4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

I have been flying my MAGIC and TWIST 40 now for a whole season. Now I want a cheap profile.
Why doesn't anybody make a good, $100.00 profile ARF?
Ron

depfife

My Feedback: (14)

The need to make a profit?

Seriously though, the price of kits for a 40 size profile starts around $60. Morris sells the Sledge kit for $109.95. I'm not in the manufacturing business, but it looks to me that it would be tough to make that price point.

Eric

seanychen

My Feedback: (4)

I got the profile Katana ARF for less than $100 from the other site.

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

What other site? Steer me to it.
Ron

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

The need to make a profit?

Seriously though, the price of kits for a 40 size profile starts around $60. Morris sells the Sledge kit for $109.95. I'm not in the manufacturing business, but it looks to me that it would be tough to make that price point.

Eric
Well Yeah, but if they can make a profit with the MAGIC and TWIST at $100.00 each then why not a Profile too?
Ron

Spacey

What is that nice about the design of the Twist and the Magic? Sorry I do not mean to bash either of the two planes as they have their place in the hobby and they fullfill their purpose really well. But I have not heard all that much good about them regarding 3D and all that? I think I would gladly pay a little bit extra to get my hands on a high performance profile ARF.

matt flyer

My Feedback: (1)

take a look at this for $ 80 its not bad. http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=53190

f2racer

The Morris ARFs are only a little bit more than $100. I used to own an Knife and currently fly a Topcap and I just started "assembling" a Su-Do-Khoi. With the exception of the stock landing gear (too low and bend too easily), these ARFs are excellent value.

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

Obviously planes like Twists and Magic are produced by the thousands for cheap price and quick sales. If you look at those same companies like Tower or Horizon who do happen to sell a couple profiles, they are still prices at $150+ for their profile ARF's as well.

It comes down to volume. If you produce a lot you get a low price out of China. If you produce medium amount you get medium price. If you produce small amounts you get higher costs.

That is why you see profiles at higher prices, it's not because companies like ours are trying take you for your money, it's just that profiles are a niche market, not general market. Hence the higher prices for profile planes.

This is the only reason. Until profiles go from 5% of RC to owners to 50%, the prices will remain where they are.

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

You're right the MAGIC and TWIST are just good sport fliers. I don't claim them to be anything more. But my point is Hangar 9 has proven they can build and market a quality 40 sized sport ARF, for the $100 guys like me. So why can't they apply that same knowledge. skill and technology to a 40 sized profile ARF that is 3D capable, for the $100 guys like me?
Ron

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

Well that looks pretty good in the pictures, and the price is certainly right, but I would want to know more about it before I plopped down my 80 bucks. Last year I was the first to buy and try the Sportsman Aviation Hot Knife, for $100. What a POS. I dont' want to be first again.
Ron

4 stroken ron

My Feedback: (29)

Thanks, that makes since.
BTW I looked at the new OPM 48 Katana profile ARF. Looks great. It sure has a lot more appeal than the Knife, Su-Do-Khoi, or TopCap ARFs. I might spring for one of these.
Ron

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

I already answered you question, it's volume. More people will buy full fused airplanes over profiles. So companies like H9 will take a larger risk and mass produce 10,000 twists and get an amazing price back from the manufacturer in China. They will not take the same risk with profiles because the market is niche, not general.

Now you know and I know that most these profiles will outfly the Twist and Magic. However, for some reason more people want full fused planes then profile planes. Until they fly one of course.

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

Now I have great respect Morris Hobbies, they have some of the best flying profiles out there. I especially like the Top Cap. The Accel Katana is certainly no better then any of their ARF's just different. It, like all of our profiles and Morris' profiles is a great flyer. Super stable and fun to fly.

Heck they are all fun to fly. Hence the name.

