Bob Archbold Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Hi I am making a return to the hobby after some 45 years and how times have changed... With a bit of cash from my recent divorce, (highly recomended) I've bought 3 Foamies (Hobyzone Glasair, FMS ASW 28 and FMS Sbach) plus a Spektrum DX6i together with a Pheonix4 simulator all for not a lot of cash. I have save a fortune from shopping around. I have always looked on in a sneering way at foam planes but again, things have moved on. In my first flirtation with the hobby I built and crashed three traines and didn't have the heart to smash up a Veron 1 1/2 Strutter which I lovingly built so sold it and left the hobby in a state of dismay... But hey I'm back and things look very different! I can't believe how much cheaper everything is now... It is a little sad that the 'local' hobby shops seem to have disappeared to be replaced by the larger shops but the savings that can be made are astonishing! I have dealt with Inwood Models, Kings Lynn Models, Slough RC Models and Sussex Model Centre and could not praise them all highly enough!!! My one dealing with a relatively 'local' shop was a bit jaded by the proprietor whinging on about visitors wasting their time by calling in for a chat whilst their wives and partners were out shopping.... easy answer - don't waste their time and don't spend money in their shop... easy. Just to sum up, it's really nice to be back even though some of the technology is a bit daunting... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Hi Bob, and welcome back to the hobby. I too first got into R/C in the 70's and then took a break. I returned a little earlier than you though - around 22 years ago! Things have indeed changed hugely since the 70s. 27MHz radio made way for 35MHz and now 2.4GHz has mostly pushed 35MHz aside. Electric power has made great strides and is beoming the "norm" - just yesterday one of our club members announced that the flight he'd just made was his last i/c powered one - all electric in future for him, he'd been mostly electric for some time. Foam models are getting better, though I'm not convinced about their longevity and durability - but they're cheap enough that that doesn't matter too much. Local model shops are going the way of many other retail sectors. When I was young most towns had a little model shop. Most of these have closed down leaving just the bigger ones and the online sellers - no really much different to other sectors when you think of Jessops, HMV, etc going under. Your LMS proprietor possibly has a valid point if his "customers" are just popping in to pass the time of day, get advice and ideas, look at the goods and then buy cheaper online. Anyway - yes, a lot has changed. Don't be worried about asking questions on here - you'll get answers. The answers might sometimes be give conflicting advice, or sometimes spark a lengthy discussion, but there's loads of experienced people on here ready to assist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Tweddle Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Hi Bob and welcome to an new world, where are you by the way. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Yep, good to see another returnee from the 70's. There's quite a few of us in that bracket on here And your reactions are quite similar to mine when I started again, I suppose 10-12 years ago. I knew exactly what trainer I was going to build from a plan and laughed like a drain when my mate suggested I buy an artf. Then I looked at the cost of buying all the individual pieces needed when starting from scratch, saw the quality and price of an Irvine Tutor, and changed my mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Posted by IanN on 07/07/2013 12:53:26: Yep, good to see another returnee from the 70's. There's quite a few of us in that bracket on here And your reactions are quite similar to mine when I started again, I suppose 10-12 years ago. I knew exactly what trainer I was going to build from a plan and laughed like a drain when my mate suggested I buy an artf. Then I looked at the cost of buying all the individual pieces needed for a plan build when starting from scratch, saw the quality and price of an Irvine Tutor, and changed my mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Archbold Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Well that certainly got a response or two.... A couple of things then; firstly I'm from Barnard Castle in Co. Durham (Nice place to live).. Potential flying fields look a bit congested though.... Ouch! (lots of trees) As regards the foamy things; the thing is they are cheap and allow you to get 'back into it' without spending too much money and if you have a prang at least 6 months hard work hasn't ended up in a pile of balsa splinters... My deep and dark desire is for a Sequoia Greenfinch which isn't exactly cheap but is beautifully engineered. Just think of the love, blood sweat and tears followed by the shrapnel... The other thing about the three models I have chosen are all able to provide a load of spares as, when or if they meet with the grim reaper. I added up the cost of the parts i.e. motors, batteries, esc's, receivers etc and the models are an absolute gift. I paid £125 for the Hobbyzone Glasair which comes with a complete spektrum 4 chanel radio,motor, esc, 4 servos and a battery. Basically a complete outfit ready to go in another model.... 2013 rock on! As regards the 'local' model shop; I am a firm believer is supporting local commerce, just not at the price of courtesy and good manners. Heyho I'm a grumpy old so and so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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