Changhua Optical Shop Harbors an 'Underground Arsenal', Owner Fulfills RC Fighter Jet Dream
Hong Shang-ren, an optical shop owner in Changhua, fulfills his childhood dream by crafting highly sophisticated RC fighter jets out of Styrofoam in his basement 'arsenal,' earning recognition from aerospace industries.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 12:26
- 🔍 Collected: April 18, 2026 at 12:31 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 21:31 (8h 59m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA, Changhua, 18th, Reporter Wu Che-hao) Stepping into the basement of Hong Shang-ren's optical shop in Changhua City is like entering an air force base. RC fighter jet models like the IDF (Indigenous Defense Fighter) and F-104 bearing the Blue Sky and White Sun emblem are poised, ready to soar in the blue sky, allowing Hong, who has loved fighter jets since childhood, to fulfill his flying dreams.
Hong's optical shop looks no different from any other, with optometry equipment and various styles of glasses on the shelves. However, the basement holds a different world, like an alternative "underground arsenal."
The long table in the basement serves as a tarmac, with models of the IDF, F-104 Starfighter, and F-16 looking ready to take off. The walls and ceiling are hung with RC fighter jet models and photos Hong made with his own hands.
"When I was in junior high school, because the school was just at the foot of Bagua Mountain, I often saw fighter jets performing high-difficulty maneuvers," Hong's eyes lit up as he talked about his passion for flying and the starting point of his dream, a beautiful memory of his youth. He said classmates often looked up at the sky during breaks, unforgettable of the shock when fighter jets roared overhead.
As a student, Hong was strapped for cash and couldn't afford RC fighter jets produced by model companies. He had to use his brain and hands to make them using Styrofoam.
"Using Styrofoam as material and doing it myself, maybe the appearance was simpler and rougher at first, not as exquisite as those sold outside, but I could design the shape of the fighter jet myself," Hong said. Professional manufacturers sold propeller RC planes, but doing it himself allowed him to make models of active military fighter jets.
To save money, Hong and his classmates pooled funds to use Styrofoam, assembling it with building block concepts. Like-minded partners divided the work; he designed the templates and created a block method. Once friends got the materials, they immediately added motors and other parts to DIY their own jets.
"Just like developing new fighter jets, our initial self-made jets also required constant test flights and debugging," Hong recalled. The DIY RC jets couldn't fly at first, requiring continuous tests to find the reasons. Back then, there was no computer software to draw blueprints, only manual drafting.
"In the past, we could only look at photos or pictures and copy them," Hong said. With just front and side pictures of an object, he could draw a complete blueprint and assemble a Styrofoam RC jet.
"The most fulfilling part is making your own fighter jet in your own space." Hong built a cleanroom to avoid dust. Some hobbyists might only have tight spaces at home, making do, but Hong's "underground arsenal" gives him more room to maneuver.
Hong's work attracted the attention of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC). He was invited to help build a full-size P-40 Warhawk model for the Flying Tigers' celebration, exhibited at the Aviation Education Exhibition Hall in Gangshan, Kaohsiung.
He said that to perfectly present the P-40 active in WWII, he helped make the tail and horizontal stabilizers with wood and Styrofoam. When people marveled at the model recreating the P-40's glory, he felt honored.
Hong also pointed to his proud work on the wall, an SU-47 model: "When I first saw photos of the jet, I was amazed by the forward-swept wing design and kept thinking how to make it and make it fly."
He said the SU-47's shape is so unique that making it fly is an art. Fortunately, after continuous trial and error, it can now fly smoothly. Foreign RC jet players were surprised that someone could make an RC version of a jet just shown at an international airshow, and invited him to introduce the process in an aviation magazine.
Besides making realistic RC jets by hand drawing and block methods, making them take off, land, or perform high-difficulty maneuvers like diving and rolling just like real jets also required self-exploration. "Real fighter jets have manuals, but RC jets don't."
He said parameters like takeoff speed and altitude were found through exploration. If a crash unfortunately happened, he had to become a mechanic, adjusting the shape and structure. Due to his rich "practical experience," Hong has won awards in domestic and foreign RC plane competitions and taught students in aviation-related departments at universities like National Cheng Kung University, helping them make model jets fly.