STEVE LENZ

My Feedback: (45)

Save up a little more the Extreme Flight Edge 540 are back in stock for $149 + shipping You get a great looking as well flying plane may have to change out the landing gear to 1''stock (Home depot). I take mine out to the club just about every time. It is my favorite 3-D plane. SL

Flying Scotsman 70

The hot Knife from Sportsman Aviation seems solid and at $99.99. i read a review and it was good!
just look at quantum models and they will hook you up http://www2.mailordercentral.com/quantummodels/

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

They are sold out. So what does that tell you? That there is a big market for profile ARF's as good as the EF stuff. OMP should make more profile ARF's in the 40 size. I see that Katana on the OMP site and it looks pretty good. Wonder how it flies.

push rodz

My Feedback: (5)

STLPilot has pretty well explained the primary reasons that profile kits/ARF’s are a bit more expensive than the full bodied models available on todays market however, there are other points to consider.

One thing that most do not take in to consideration or are not even aware of is the quality of wood that the mass produced planes are constructed with. I do not mean to imply that all or every ARF out there has crappy materials but it has been my experience that most do to some extent and some more than others. All ARF’s come totally covered and the imperfections are not visible. But if you were to remove the covering you would be amazed at the junk your favorite plane is built with! And in some cases it makes you wonder what keeps the darn thing together. I would be willing to bet that the average ARF life expectancy is not even one full season of flying before it bites the big one. So the point is that a large percentage of flyers (especially beginners) do not have their “baby” long enough to find out just how poorly the thing is built or just how crappy the structure really is due to inferior materials and workmanship. And after the crash they rush back out to buy another one just like it!

Speaking for myself, and I’m sure other companies (like OMP) provide the best materials available for the profile kits offered for sale. I’ll even bet that most of the woods, etc. are even hand picked that assures the purchaser of the best quality available. Do you think the larger companies do this? It’s very doubtful. The larger companies buy in bulk and use whatever is supplied in the shipment no matter if it’s light, dense, porous, crooked, split, etc.

Another thing that you have to consider in the manufacturing of profile kits/ARF's is the fact that the thicker wood stock generally used is more expensive than the thinner woods used in full bodied aircraft construction. How often do you see ¼” thick balsa and ply laser cut parts in full bodied planes? Maybe on a firewall but not much else. Profiles (at least our kits) have numerous ¼” thick parts included in the kits. And where ¼” thick aircraft ply parts are required it takes 2 – 1/8” thick pieces instead of one. This is extra expense as well because ¼” thick aircraft ply cannot be easily (my laser cutting supplier does not cut this) or cheaply cut.

One more thing (just for grins) is the fact that many larger companies are still using die-cut parts in their manufacturing instead of laser cutting in a majority of their models. And yes die cutting is cheaper in the long run because the same die is used thousands of times (+/-) before new ones are needed. Each laser cut kit is cut individually thus yielding better and more accurate parts for the kit content. The greater accuracy in the parts – the easier and more precise the model can be built – the more precision held in building the better the model maneuvers. It’s pretty much that plane and simple. But keep in mind that this precision and accuracy does come with a little higher price tag.

These are just a few more reasons that profile kits/ARF’s are a bit more expensive than the full bodied aircraft available today.

I suppose it all comes down to this: Do you want to spend as little as possible to fly cheap planes or do you mind spending a few more bucks to fly a quality model? That’s what it really boils down to. Personally, I would rather spend a few more bucks for a quality kit (I don’t do ARF’s) that in the end is going to be the best out there (especially since you have to spend the same amount of time building the darn thing) than buying something that is cheap and destined to become a pile of sticks in a very short length of time for one reason or another. And this may or may not be due to your own mistakes.

Once you fly a profile (providing it is set up properly and is top quality) you won’t settle for anything less. For myself, it is all I fly and I have no regrets because honestly, there isn’t a full bodied plane out there that can compare. Whether you’re talking fun-fly or 3D – profiles are the only way to go – bar none! It's a very small price to pay for the enjoyment and longevity that a well produced profile aircraft provides.

Spacey

Good stuff brother! Sums it all up.