Project Foil Guesses?

[Quickstop]

This thread degenerated a long time ago into what I'd like it to be instead of what I think it is.

[tclaridge]

I think they should tease us for 90 days.

[James]

"There's nothing officially implied as to when or what or why or whatever will be released. So this is all in FUN. Try to convince yourselves and others why you're right, but I won't ever actually confirm what it is until we're ready to release it. As another aside, I'll never understand why Project Foil received so much scrutiny and attention over all of the other Project names we've released... perhaps y'all just really like malleable metals, or have enduring memories of Boy Scout-grade campfire cooking methods?"

It's coming up on a year since Project Foil was announced, and we are still guessing - probably the reason for all the scrutiny. IMO the worst announcement/PR of a mystery product in my recent memory, reminiscent of the hype around Dean Kamen's Project Ginger, aka the Segway. The coy tactic will tend to make it harder to live up to speculation/expectations.

What Alpha was getting at, and he can correct me if I am wrong, is that of all the project names he's said, why has FOIL caught on this life of it's own? Why hasn't threads for the other names been created or exist? That's what he was getting at.

As for the timeline (project foil being announced a year ago). Brief history. If you ever had a chance to listen to Alpha on the RC Afterhours podcasts (I recommend them highly) you'll know that Project names were created solely for the factory so as to thwart potential classified info from being found out by competitors. Also, Alpha has spoken numerous times as to the time it takes for an aircraft idea on a napkin, to becoming a reality in customers hands and that is typically 18-24 months. So without saying where in the process he was when he dropped the project name, it could have been at any time in that process.

The project names are like he said, just supposed to be fun. Now had we said a year ago Project FOIL is XXXX without any timeline as to when it is too be released, surely that would be much worse. We would 100% admit to what you say that is was "the worst announcement/PR mystery product in recent memory" But all he said was a project name and the community has taken that football and ran with it. In the time span from when he mentioned Project Foil until today we've released some of the other projects that he mentioned and some projects he never mentioned and that will not change. We will always have projects we are working on. Alpha is basically living in 2020 releases as that's what he is starting and working on today.

It's sort of a double edge sword. If we never said anything then the people who enjoy the guessing game and fun of it would be left out, and we'd probably have numerous threads created saying something like "It's quiet at [insert brand name], are there delays/problems/issues" but if we say a few project names then the people who dislike the unknown get disgruntled, but at least people know we are working on new stuff we believe pilots everywhere will enjoy. And regardless on if we ever said anything, you can be sure we are always working on something.

I'll almost be sad when Project Foil is revealed as I wonder what Project name will take the mantle?

[wolpertinger]

Yes this thread has not stayed its course. Perhaps in the future this guessing game should be played a little shorter (3-2 months) with weekly hints, teases and such.

It appears that all of that Foam Tac has caused our attention spans to wander and weave in and out of various topics. whether it be something shiny or a squirrel.

Me, personally, I liked the game as it gave insights into some of the demented minds and who does not like a good "who done it" or maybe a "Where's Waldo"

We have but a few more weeks until the project is released (Alpha Hint - Released in 2018) Util this release I will just relax and play along...

Apologies for not staying on thread topic, just my 2 cents so stepping off the milk crate.

[tclaridge]

Well, I think the excitement on FOIL is because of the "big" and the success of the A-10 and F-4. The MotionRC big EDFs are fantastic! I look forward to each an every release. And yes, it is a game, so folks should not get frustrated on timing. It is released when it is time (but hurry up, the anticipation is killing me).

[MANFRED]

What will be sad is after all the hype, speculation, hopes and dreams, FOIL turns out to be something mundane or odd to the point of not generating a ton of enthusiasm. I mean really, how many venoms have you seen flying at your fields compared to avantis, F-16s and F-4s?
On the other hand, Alpha has assured us that we will be pleased by several other offerings the mad aviation scientist are brewing right now.

[Alpha]

Ha, it's not a Venom, although that plane is an awesome flyer [shameless plug]

Well said, James. I don't think the 18-24 month timeline really is heard enough... any project really could be anywhere along that process. I live in 2020, y'all. When asked many moons ago about what was coming, I dropped some active project names in random order to play along, while omitting some others that were arriving sooner. Notice that at the time I *could* have dropped the project name Bond (the F-4), which released long before Foil was slated to be released. Rather, Bond was a complete surprise to everyone. That's the point of a guessing game --things could always come from left field. I included Foil (along with Tennyson50, Five Eyes (IIIII), Hoot and other project names over the ensuing months simply because I thought they were easier and more fun/complex for the community to guess. I thought a guessing game is what people wanted, and I grew up appreciating a puzzle for the thrill of the pursuit, not the answer. I can see now that that original intent was eventually lost. Lesson learned.

