Definition of a Modeller

[Vecchio Austriaco]

Like all your definitions and the alternative definitions as well.I personally like to be a builder - going into all kind of details, and if I go to the field on a Saturday I take an ARTF with me as I know that those things fly.....

[Augusto]

Good thread Hugh. I'm basicly a builder trying to be modeller too and enjoy to fly those models thatI build from plans and Kits. So, I totaly agree with BEB's and P.Miller's definitions butI suggest a change: I would replace the word "model" by the word "toy" in theirAssembler definitions.. only joking boys

Cheers,

Augusto

Edited By Augusto on 19/01/2011 17:49:22

[Tim Hooper]

I'm proud to be all three!

I love this ridiculous hobby in all its manifestations, so I'm quite happy to take the latest ARTF to the field as well as a totally-scratchbuilt model, and park them next to each other on the flightline.

I think we have to recognise that we're living in an ARTF-driven environment, and that it's not the scratch-builders who keep the model shops open for business. In fact, I'd hazard that without the ARTF market there would be no cheap radio gear, engines/motors and cell packs, not to mention clubs and flying fields. There would probably be no viable aeromodelling hobby at all.....

tim

[Alan Cantwell]

first 2 are a dying breed, last ones are my best friends, this is a sport, and one that if you want to build a box of bits, you still can, but, in common with other sports, i dont want to build my own tennis raquet, stitch my own football together, or chop up my wifes willow tree to make a cricket bat,

i havnt built a model in years, but have reteined the skills i have to repair what others would throw away, in the ARTF world, people who break their ARTF model are given every help--we call them, spare parts

[Peter Miller]

Personally I disagree that the first two are a dying breed. There will always be people who actually love to create things with their own hands and skill rather than just buy the same cloned stuff as everyone else..

BUT.............

If we are a dying breed, when the last aeromodeller dies WHO IS GOING TO DESIGN YOUR ARTFs. Because there will be no one who willknow how.

[r6dan]

I would like to think I am all three,I love to make stuff but ARTF`s are so easy,and are really cheap for what you get,but are never built to the same standard as scratch built stuff,I think I could stand on the fus of my Acro Wot and it would be OK!!!

As for the dying breed,I think it is true,I am one of the youngest on here (I`m 33) and one of the youngest in my club,theaverage airymodeler has to be well in to the 50`s and as far as I see there just isn`t the interest from youngergeneration all of my mates say its a sad geeky hobby and none are interested in the slightest,shame...

Then there are people like Peter Miller and Tim Hooper who have the skill and knowhow to create a well balanced,great looking model that really flys and make plans for us all to build from, its not the kinda thing everyone can do there are even less people like that....

[Turbycat]

In the past I have built from plans and kits. Even designed one of my own (didn't go very well). Now, however, due to rather big motorbike smash I have very limited use of my right arm. As I'm right handed this means my cutting/building skills are somewhat limited. So I am now an assembler of ARTF stuff. I can just about manage to dothis myself and I end up with a large variety of aircraft to choose from. I would love to build again but at the moment it's not going to work out that way.

Andy

[Geoff Smith 1]

Hiya all. r6dan has put a thought into my head with regard to the age of modellers on this site. He is 33 years old and the youngest in his club. Are there any young up and coming on here to keep the sport alive, or is it a general thought that it's a 'geeky thing' like r6dan says. We have the same problem trying to get young people interested in acting. I know it's in the wrong thread but I've put it here because of r6dans thread above. Cheers

Geoff

[Lindsay Todd]

Tim, I'm with you, proud to be all three. As for dying breed I am pleased to say we have a few youngsters who are very active and get involved with designing there own shock flyer types and future designers for sure.

Linds

[Alan Cantwell]

i truly hope building does not die out, but i look at the ages at the field, with its limited juniors, i look around at the aircraft at many sites i visit, i do not see many builds, but they must be out there, plans sales are on the up and up, there is room for both, but skills are not passed on, i shudder when the simplest of ARTF repairs are shunned, for both builds, and ARTFs, the options are out there, but for the intial questionof builder, modellor or assembler, if you glue sticks together, you build model aeroplanes, there is no definition for me,

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Sorry - hit return twice?

