Scratch building, or is it?

[Fredrum]

Posted by Delta Foxtrot on 13/04/2016 12:19:15:

My definitions for what they are worth:

Drawing up and building from your own plan: scratch build.

Starting from a plan: plan build.

Starting from a kit: kit build

Assembling an ARTF: assembly.

I am sure there are other shades and that this is subjective, but the words ought to describe what is involved in the process of making a model aeroplane.

Edited By Delta Foxtrot on 13/04/2016 12:19:35

These are the definitions as I've always been led to understand them but I suppose it's a matter of common usage, like everything in our language.

Go back a while and everyone had to build their own planes, go a bit further and everyone had to design them them as well and if you go back far enough, a scratch builder would have been someone who built their own engine. It seems more more common these days to define scratch built as having been made from raw materials. Progress marches on.

Edited By Fredrum on 14/04/2016 10:00:49

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by bouncebounce crunch on 14/04/2016 01:23:30:

Well I chose a rib shape from one of Peter plans for a constant chord wing, drew up a wing and fuselage with the dimentions of rib incorpored , softdrink bottle and dolls packaging windows. some timber from an old guitar, some reshaped balsa from another unflyable model.

Scratch building or in between?

I call that recycling

[McG 6969]

I think you're right here, Bob.

"Recycling" it is in my opinion as well.

Although that word doesn't seem very nice regarding 'Peter's ribs'...

Hakuna matata

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Rib Control

[Tony Richardson]

I think Ernie has it right, to be truly scratch built we can take it so far as to say the wheels and other odds and ends we "buy" should also be made by said modele,r maybe even the engine or electric motor, and I know for a fact there are some who can and do do this, what ever method or terminology is used to construct the model matters very little to me, what I do care about is did the builder have fun, is it well put together/built and does it fly nicely when finished, it is after all a hobby and should be enjoyed whatever road is taken.

Just my nickels worth.

[Robert Parker]

Tony I agree with your closing statement, it's the enjoyment of taking part of our hobby that counts.

I also agree with Delta Foxtrot's definitions they sum it up for me.

Regards

Robert

[Depron Daz]

Thanks chaps, some interesting thoughts coming out. Of course like others I too think that what does matter is how much enjoyment we get from whatever we build, no matter what we want to call it, or what others want to call it.

I understand that a true scratch build is one that everything used is made/shaped/designed/manufactured from raw material, but many of us don't have the time to do such things, so some items are bought, like hinges, clevises, (I would say horns but a lot of people do make their own horns) wheels, motors/engines and of courses electric items like Rx's and servos. There's a few guys on YouTube that have totally scratch built model cars with working engines/gearboxes/clutches and suspensions etc, but they take years or decades. True dedication. I am yet to see a 100% scratch built model plane, no doubt there is one out there somewhere.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Scratch built, papers recycled though.

John

[bouncebounce crunch]

I thought recycling was the return trip from the shops on your bicycle.

The Rib shape was from a Peter Miller model plan and free from RCM&E. recycling in more ways than I thought.

[Geoff S]

Posted by Delta Foxtrot on 13/04/2016 12:19:15:

My definitions for what they are worth:

Drawing up and building from your own plan: scratch build.

Starting from a plan: plan build.

Starting from a kit: kit build

Assembling an ARTF: assembly.

I am sure there are other shades and that this is subjective, but the words ought to describe what is involved in the process of making a model aeroplane.

Edited By Delta Foxtrot on 13/04/2016 12:19:35

Now there's an intermediate step between 'Plan build' and 'Kit build' because we can buy a set of CNC cut parts for the plan of our choice but it's not a kit as such because it's still necessary to source all the other wood and parts

And there's ARTfs and ARTFs. IIRC my foamie Riot took about an hour to put together when I got it home - in fact I thought I was just looking at my new purchase and then realised I'd 'built' it. OTOH I have an ARTF Great Planes Super Stearman which took my a very long time to complete. A lot of the time was taken up fitting the Mackay 30cc petrol engine and deciding how to install the radio gear took more than 5 minutes.

But it doesn't matter at all. It's whatever you prefer to do and most of us do a bit of each.

Geoff

[Simon Chaddock]

Depron Daz

Even by the most severe definition you can scratch build a free flight glider easily enough.

[Monz]

If you start with a three view and then draw your own structure, that's scratch building. I'd exclude ancillaries like wheels, spinners, canopies etc, though I normally make my own.

Taking a plan and modifying to suit is I'd say part scratch building.

I do find it funny when people post threads of their builds of foam RTF's

My Extra was built from a three view, I made everything except the prop which was part made from two commercial props.

[Colin Leighfield]

That Extra is fabulous Monz. Can you tell us any more about it? It's clearly a classic build but looking at the size of the prop and apparent lack of control surfaces, I'm guessing that it is one of your rubber-powered specials? Beautiful scale build.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Very nice Monz, that'll be an "up to scratch" build then

John

[Don Fry]

I seem to recall, from ancient memory, you did a kit build, a plan build, and a scratch build, i.e. you did your own plan. If the plan happened to simulate a scale aircraft, then it was a scale scratch build.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

I would go along with the Dave H/Peter M defintion - its a scratch build if you start from balsa stock - sheet and OK I'll allow pre-machined strip - altough purists would insist you should strip your own. I think where the design comes from is another issue - equally important of course and highly skillful, but in a different catagory as strictly speaking I don't see that as building - I see it as designing! Although in practice of course there are always overlaps - you wouldn't be much of a designer if you didn't have skills and experience at building - similarly the actual process of building involves a good deal of "on the fly" (re-)desgning in my experience!

BEB

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 16/04/2016 20:47:01