After Foil's announcement, inevitably some people will fall in absolute love with it, because it really is a stunner in my book, while some people won't. And that's okay. And inevitably the next day a new post will posit "What's Next?", and the cycle will continue. And that's okay, too. And after delivery some people will trumpet Foil as being "the best EDF I've ever owned", like some have said with Regulus (A-10), Virtue (A-4), Pizza (Avanti), Machat (F-105), Paperclip (P.15), and Hoot (L-39). And that's all okay, too. I'm content whenever our creations earn their keep in good homes. There's never a single project that will appease everyone to the point that we close the business because we can't get any better. No, we're all on a thrilling cycle that is made new again and again and again.

But as for my part, I don't plan on giving any more public peeks behind my Dev curtain anytime soon. Too much gets lost in translation. The proverbial "football", as James put it. Perhaps it's easier just to let speculation run its course, independent of my input. I'll simply say, as I've always said to the question of "What's coming next?": Everything is coming, eventually, as long as we're here. But our being here is contingent on us earning customer's support with the products we sell today, not two years from now.



Carry on :)

[OV10]

Sad to hear that some media tweakers that keep fumbling the football are pushing you away from the fun you established for the loyal team :(
Please reconsider Alpha ;)
Regardless.....I'm still around as you asked and am still bangin that :ov10drum;)

[fhhuber]

Foil will be an aluminum foil "paper airplane" with E-Flite micro RC system.

[themudduck]

Foil will be an aluminum foil "paper airplane" with E-Flite micro RC system.

No it won't, it will be a 96" span twin 80mm Avro Vulcan! (that's my guess and I'm sticking to it) So there, Nyah!

hmmm... quite possibly, Foil could be something between those two options. And NOW we know that it's not a Venom! The clues are piling up!!

[JamesonC]

Ha, it's not a Venom, although that plane is an awesome flyer [shameless plug]

Well said, James. I don't think the 18-24 month timeline really is heard enough... any project really could be anywhere along that process. I live in 2020, y'all. When asked many moons ago about what was coming, I dropped some active project names in random order to play along, while omitting some others that were arriving sooner. Notice that at the time I *could* have dropped the project name Bond (the F-4), which released long before Foil was slated to be released. Rather, Bond was a complete surprise to everyone. That's the point of a guessing game --things could always come from left field. I included Foil (along with Tennyson50, Five Eyes (IIIII), Hoot and other project names over the ensuing months simply because I thought they were easier and more fun/complex for the community to guess. I thought a guessing game is what people wanted, and I grew up appreciating a puzzle for the thrill of the pursuit, not the answer. I can see now that that original intent was eventually lost. Lesson learned.

After Foil's announcement, inevitably some people will fall in absolute love with it, because it really is a stunner in my book, while some people won't. And that's okay. And inevitably the next day a new post will posit "What's Next?", and the cycle will continue. And that's okay, too. And after delivery some people will trumpet Foil as being "the best EDF I've ever owned", like some have said with Regulus (A-10), Virtue (A-4), Pizza (Avanti), Machat (F-105), Paperclip (P.15), and Hoot (L-39). And that's all okay, too. I'm content whenever our creations earn their keep in good homes. There's never a single project that will appease everyone to the point that we close the business because we can't get any better. No, we're all on a thrilling cycle that is made new again and again and again.

But as for my part, I don't plan on giving any more public peeks behind my Dev curtain anytime soon. Too much gets lost in translation. The proverbial "football", as James put it. Perhaps it's easier just to let speculation run its course, independent of my input. I'll simply say, as I've always said to the question of "What's coming next?": Everything is coming, eventually, as long as we're here. But our being here is contingent on us earning customer's support with the products we sell today, not two years from now.



Carry on :)

Alpha, while I feel like I fully understand your frustrations right now, please don't deviate from the fun game the majority of us love so much. And, trust me, it does work better than you think. I, personally, held off on another EDF from a competitor because I do know Foil is right around the corner and have this feeling I will regret blowing my lunch money on a different plane when it is released.

As for what I highlighted in your text... If you don't already see why that is, I'll try to explain. There are no "What's next FMS" threads or "What's next HK" threads that I have seen. Your products that you design have gotten such a great reputation that even after great releases like the L39 and F4, we are still begging for more!!! Plus, I really love MRC's involvement in these Forums, all the way up to the designer. I finally got to meet James at Fall Nall and unfortunately he would not cave to my attempts at some info on Foil! LOL

But, like OV10 said as well, please reconsider pulling back on the clues and hints and project names. The majority of your MRC family love it!

