Originally Posted by EJWash1

I agree! I remember RCM and several other magazines having at least one build article in EVERY issue! I cut my teeth on some of them.

EJWash

I've carried several boxes(probably 20yrs) of RCM's around for years just because of construction articles and reviews, and that they published scaled down plans. It actually paid off decently when I recently acquired my GreatPlanes 33% Extra330 kit. There was a build article back in the early 2000's, as well as a short article profiling the design/concept of the kit, and kit designer Mike Cross in another issue of that era. I rifled through them and found both items, which was a nice edition to my kit. Never throw out old RCM's..

Alas, that's exactly what I did around 10 years ago! So sorry I did it now! I had 15-18 years of RCMs I simply threw in the recycle bin at the recycle center! For some reason though, I held onto my Model Aviation Magazines!

I too lugged around several boxes of model magazines for far too many moves. Before we moved to Arizona from Virginia twenty-some years ago, I "slimmed-down" the magazine boxes. I did hold on to a few EAA Sport Aviation issues (I was still planning to take on a homebuilt project at the time...) and a few RCMs. Your two posts made me go out to the garage and take a look in a box that's been sitting on a shelf since I placed it there when we moved in back in late '88.

Funny, some of the Sport Aviation issues may come in handy as detail references because a few of the cover feature aircraft are either model kits of plans I have.

One issue of RCM I saved is January 1975. Man, is that thing in ratty condition! I must have carried it with me to school for a couple of months. It has four plan-build articles (including the Puffin, Mode One!) and several kit reviews. Back then, if you were going to fly R/C, you were going to have to build your own or buy one that someone else built, or buy an ARF. Yep, an AFR! Lanier was on the scene, Hobie had released their Hawk, and the Hobby Shack (injected foam) Cessna C-150s started showing-up at the flying field.

The point of this walk down Magazine Memory Lane for me is that back when my January 1975 issue of RCM hit the news stands, building was overwhelmingly dominated the hobby. Building WAS the hobby! Now ARFs/RTFs dominate the hobby and subsequently split (or divided) the hobby into two factions: building and flying, and just flying. These are NOT opposing sides and should not be seen or treated as such. We're all in this hobby to fly, whether we built our models or not.

As Mode One has explained, this thread was initiated to "bring model building back." In it's run, there have been many great offerings on promoting building, which is obviously alive and well as evidenced by the many manufacturers that offer kits, engines, electronics, landing gear, and many other accessories. But, will building once again dominate our hobby? I doubt it.

EJWash

Wow, I remember that cover! At the time I was very into sailplanes.

Originally Posted by Mode One

Wow, I remember that cover! At the time I was very into sailplanes.

Haha.... I bet... I was also into sailplanes too, only after seeing that cover... the next issue's cover had a race bikini... oh ..I mean a race plane.. and thats when.......

just kidding.... ..I couldn't help it...I remember some of those covers very well........ but don't let me get off track here now...

That mag was a great read, with more info then any of todays magazines... I remember the classified's.. that's another area I read intensely.. some of those old add still run in todays mags too..

Hey, I got an idea!!!

Perhaps we can "bring model building back" by not thinking, acting like, and telling others that it's dead!!!

Andy

Originally Posted by DGrant

Haha.... I bet... I was also into sailplanes too, only after seeing that cover... the next issue's cover had a race bikini... oh ..I mean a race plane.. and thats when.......

just kidding.... ..I couldn't help it...I remember some of those covers very well........ but don't let me get off track here now...

That mag was a great read, with more info then any of todays magazines... I remember the classified's.. that's another area I read intensely.. some of those old add still run in todays mags too..

Yes, she was a pretty lady! At first (just now when I saw EJ's post)) I thought the airplane was Glasflugal 604. When I blew the photo up, I could see it was called a "Puffin". I have RCM's plans catalog and I don't recall that airplane in there, going to have to look, again! The airplane is pretty, too!

Mode... I did a Google search on the "Puffin" and didn't get much, but there's a company called "PuffinModels" that looks to be in the UK, and in thier aircraft kits listed, particularly sloper's there were a few that distinctly resemble that sailplane... it looks like they might actually be kits.. conventional kits as we know it.. I'll look further and see what I can find.

A bit of history on said company was they've been in biz since 2002, but I'm curious to know if there's any relation to the pictured plane and that company.. hmm.. it is a very nice looking plane, that we really don't see alot of these days.. not what we'd call a mainstream kit I'm sure... interesting though.

At that point in time though(1975), I was still very green in the building area, and just starting out, no experience, and only dreamed of building such planes... so those covers do stand out in my mind as well. Good stuff, and good memories for sure...

