No space left for new models?

[Simon Knight]

I have 7 Veron and Flair kits waiting in the cupboard to build when I have more space, be it retiring models or crashing them beyond repair. My other limiting factor that will prevent me getting anywhere near 80+ models is that my transmitter only stores 20 models. I have my older transmitter that stores 10, but it is used for my 4 Helicopters (mCpx up to Trex 500 size) and old Blade 350 quadcopter.

I had considered selling my less flown models, but what you get for them doesn’t seem worth it and the thought of building for others sounds good but I don’t think there is much call for it, or is there?

[Dave Hess]

Posted by Cuban8 on 14/11/2018 18:11:09:

I'm amazed at and quite admire people that are so prolific with their building and flying. We had a chap who joined our club last year and claimed to own eighty models - I thought he was taking the mickey, until he showed us a photo of his fleet on his lawn. True, many of them were simple depron jobs, but they were all airworthy. I particularly liked the Starship Enterprise model that he demonstrated for us.

My only question would be - is it possible to remain motivated to keep up interest in such a high rate of production? What do you do for an encore after the first hundred? High risk of burn-out?

Excellent question. For some of us, it's a sort of curiosity that drives us. I just like to try everything, especially anything different, and cheap things have to be tried too. Once I've had a few flights with a plane, I get bored with it, though there were one or two exceptions. I guess I'm looking for a sort of model flying nirvana. I did the same with electric bikes. I must have built about 30 before I found my perfect one, which I have used nearly every day for the last 5 years.

With planes, the Hots 40 stood out as the one that floated my boat. I managed to fly it regularly for about 6 months until It met its demise in a limbo competition. I keep meaning to build another one. I built one replacement, but tried to make an improved version that wasn't. I will build another one before the year is out.

I remember meeting a guy at a previous club, who had flown the same plane every weekend for nearly 10 years. it was a high-wing Cessna type, and was probably the only plane he'd ever had. I watched him take off, do about 10 circuits, then land. He was very happy to do that. I remember feeling sorry for him because I was judging it from my frame of reference, not his. If that were my plane, it would be the first one in the limbo competition, and it was going to either win or get wiped out. That's if it wasn't wiped out doing the lowest knife-edge pass I could, and if it couldn't do low knife-edges very well, before the next week it would get a bigger rudder and elevator.

I guess we're all different.

Edited By Dave Hess on 14/11/2018 19:05:47

[Paul Marsh]

Tell me about it, need more space...

[Cuban8]

Dave, I think your reply is fascinating and illustrates just how our hobby can be 'all things to all men'. Personally, and echoing your final comment, I am the complete reverse and view the hobby from a totally different 'frame of reference' as you put it, to you.

I am still flying a model that I built twenty years ago, it never bores me, and it tickles me when people look so astonished that anyone could keep a model for so long (not that unusual, actually). I loathe damaging models, but that doesn't mean that I'm a timid flyer. I fly within what I consider to be my limits, with the knowledge that by pushing over that edge will eventually result in a wreck - to me that is simply proving what I already know. I am happy to loop, knife edge, slow roll etc at fifty feet, and leave the grass cutting stuff to others.

Even if I started flying models that were quick build and disposable, I'd fly in the same way, because its simply not in my nature to be so different.

The adrenalin rush comes in many forms, whether it's flying inverted with a fag paper's clearance between the grass and disaster, or spending hundreds of hours crafting a scale model that has your very essence soaked into it, and laying awake at night before its maiden, racking your brain, trying to remember if you've checked everything and haven't missed a simple fault.

As you say, I guess were all different.

[Dave Hess]

At least when you fly the same model every week, you'd become proficient with it. I find that flying different models all the time gives you a different sort of proficiency, but it doesn't give you the accuracy that you get from knowing a single model inside out.

