I have to agree with Dereck, even though he is playing his extremely broken record over and over again. Besides, anyone who thinks the Sig 4 Star .40 is the epitomy of R/C model design and performance has another think coming...it is about as exciting as cold pancakes with no syrup..... Yes, Dereck, I have flown one.

No forum for balsa scratch builds. We have too many forums on here. Simply too limited in scope. The way you phrase it, you could not post balsa kit builds (not scratch if it comes from a kit).

If it does somehow come to pass, I strongly suggest that it include balsa original designs, truely built from scratch with no plans, models using balsa built from plans (some call this scratch building, but not me...it is built from plans) and models built from balsa kits.

I would prefer that balsa models blend in with the existing forums..scale, sport, etc. While foam does have it's own forum, there is no need to break out balsa to it's own forum.

I just think there are too many forums already. I already spend too much time on here. Right now there's a proposal for an Airliner forum and even the advocates can't seem to decide what an "Airliner" is although Webster seems to know.

Azarr

Over the winter I have googled RcGroups a couple of times looking for a truly scratch built, not from kit or plan thread , just looking for ideas. I could not find one. I thought that there had to be one in all the RCGroups mumble jumble so again today I googled looking and came across this thread that only talks about the possability of one. Sad Truly scratch, balsa built builder seem to be a dying breed here on RcGroups. If you search the web you will find plenty of people on small sites that are scratch balsa building.

C4 H1 Balsa, on the other hand, requires time, work, and some level of skill. Even a very simple balsa model (e.g. Slipso400) takes more time and effort than a large percentage of the scratchbuilt foamies out there. Not a lot of people are out bashing together balsa models in an afternoon and then going and abusing them at the park.

C4 H1 has a very good point here and so does TomM

Well I could see a need for it and a general straightening out of some forums. The Scale Forum has plenty of scratch builds, but if you aren't building scale you're out of luck. Same with Oldtimers. The Builder's Workshop is now inclusive of everything from Harbor Freight foamies , how to fix servos, how to paint a workshop floor, and the monthly scrollsaw or bandsaw debate.

In my search I looked a the Scale forum but I'm not one for detail and a Oldtimer would not suite my needs when I was wanting a lite high wing FPV plane. Tom also has another good point about

general straightening out of some forums.

I just got into FPV planes and there is a lot to digest over there. I have read over 2 million post and only 50 or so was helpfull and on topic. This theard here already talks off topic about left handed shoe girls and where to go find one. I hate my girlfriends shoe collections. Her shoes have their own bedroom but my planes and I get the basement.

Plus 1 on the Truly scratch, balsa built Forum.

Would the Truly Balsa Scratch Built forum be for electric only, or any power ?

Who would post in there ?, when there are so many forums already related to what the type of plane is. Would all the FPV builders who build using balsa, prefer to use the Balsa forum or the FPV forum ?, (my guess would be the FPV).

I have built models in balsa and in foam, love both materials, and would be quite happy to see the type of material used dropped from all the forums titles. The type of power used as a split seems logical, but not the material the model was built in.

There is a thread in the Builders Workshop that raised the point of 'How do we bring model building back ?', which seemed to bring out some anti-foam, anti-ARF comments, as though balsa was the only true material to use. To me there are all model planes, what they get built from, (or even what material they are when bought ARF), doesn't matter. Building is building, there shouldn't be an 'elitist', or 'snobbery' value in what people build or what material is used, or particularly whether built or bought.

Anyone with a question on how to build has plenty of forums to choose from, plus usually plenty of answers whatever the material they want to use. Many many modelers, use all sorts of material.

Just my personal view

eflightray, you have very good points in your post. When I see pictures of someones balsa plane before the covering goes on, you really get to see all the craftmanship that a person really has. When I look at foam build planes I don't get the same feeling.

Would all the FPV builders who build using balsa, prefer to use the Balsa forum or the FPV forum ?, (my guess would be the FPV).