Oh.. also.. I found the "Puffin" is also an interesting looking seabird that thrives in coastal and offshore islands with 3 different distinct breeds... this bird almost looks like a cousin to the Toocan.. just a little trivia I found... back to planes and building now..

Hey gents,

The Puffin, Whimpy, and Ugly Twin are the build articles included in that issue of RCM.

I don't think the Ugly Twin has anything to do with the cover girl model either...

EJWash

O.K., then the sailplane probably is a Glasflugel 604. There maybe wasn't a build article on the cover airplane.

I got to thinking about my old Model Aviation magazines up in the attic of the garage, got them down and will be looking through them over time. However, there was another heavy box up there I thought I'd open and see what was in it and low and behold there was about 5 years of RCMs in there!!! I'm seeing the first bunch I got down are from 1976. Wow, the stuff that was available back then and the prices they sold for, are amazing!

I think as I find interesting stuff in them, I'll post about there.

Originally Posted by Mode One

O.K., then the sailplane probably is a Glasflugel 604. There maybe wasn't a build article on the cover airplane.

If I were just a tad sharper, I would have opened the magazine and read the "This Months Cover" narrative. Indeed, the cover girl model is holding a Soarcraft Glasflugel 604. Impressive Mode One!

Originally Posted by Mode One

there was another heavy box up there I thought I'd open and see what was in it and low and behold there was about 5 years of RCMs in there!!! I'm seeing the first bunch I got down are from 1976.

GREAT! Now I have a source of build articles for some of the RCM plans I have...

Originally Posted by Mode One

Wow, the stuff that was available back then and the prices they sold for, are amazing!

Yeah, like Joe Bridi's fiberglass fuse/foam wing 79-1/2" wingspan Aero Commander for $169.95!

EJWash

If you want to leave RCGroups, just do so. Certainly nobody here can help you!

Originally Posted by TJDJ777

how do i delete my account?

Why are you deleting your account? I might not know the full story of what's going on, with the posts that are from members on the ignore list, can't read them. Don't be bullied into leaving this place, leave on your own accord, not because some idiot is making things difficult for you here. This is a good forum, and the main one I remain involved with for many reasons.

Originally Posted by TJDJ777

how do i delete my account?

You might be able to do it somewhere in the control panel... Most sites have some sort of way to opt out instantly... and if memory serves there is a way to do it in this site as well. Probably just sending a message to the site administrator will do it too.

Or just keep posting this everywhere and interjecting into existing threads as you have, and I'm sure that will draw enough attention to get you the info you're asking for.... or even the results you are looking for.

Back to the thread...

Mode... thats an excellent find, way to go... and really right on track for this thread... as there are some great older builds in there that worth noting...
and I'm with EJ... good call on that cover model(read plane).. that was cool.

Kind of funny that my Google results had absolutely nothing to do with anything... unless that Puffin described in the build article looks like the little Puffin bird I found..

Originally Posted by Mode One

In another thread, I off-handedly asked this question and someone thought this would be a good topic to start, so here goes!

I'm 59 years old, since I was maybe 5-6 years old, I have loved to build models. I have built many plastic kits; airplanes, cars, military, am involved in model railroading, have built ship models in both plastic and wood and balsa flying models, since I was 10 years old. I built rubber powered freeflight and hand launched gliders, did a little bite of control line in my teen years and after graduating from high school, bought my first R/C set and have been active in R/C off and on ever since.

It saddens me to see so much reliance on ARFs and RTF models and that the market is so saturated with them and kits are slowly disappearing. Yes, I have assembled ARFs; but, I find that they only leave the most boring part of the process left to do.

Quite frankly for me at least, building from kits or scratch is the glue that keeps me in this hobby! Those of you who do not build, I feel are missing out on the most fun part of R/C! I have heard all the excusses and don't want to hear them again! I have no problem with your simply choosing to not participate. However, if you haven't tried building models, give it a try! You may find it to be more fun then boring holes in the sky with your latest Yak 54 ARF.

So, the question is, what can be done to bring model building back?

Maybe building is "over the hill" but I can build when the "wind is too high, too cold, too wet and I have just as good a time as if I were flying. Maybe it,s because I,m 80. Starting modeling in 1946. Maybe I should buy a GameBoy and a ARF and let it go at that!
We live in an era of Instant Gratification, to the ARFers I say "try it you may like it"
To revitalize modeling we need to start in High School. Schools have auto mechanics, welding, manual arts. Why not modeling, teach the hand skills. We help with Trainers and Buddy Boxes and go flying with them.

BEWING