To make RC jets perform better and look closer to real ones, Hong often attends real jet demonstrations at air force bases, meeting many RC enthusiasts and pilots. He also often invites them to visit his "underground base," fulfilling his dream of soaring freely in the blue sky.
(CNA, Changhua, 18th, Reporter Wu Che-hao) Stepping into the basement of Hong Shang-ren's optical shop in Changhua City is like entering an air force base. RC fighter jet models like the IDF (Indigenous Defense Fighter) and F-104 bearing the Blue Sky and White Sun emblem are poised, ready to soar in the blue sky, allowing Hong, who has loved fighter jets since childhood, to fulfill his flying dreams.
Hong's optical shop looks no different from any other, with optometry equipment and various styles of glasses on the shelves. However, the basement holds a different world, like an alternative "underground arsenal."
The long table in the basement serves as a tarmac, with models of the IDF, F-104 Starfighter, and F-16 looking ready to take off. The walls and ceiling are hung with RC fighter jet models and photos Hong made with his own hands.
"When I was in junior high school, because the school was just at the foot of Bagua Mountain, I often saw fighter jets performing high-difficulty maneuvers," Hong's eyes lit up as he talked about his passion for flying and the starting point of his dream, a beautiful memory of his youth. He said classmates often looked up at the sky during breaks, unforgettable of the shock when fighter jets roared overhead.
As a student, Hong was strapped for cash and couldn't afford RC fighter jets produced by model companies. He had to use his brain and hands to make them using Styrofoam.
"Using Styrofoam as material and doing it myself, maybe the appearance was simpler and rougher at first, not as exquisite as those sold outside, but I could design the shape of the fighter jet myself," Hong said. Professional manufacturers sold propeller RC planes, but doing it himself allowed him to make models of active military fighter jets.
To save money, Hong and his classmates pooled funds to use Styrofoam, assembling it with building block concepts. Like-minded partners divided the work; he designed the templates and created a block method. Once friends got the materials, they immediately added motors and other parts to DIY their own jets.
"Just like developing new fighter jets, our initial self-made jets also required constant test flights and debugging," Hong recalled. The DIY RC jets couldn't fly at first, requiring continuous tests to find the reasons. Back then, there was no computer software to draw blueprints, only manual drafting.
"In the past, we could only look at photos or pictures and copy them," Hong said. With just front and side pictures of an object, he could draw a complete blueprint and assemble a Styrofoam RC jet.
"The most fulfilling part is making your own fighter jet in your own space." Hong built a cleanroom to avoid dust. Some hobbyists might only have tight spaces at home, making do, but Hong's "underground arsenal" gives him more room to maneuver.
Hong's work attracted the attention of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC). He was invited to help build a full-size P-40 Warhawk model for the Flying Tigers' celebration, exhibited at the Aviation Education Exhibition Hall in Gangshan, Kaohsiung.
He said that to perfectly present the P-40 active in WWII, he helped make the tail and horizontal stabilizers with wood and Styrofoam. When people marveled at the model recreating the P-40's glory, he felt honored.
Hong also pointed to his proud work on the wall, an SU-47 model: "When I first saw photos of the jet, I was amazed by the forward-swept wing design and kept thinking how to make it and make it fly."
He said the SU-47's shape is so unique that making it fly is an art. Fortunately, after continuous trial and error, it can now fly smoothly. Foreign RC jet players were surprised that someone could make an RC version of a jet just shown at an international airshow, and invited him to introduce the process in an aviation magazine.
Besides making realistic RC jets by hand drawing and block methods, making them take off, land, or perform high-difficulty maneuvers like diving and rolling just like real jets also required self-exploration. "Real fighter jets have manuals, but RC jets don't."
He said parameters like takeoff speed and altitude were found through exploration. If a crash unfortunately happened, he had to become a mechanic, adjusting the shape and structure. Due to his rich "practical experience," Hong has won awards in domestic and foreign RC plane competitions and taught students in aviation-related departments at universities like National Cheng Kung University, helping them make model jets fly.
To make RC jets perform better and look closer to real ones, Hong often attends real jet demonstrations at air force bases, meeting many RC enthusiasts and pilots. He also often invites them to visit his "underground base," fulfilling his dream of soaring freely in the blue sky.