At 11:17 AM 5/13/00 EDT, you wrote: <snip> >From what I can see you can stay alive as a >small manufacturer, but I've yet to see one drive up in a new Mercedes! My >guess is that making models for fun and profit gives much more fun than >profit! > >Any manufacturers like to chime in on this? > >Richard Shilling A little over 20 years ago, I designed what I called an advanced trainer sailplane, the Spica. I produced about 2 dozen semi-kits (fiberglass fuselage, spruce wing spars, and a plan). It was very easy to fly and won more contests than any sailplane I ever designed. It was very tempting to think about producing a full kit but a quick calculation of the labor and material cost quickly ended the dream. I don't work that cheap so it had to be done as a hobby. I face the same problem with the plotting programs I sell. Fortunately, production doesn't take much work and I do the programming as mental exercise to keep me in shape during retirement. When it is no longer fun, I will quit. Chuck Anderson RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