[Twowingtj]

Alpha, I think that the vast majority of the regular Squawkers really enjoy the games and good natured speculation. We appreciate the glimpses of the "inner workings" that you and the MRC team share. No need to reconsider how you've handled things. You, of all people, know that you can't please everyone. Squeeky wheels, by nature, make a lot of noise while all the others continue to roll along smoothly. Just sayin':);)

No other company offers the hands on approach, with the customer base, that MRC does. I say "press on!":Cool:

[Alpha]

Thanks, guys. I should clarify, when I said "the cycle continues", I didn't mean that as a bad thing. I think it's a great thing, something we can all be very proud of.

[Quickstop]

Sad to hear that some media tweakers that keep fumbling the football are pushing you away from the fun you established for the loyal team :(
Please reconsider Alpha ;)
Regardless.....I'm still around as you asked and am still bangin that :ov10drum;)

Saw one come out of our local airfield last week (van nuys airport), operated by california department of forestry. First time i've had a chance to see one.

[Quickstop]

Don't forget, Xmas is right around the corner, and if I was going to release something new, it would be around then.

[fredmdbud]

What Alpha was getting at, and he can correct me if I am wrong, is that of all the project names he's said, why has FOIL caught on this life of it's own? Why hasn't threads for the other names been created or exist? That's what he was getting at.

1) It's one thing when a plane is identified/announced, but its release is uncertain or repeatedly pushed back - e.g. Avios/HK Spitfire.

2) It's another when plane is scheduled for release, but won't be identified until then - e.g. Project Hoot

3) A mystery plane with an uncertain release date (both what and when) - Project Foil

#1 and #2 - at least you know something
#3 -

why even bother mentioning it at all.

Hoping that Project Foil is the first, and will be the only, kind of this announcement. Otherwise, can become a turn-off along the lines of "the dealer who cried release" lol

Some enjoy the speculation (such as here); but there are also those who kind of stopped caring anymore at this point, and that's regrettable.

[RCjetdude]

1) It's one thing when a plane is identified/announced, but its release is uncertain or repeatedly pushed back - e.g. Avios/HK Spitfire.

2) It's another when plane is scheduled for release, but won't be identified until then - e.g. Project Hoot

3) A mystery plane with an uncertain release date (both what and when) - Project Foil

#1 and #2 - at least you know something
#3 - Hoping that Project Foil is the first, and will be the only, kind of this announcement. Otherwise, can become a turn-off along the lines of "the dealer who cried release" lol

Some enjoy the speculation (such as here); but there are also those who kind of stopped caring anymore at this point, and that's regrettable.

If you honestly stopped caring then why even bring it up? Hoot was a mystery plane announced quite awhile ago and never had a scheduled release date as well just to be clear.

The intent of this thread was to have fun. The problem comes from those who don't understand that and so feel the need to grumble about how long it is taking or interject wish lists instead of guesses based on the clues or lambaste the manufacturer for other releases that come out sooner or the subject of the release itself because it wasn't what they wanted. That is what causes some people to stop caring. If someone doesn't want to play a game they don't have to. That's fine. Let that be enough. Telling others they don't want to play or don't like the game inevitably just diminishes the fun of those enjoying the game. There is nothing constructive about it. Folks, are we in this hobby because we enjoy seeing it thrive or just for our own satisfaction? Are we trying to see others enjoy it, especially the next generation, so that the hobby continues or are we so focused on ourselves that we can't see the damage we do to the hobby as a result? What message are we trying to send to those outside of the hobby who might be interested in it? Don't get me wrong, we enjoy a wonderful hobby partly due to the vast majority of people who make it up and partly because of the excellent products that we have access to. HobbySquawk is a great place to be because it feels more like a family to me but our actions and attitudes determine who we are and they come with consequences. Just some food for thought.

[Pete Lane]

" But its just a crazy game.....and if it ends..."
Lets climb the Hobby stairs together, then turn the key. Your love of this hobby awaits you.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu2JBMNBbKo

[fredmdbud]

If you honestly stopped caring then why even bring it up? Hoot was a mystery plane announced quite awhile ago and never had a scheduled release date as well just to be clear.

One last call for any recent information. Question asked and left unanswered, so closure and unsubscribe.

[RCjetdude]

One last call for any recent information. Question asked and left unanswered, so closure and unsubscribe.

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