[Cuban8]

Just to be clear, my dear old Goldberg Chippy, is one one of half a dozen aircraft that I have serviceable at the moment, ranging from the foamy HK Vampire to my Brian Taylor Spitfire. When I used to do a lot of instructing, years ago, I flew all sorts of aircraft (some good and some less so) and was also asked to maiden quite a few aircraft for their owners as well. Learned so much from all that, and never had a 'plane written off although a few scrapes and close calls did happen now and again.

Quite an honour to have a builder's faith in your flying, but I never took chances and would only fly a model after a lengthy period of testing and checking - the number of times I found an potentially catastrophic mistake lurking in a "yes I've checked it all over fully," model must run into dozens of times.

Not so sure I need all the stress now.

[Bob Cotsford]

I recently bit the bullet and sold off nearly all of my IC models, many of which I'd hung on to because resale values were so low I thought 'I'd rather skip them than accept those prices' but looking back now the financial loss is just part of the cost of flying. If I'd put them into the ground I would have accepted the loss without a second thought. At least selling them on is financing more aquisitions .

We have club members who fly the same model year in and year out. Me, I enjoy trying something new, or at least building something new. The reality of flying them doesn't always meet the expectation! I seldom repair or replace a model these days with the exception of my Wot'sWot - I really would miss having one of those to hand.

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 15/11/2018 12:21:00

[Roo Hawkins]

You lot think you have problems try living with 9 large scale gliders from 4 meter to 7 meter in span plus 3 more in build and all the small stuff hidden away.

[alex nicol]

Tardis for sale?

[Cuban8]

Just curious, but how much would be the absolute maximum you'd spend on a model? Don't include the cost of the tranny, just the airframe,engine/motor/radio etc

I start to get nervous around the £600 mark - quite how some of my mates part with thousands for their jets is amazing - even more so, their stiff upper lips (in public) when they get totalled

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Depends on your pocket C8, I had 4 kids they cost a fortune.

Never considering the cost when buying or flying, if I couldn't afford to lose what I paid, I wouldn't have bought in the first place.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Most I ever had is 22, can't be keeping them in a damp shed where some rat might break in and steal them, looked at it one day and thought, well this is daft, time to get shut of some.

Like a variety myself, wouldn't want all large models nor all small models, how they fly not how many for me.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[alex nicol]

Perhaps the question should be, what's the most you would pay for an airframe that wouldn't leave you nervous about flying it?

Chances are there'll be a few answers I could guess at, but for me it's hard to put a value on it, thing is the enjoyment factor decreases exponentially with the increase in cost. that said the more familiar and relaxed you get and the enjoyment factor increases again

For the record the dearest airframe I have is the Phoemix Models 1/5 scale PC21, which is still in its box at the minute.........but only because I took the decision to clear a few unfinished projects to get bench space.

[Bob Cotsford]

Once you get up to petrol size models £1000 becomes small change. Engine and exhaust around £4-500, decent retracts £200+, airframe £3-400, receiver, batteries and servos £200? Now the cost of turbines does frighten me!

A modest club size electric model will come to around £400 by the time you add it all up. I don't think it would be fair to count the Magnatilla I've got on the bench right now - airframe and servos £15, a foot of liteply, a motor and esc that cost £5 second-hand, £10 for some paint and 50p for glue + some solartex out of the scrap box. Oh yes, receiver, lets say £24 if it was new. £55 to get it ready for flight. I bet I get more flying out of this than I did out of my big petrol models!

[Paul Marsh]

Imagine having 500 plus models all flyable...

[ChrisB]

A bigger workshop.

[Simon Knight]

Well gentlemen I have been spurred on by your comments and have enjoyed reading all of the above.I have decided to see if I can sell 4 models for now, 2 will fly with just a receiver and battery, and the other 2 will fly with a motor added and battery. I'll be putting them on eBay later today or tomorrow along with a load of other bits I have decided to clear out.

[Simon Knight]

Up for sale from 1900 this evening, released at 15 minute intervals, collection only. Accessories will be live tomorrow afternoon.