Edited By Martin Harris on 20/01/2011 11:16:03

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Turbycat on 19/01/2011 22:08:39:

In the past I have built from plans and kits. Even designed one of my own (didn't go very well). Now, however, due to rather big motorbike smash I have very limited use of my right arm. As I'm right handed this means my cutting/building skills are somewhat limited. So I am now an assembler of ARTF stuff. I can just about manage to dothis myself and I end up with a large variety of aircraft to choose from. I would love to build again but at the moment it's not going to work out that way.

Andy

 

I hope this will come over as an attempt to inspire you, Andy - we have a member who lost his right leg and the total use of his right arm (arm nerves pulled out of his spine) in a bike accident in the late 50s (when he was 19 - and he was right handed) and in the last 9 years or so he's built (amongst others) a Vulcan, Stuka, Maricado and P40 from plans plus a Puppeteer and WestWings Hawk from kits. He's currently building a large B17 (4 SC52 FS engines) from a part kit and an EDF Vulcan.

 

Admittedly, he's always said that he was actually glad that his accident happened when he was so young as it would have been more difficult to adjust had he been older when it happened but he's very proud of the fact that he does almost all of the building alone (one or two rather complex tasks have been done by clubmates) and he reckons that half the build time involves making jigs and aids in order to build one handed. His right arm (which was left attached to help his balance) is sometimes used as a weight to hold things!

 

...and on top of that he learnt to fly, with a specially modified transmitter, in his late 60s!

Edited By Martin Harris on 20/01/2011 11:19:17

Edited By Martin Harris on 20/01/2011 11:20:42

[Simon B]

I think the most important thing to remember is this hobby is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. If that's building or flying ARTFs then I don't see why it should bother anyone what others want to do. It's like the ridiculous snobbery against electric fliers in some quarters. At the end of the day it's a choice and it doesn't affect anyone else. Personally I started out on ARTFs which helped me learn to fly, but doing repairs gave me a taste for building and i've progressed on to building from kits (i've done three scratch builds too, but like laser cut ribs!).

[Phil 9]

Definition of a Modeller

what about flyer or crasher?

[Peter Miller]

Turbycat, a bit more encouragement.

A few years ago RCM&E featured pictures on my Culver Dart. It had been built by someone with only one working arm.

I don't know how he did it and I have the greatest possible admiration for him.

It does prove what one can achieve with determination.

[Phil Claridge]

i have two working arms, its the dumb thumbs that let me down

[Phil Claridge]

modeller, builder, assembler, flyer=OPTIMIST

[Turbycat]

Cheers for the support guys. I will build again, I'm pretty sure of that. At the moment I'm still in a lot of pain if use my right arm too much. Rotating the wrist is difficult. It's probably down to frustration and impatience more than anything else at the moment. Mind you the surgeon did a fantastic job of fashioning a new elbow out bits of pelvis and what was left from the accident! I'm just glad of the ARTF's as it has allowed me to get back in to the hobby, and keep myself occupied, very quickly.

I'm in the process of sorting out my garage, sorry, hangar. SoI might be able to create some build space over the next few months. I think I probably need a nice slow project andas I can alwaysget bits laser cut that'll certainly helpEven now at the ripe old age of 42 I've manageddo most things left handed. Just not too sure if wielding a sharpe scalpel is one of them. Mind you if I stab myself in the right hand I won't feel it. Might just have a go at a couple of small rubber powered models to see if the bug bites again. At the moment I'm just enjoying the fact that I can fly 'em.

Andy

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Peter Miller on 20/01/2011 18:31:35:

Turbycat, a bit more encouragement.

A few years ago RCM&E featured pictures on my Culver Dart. It had been built by someone with only one working arm.