Well I guess you could post here or there, whatever you choice my be until you get into the FPV gear.
Maybe the fourm would be used by people wanting to showoff their skills so the rest of us can be envious.

eflightray: I have built models in balsa and in foam,

Being a builder of both you must understand what I am saying when you really get to see someone craftmanship on a balsa build, especially from scratch.

Here is some pictures of a plane I built 18 years ago that had a cox 049. I was 13 at the time and was just learning as you can tell by the aileron placement on the wing. I missed a day of school because I lost the plane and stayed home to look for it. Two days after I watched it fall out of the sky when the 3 minute fule take run dry on the cox, a budy of mine (still to this day) found it.



I have converted the plane to an electric and I am working on a new wing.

hello everybody i was wondering what you lot think about starting a balsa scratch build forum ???. I think that balsa is a good a foam to why can't us balsa scratch builders have our own forum. Grateful for any replies

...no. I mean, who builds with balsa now days.

There are guys doing scale model build threads in the Vintage forum because they are socially more comfortable there. The Scale Electric forum has on-going/eternal threads about some popular ARF balsa and foamie "scale" models that could fit into other forums easily. It's hard to control content of any forum without hurting someone's feelings or starting debates between "liberal" and "conservative" minded users.

Originally Posted by Boogie_

...no. I mean, who builds with balsa now days.

Lots of folks. I build using every type of material and have no prejudices against any style of building in any type of media..

I build using every type of material

QuickCrete?

I've never really understood the vehement opposition to certain materials that some people seem to have. There'll be someone looking to branch out a little, maybe try a nice balsa sport plane or a foam 3D trainer, and inevitably there's some yahoo who absolutely condemns whichever material they're looking at.

"Foamies aren't REAL models!"

"Balsa smashes into little bits and you can never fix it!"

"Carbon blocks radio signals!"

"Fiberglass is... " Ya know, on second thought I don't think I've ever heard major criticism against glass You get the idea, though.

Originally Posted by Thomas B

Lots of folks. I build using every type of material and have no prejudices against any style of building in any type of media..

For sure Tom.

My post was a bit of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm.
One look at my blog will show that I love building with balsa. ...along with other materials.

I'm a no vote on this one. The way I look at it, the build forums that don't specify foam are pretty much "balsa scratch build" forums as it is. Not that balsa is the only alternative to foam, but it is by far the most common and the majority of threads in those forums are surrounding balsa planes. In addition, I honestly feel it would be feasible to remove 10-20% of the current forums, so I don't want to see more division of the brains!

If I knew where to vote, I'd vote yes.

Originally Posted by C₄H₁₀

QuickCrete?

I've never really understood the vehement opposition to certain materials that some people seem to have. There'll be someone looking to branch out a little, maybe try a nice balsa sport plane or a foam 3D trainer, and inevitably there's some yahoo who absolutely condemns whichever material they're looking at.

"Foamies aren't REAL models!"

"Balsa smashes into little bits and you can never fix it!"

"Carbon blocks radio signals!"

"Fiberglass is... " Ya know, on second thought I don't think I've ever heard major criticism against glass You get the idea, though.

Well, the Mythbusters did build some gliders out of concrete... One of them even sort of flew.

And I have actually used a small lump of broken concrete as a nose weight in a model before, when ther was nothing more suitable around.....

I have a wider viewpoint on model building materials than most here and do not limit everything to flying models. I make my living building models for a large aerospace company and literally have used just about any material you can think of to build models..including concrete and glass... In fact, will be using concrete later today to install a large MC-130J gate guardian model at an Air Force base.

Of course, most of these models do not have to fly, so material choice is a little more open...

There's already a builder's forum. If by Scratch Built the OP meant that the builder also designs the plane, then maybe there should be a Plane Design forum instead (if there isn't one already!).

The current builders forum doesn't discriminate between scratch, plan or kit built, so why do we need a separate one?