Take a gander at this for a hobby!!! 
http://www.wren-turbines.com/news.htm
and
http://homepage.eircom.net/~skycam/c17construction-1.htm
(this one’s an Irish page too if I’m not too far off my guess!)
Some of these guys will drop well over $16,000 on engines alone! Not counting the rest of the construction. And for all of us lamenting the ‘perfect case’ recently, who the hell do you carry one of these around? You’d almost need a separate zip code!
Who says crime doesn’t pay? 
djm
I used to build quite a few model airplanes…back in the day…and yup, it IS an obssession. My best (and last) project as a B-17. Boy, am I glad I changed obssessions, those models were getting REEAAALLY expensive!! 
Me too, I remember there was this english guy (late 50s) that had free flight duct fan models of hawker hunters, etc. Very impressive. I also remember some one actually made a Spruce Goose with all 8 engines working and flying as well ( probably longer than Howard’s flight). But then, girls and sports cars intervened and I was saved.
Hallelujah, brother!!!
It’s like they say – the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.
that is absolutely insane…i love it