IMAC hobby getting expensive
- Thread starter Forgues-Research
- Start date
-Rick-
100cc
And if you are willing to fix and repair a used plane, a lot less than half price. Many guys just don't have the time to repair a crash and just go out and buy another ARF. Some times its an easy fix to get them flying again when you have the time.
Totally agree this hobby can be as pricey or as cheap as you want.
stangflyer
I like 'em "BIG"!
Very good points of view here. I do however agree with this comment. I've not been in this hobby as long as some, but I have been in it long enough to see the pricing flux happen throughout the years. I remember buying a Lanier 33% Extra 300 about 20 years ago for nearly the same price as what I can buy a 35%'er today. I also remember buying that same year a Bob Dively Super Stearman that cost me a pretty penny. For that plane I bought a Saito three cylinder radial. At that time it was over 1200.00 clams. If you take into the consideration of cost of living, quality of components and the overall availability of r/c parts, by todays standards it really is not all that much more expensive. I also remember a certain friend that built a new plane every week. Simply because he could. I would often ask what it cost to get a certain airframe airborne and his normal response was most often than not exceeding 3 g's. Planes were heavier, quality was not near as good as what we have now. Motors really were a complete joke. Heavy, unreliable, cantankerous at best and really next to no horsepower of what we now enjoy from our motors. I sometimes have to chuckle at some...and myself as well when the subject of horsepower comes up. Shoot, back then we were lucky to get 10 to 15 horse. I flew my Lanier 300 on a 7.9 horse 3.6 Moki Twin Glow motor. Did it fly? Yeah, but don't count on anything really spectacular. Heck, even my first gasser, (ZDZ 80cc inline twin) was nearly 1100.00. Twenty years ago, that was a ton of money.
Now we have great motors that are dependable, affordable and very cost effective. We have light airframes, much-much better onboards. I remember buying my first Hitec HS 645's. I felt like I got a steal at 54.00 a piece. Not digital, fairly strong for 4.8 to 6.0 volt. But now for the same money we have very strong metal gear digital servos that are very well worth every penny. There are many times that I see overkill. There are many times I see underkill. Though it is very true we can make this hobby as expensive or as cheap as we want, it is also (in my humble opinion) much more affordable than it was years ago. And along with that, technology has served us well. We get some really cool gadgets we never even thought were possible and only dreamt of.
I feel it really comes down to a couple of deciding factors....... How badly do we want what we want, and what will we do to get what we want. The cost and expense is really just relative to the times.
Bartman
Defender of the Noob!
i agree Mike. if someone wants to make it affordable there's a lot that can be done. for example, used airplanes have never been cheaper! the move from 50cc to 55 cc to 60 cc means there are a lot of quality used 50cc engines out there cheap! servos, radios, batteries, etc. are available from more and more sources driving prices down.
flying the best has never been cheap! but if you're choosing between the best and just having a plane to go out and fly then you're more in need of better guidance than more money!
why_fly_high
50cc
Things are more expensive now because we want better performance. If you look what was on the flight line of a Giant Scale fly in 20 years ago and what is there now, the stuff now is probably more expensive. The servos have way more torque now, our batteries are lighter and more capacity. The airplanes fly SOOOOOOO much better too!
I remember when the gas twins first started coming out by Brison, 3W, etc. I remember thinking, "Those are cool but no way are the masses going to drop a grand on an engine." Yeah, I was wrong. I have owend my share of twins and now a turbine. It is all in what you want and expect to get for your money.
I remember when the gas twins first started coming out by Brison, 3W, etc. I remember thinking, "Those are cool but no way are the masses going to drop a grand on an engine." Yeah, I was wrong. I have owend my share of twins and now a turbine. It is all in what you want and expect to get for your money.
Red Raider
70cc twin V2
Some great comments that I mostly agree with. In our quest to bring the cost down, we've driven some LHS's out of business. I'm as guilty as anyone. I was a member of RCU before it changed hands the first time, back before paypal, and outrageaous shipping costs. We had to buy RC stuff using money orders or personal checks. But, you could save some serious money over the new prices. The other day, I went into the LHS to get some Ultra-Kote. Didn't have what I wanted. Needed some Tygon. Didn't have any. Wanted some finishing resin. Didn't have any. Needed some balsa planks for my P-51 build. Didn't have any. The response was I can order it and it'll get here at the end of next week. So can I at 60% of the cost and in 3 less days, and I don't have to drive 45 minutes one way to get it. It's a no-brainer from a cost standpoint but at the expense of losing the local support. And as I said, I'm as guilty as anyone.
Dirt Doctor
50cc
Same here except that it's a 60 mile drive!!
49dimes
Damn I'm hungry
I have been beaten up before for source buying but it makes sense if you are retired or on fixed income. During my working years, and even now for a lot of things, I donated a plenty to top tier vendors. I also donated a lot to friends as well as friends donating to me. Just recently have I started selling used to others but I do not really feel that comfortable for the reason that there is always some dissatisfaction when purchasing used goods. I simply and sincerely do not want a thing that I may sell second hand to not meet expectation. I recently sold a motor and was so paranoid that the purchaser would be dissatisfied. Turns out he was delighted but the stress was still on me and I just had to follow up. So there is a down side to second hand and there is a reason the person selling it is letting it go. The reason 7 of 10 times is the seller is dissatisfied. Now of those dissatisfied sellers....How many are frugal and how many are cunning and how many are flat out dishonest???
Just say in. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is value.
Just say in. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is value.
wfield0455
50cc
I agree 100%. I've been in this hobby since the late 60s and after scratch building or kit building an airplane and buying the least expensive reliable radio equipment available, which really wasn't reliable at all, it still cost close $400 to build a high wing, 3 channel trainer with a .25 sized glow motor. At that time $400 was a heck of lot more money than it is today. I've known guys that have been in been in the hobby since the late 50s and some of the old reed radio systems cost as much as an automobile at the time. You bet this hobby has never been as affordable as it is today.
Wayne