will be because they are simpler to produce (i.e. by machine).

 

I've been reading peoples thoughts on the WOT4 RTF as it looks very good but I look at it and wonder how on earth they make any money on it but then I suspect the Ripmax version is made in the far east under license rather than at Mr Foss's factory.

 

To RTF a D-ZEE (nearest comparable to the WOT4 in our range + no radio) to a similar spec would probably have to sell for about £160 due to UK labour charges (i.e. time to build) so I really understand why most stuff is 100% imported.

 

Having said that, if everything was built abroad we could probably sell a RTF D-ZEE (no radio) for £120.00 so I guess if the market forces us in that direction it is what we would do.

 

Cheers,

 

Bryce.

[Bruce Richards]

Big HEAR HERE in support of what BEB says above. Could not agree more.

[DAVID CLIFFORD]

Bryce, It is sad to read that., In this current climate when we all have less money but everything costs more. When that very british of institution's Cadbury's goes to an american company and we are being told by our own government to stop being so british and they are removing Brittania from our coins, our very defender of our shores, that companies such as yours who produce good quality models that arn't that expensive and the name 'Britflight' alone conjures up pictures of a fluttering union jack would even remotely consider farming out to oversees fabricators to keep costs down because that may be the only way to stay solvent i weep.

 

Proud to be british D 

[001]

I agree with BEB entirely.

This country used to make top quality optical and electronic equipment, was a pioneer in Radar and microwave technology etc etc.

Where are we now? We are buying millions of pounds worth of TV's, computers and cameras etc. from the Far East every week.

I should also point out that RCV engines are now made in China.

[Bryce Allcorn - BritFlight.co.uk]

David,

 

I agree totally with what you wrote.  But customers dictate prices so we have to consider all options to stay in business and to grow.

 

There is little in the way of encouragement to 'be British' in the market place, despite what we'd all like.  

 

Cheers,

 

Bryce

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

Posted by andy watson on 01/03/2010 20:39:30:

 

What I am talking about is buying items MADE in the UK.  I thought the thread might act as a list of UK manufacturing companies that we can support.  Don't list importers etc- it must be a value added, raw materials turned into beautiful RC gold.

 

Oh, look, this topic has been thrown totally off-topic.

 

As far as I know, Flying Wings is a British company, manufacturing in Britain, so I'm glad I bought their excellent V-Trainer. It was also a better deal than an equivalent like the Easy Star.

[Dave Bran]

Back on topic:-

 

Flying Wings

 

SAS - Soar Ahead Sailplanes 

 

A wee bit off topic, being RC cars, but still dedicated and hard working people, UK made and proud of it:-

 

Mardave

 

Kamtec 

 

C'mon guys, keep to the original posters  thread purpose, the UK has a LOT of innovative people trying hard to make decent products at competitive prices............. they don't always get due credit!!!