I don't know how he did it and I have the greatest possible admiration for him.

It does prove what one can achieve with determination.

I think that was quite probably Brian (my clubmate) as he did build one - I'd forgotten that...he has had one or two mentions in the model press.

Edited By Martin Harris on 20/01/2011 23:15:05

[NigelH]

A controversial thread designed to stir up trouble ? Is it a case of them and us ?

I've only built ARTFs except for a Truline Executive with foam wings in about 1981.

But ... I'd love to build from a kit. Something likea Ben Buckle or a Flair would be great to do but what people need to remember is that unless you're retired, most people simply don't have time to go down this route. I hardly haver time to fly let alone build. One of the best modellers at the club, who flew some of the most attractive and unusual models, told me that he would get up every day, dine and then start balsa bashing, something that sounds very appealing, but not practical for most of us.

Maybe I should start an adjacent thread, 'Do glow pilots only hate (or pretend to hate) electric models because they're just hard to understand'

[madpup]

We all started out as builders, i knew that when i first folded that paper into a dart.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Nigel, I don't think anyone means any offence by this thread - I for one simply see it as a bit of a laugh poking gentle fun at all three catagories!

Everyone should enjoy the hobby in whatever way they want - or whatever way they can. The important thing is - that they do enjoy it!

I think the vast majority of folks on here can sign up to that!

BEB

[r6dan]

I don`t think this is a controversial thread designed to stir up trouble, just a bit of friendly banter !!

Surely everyone has a spare hour a week to do a bit of bashing, In this day and age we (me included) say we never have time,we just have to make it

[Hugh Coleman]

Posted by NigelH on 21/01/2011 13:54:07:

A controversial thread designed to stir up trouble ? Is it a case of them and us ?

I've only built ARTFs except for a Truline Executive with foam wings in about 1981.

But ... I'd love to build from a kit. Something likea Ben Buckle or a Flair would be great to do but what people need to remember is that unless you're retired, most people simply don't have time to go down this route. I hardly haver time to fly let alone build. One of the best modellers at the club, who flew some of the most attractive and unusual models, told me that he would get up every day, dine and then start balsa bashing, something that sounds very appealing, but not practical for most of us.

Maybe I should start an adjacent thread, 'Do glow pilots only hate (or pretend to hate) electric models because they're just hard to understand'

Actually, no.

I was just struck by the strange attitudes that seemed to be in play over on the Pick a Plane thread.

Everybody seems to have a dream subject and they all want Tony Nijhius to deign it for them. And yet, none of them it seems are prepared to sit down and put pen to paper themselves.

I just wondered why this might be.

To give you an example of just how non-contraversial I intended all this to be- one of the most widely respected MODELLERs in Australia, Gary Sunderland (Has plans published by MAP, has won the Australian National Free Flight Chaps the last three years running with a scratch built model) Also flies ARFs.

I myself have a hangar full of ARFs, a hand full of half built modles off the plan, two Kits ready to cover and three designs on the drawing board.

And if you think that this thread is designed to be contraversial, you haven't actually read it.

Cheers,

Hugh

Edited By Hugh Coleman on 21/01/2011 21:21:10

[Doug Ireland]

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 18/01/2011 22:53:20:

That's right Keiran!

The early Merlin engines had gravity feed carbs and couldn't fly inverted for more than a couple of seconds. Neg G moves where out for the same reason.

The problem was eventually solved by a Miss Beatrice Shilling. As I understand it, she was responsible forarranging for an orifice plate to be built inthe fuel systemwhich went some way to solving the problem - hence Miss Shilling's Orifice!

BEB

PS How do I know this? - "Myson - I was that builder..."!

 

My understanding of this was that it was an "O-ring" or something similar that prevented the float in the carb from cutting off the fuel supply. It didn't solve the problem entirely but did make the aircraft a bit more tolerant to Neg G manoeuvres.

 

Oh buy the way, I consider myself a "builder"

Edited By Doug Ireland on 21/01/2011 23:26:40