Anybody order RCM plans lately? I've had my eye on the Golden Oldie biplane for years but never ordered the plans. I see that they're running a "4 for the price of 3" sale until August 31. I'm sure I could find a few others to fill out the order. The Miss Texas has always caught my eye...
Anyway, in light of all of the stories people are telling about not getting magazines and being told by the editorial office that nothing is wrong, I wonder if I will get my plans if I order them. And if I don't get them, will I be able to get any satisfaction from RCM?
I've never had a problem getting plans to arrive. Of course, the best method is to drop in on the offices and chat with them as the plans are printed off in front of you.
I definitely would go with plastic payment, if your credit card has a protection plan for purchases.
Subscriptions? I have mine through the local news-stand. Hobby shop just too far away for a quick trip on the way home or when I'm off for a sunset milkshake....
Have you actually received any copies since the one for March/April
2005? That seems to be the last I can find in my collection. A fellow flyer in our club reports he heard the July issue is on the way. Even that is weird - they normally arrive at least 30 days BEFORE the month they show on the cover. And what happened to the June issue? Something fails to compute here, in other words.
I haven't subscribed to RCM in a few years now, but it wasn't because of RCM's product, it is because of vision problems. Incidentally, I see better for flying now than I ever have, even without glasses. It's close up where I have the problem. Being diabetic, the vision changes so frequently that glasses are a waste of money for reading.
I hope they survive. It won't be the same without them. Just knowing they are there is comforting.
Now, if they would come out with an issue that I could read onscreen, I would resubscribe. The backlit screen and the ability to enlarge the font would make all of the difference in the world for me. I'll bet lots of other oldsters would feel the same way.
Have ordered several plans over the years from RCM, never had a problem with delivery. Be aware than the "quality" of the plan is dependant upon who designed/drew them. I had a "KAOS" plan that was drawn back in the '70s that was great to work from, whereas another model drawn in the late '90's was terrible, parts didn't fit and the "construction article" left out many important steps. I ended using this newsgroup to "network" with others who had built this model in order to progress.
Stearman ( you're never too old to have a happy childhood)
I've never worked with the recent Kaos plans, but the Kaos 60 from the
1970s were excellent. I bought a Bokkie Mk II a few years back, and the parts fit was terrible. I always wondered if the original Bokkie was any better.
The original question was in regard to whatever is going on at RCM. I have dozens and dozens of RCM plans. I was just wondering if anybody has ordered any lately....
You can't talk anyone into anything that they are not interested in. Did anyone recruit you into model building? No one recruited me. You couldn't keep me away from it.
When I was a kid I built models from white glue and toothpicks. Covered it with Kleenex and painted it with my mother's nail polish. No, I didn't try to fly it. I knew there was something that I had to do, but did not know what it was. Later, I figured out that I somehow sensed that the balance wasn't right. I built several models of this type, but never flew one. They were quite heavy too.
My mother found one of these airplanes. Instead of scolding me for using her nail polish, she beamed with pride over what I had built and showed it to the neighbors. No, it wasn't pretty, but it sure felt good having my Mom bragging about my ingenuity.
To me, if kids aren't enthusiastic about the hobby, then there is no hope of converting them. They have to be baby engineers from birth. Otherwise you get a bunch of spoiled semi-rich kids using mom and dad's credit card to buy RTF models, which they are lucky to fly for a week before moving on to something else. I don't have time for them if they are not baby engineers in their own right.
If the hobby dies, so be it. I'll do it until I'm unable or die, as will many others. And not just we older folks. There are still young baby engineers being born every day. These folks are driven to do their thing no matter what. The rest need a babysitter. Which I am not. You can babysit if you want to. (no offense - tongue in cheek)
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