Don41

ARFs, even from the well established "big" companies, can often be in serious need of repair but the folks at nito seem to make an art form of supplying defective merchandise and kits with missing parts and manuals.

I had occasion to visit the nitromodels support forums (on behalf of my brother) and frankly I can't imagine why those people are still in business. If you want to find out what can happen when you fall for that great looking plane at a bargain price, you should browse thru their support forum.

I can tell you from personal experience that what you see on their forum is not just a bunch of buyers that don't have legitimate complaints.

Regards

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I agree that one should do a little research if they have never bought from Nitromodels before. However, for a very good price you can get a good looking airframe. I think it is wise to buy from Nitro expecting lousy instructions and inadequate hardware. While they may not be the best for the beginning modeler, those with a bit more experience (and extra parts) could find some inexpensive planes with a lot of potential.

I got one plane from Nitromodels so far. Some hardware was missing which they replaced, and some hardware was just not usable. For a few extra bucks I bought adequate hardware and now have a beautiful and (relatively) inexpensive plane to fly.

bassmanh

My Feedback: (5)

don,

i HAVE bought from them and the .60 size mustang i go from them is very nice for $99 when it was on sale and actually needed about the same amount of checkingover/strengthening that my hangar9 hellcat and B-25 did.

so over all if i have to replace some hardware (which i usually already have) and strengthen a few things (like other MFG) its still worth it for me in the long run. as the plane is still less expensive than others and built fairly well.


now with that said i have also bought from the big name guys and have had more to "fix" than the less expensive china planes. so yes do your research and know what your getting before you buy (service and/or product)


so my question to you is have YOU bought from them to have first hand experience ? or going by hearsay ?




bassman

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Simply not your beginner's ARF

But an experienced builder can make something out of them.

Don41

so my question to you is have YOU bought from them to have first hand experience ? or going by hearsay ?




bassman
[/quote]
Even though I usually build my models from kits (which never have missing parts or manuals) I have purchased two of my planes as ARFs. They were both from Sig. The FourStar 120 required a repair to the fuselage which seemed to be caused by the fellow that packed it and a Rascal 40 which seems to be in very good shape.

My experience with Nitromodels is first hand thru helping my brother with the Mustang he purchased from Nitromodels. The sheer volume of complaints about missing manuals (of all things) pretty much tells you what to expect from these people.

However, as gaRCfield says, I suppose it's an economical way to get a flyable plane as long as you have the skills to repair it and are willing to put up with the hassle.

What I find hard to understand is why they don't institute a method to insure all parts are included and go out and buy good hardware. They sell for a lot less so a few extra dollars isn't going to put them out of the bargain area.

Regards

ZERO-322

My Feedback: (2)

Just as we speak I am reparing some stress cracks on the wing saddle of my new zero purchased from nitroplanes about a month ago , Hey some fiberglass and epoxy (no big deal) I always swap the hardware out for std stuff anyways , and as far as adding strength to certain areas .....even if I don't think it needs it it is done anyway , better safe then sorry , for the money you get a really good airframe , a blank canvas that is well built the glass work is really nice ! which allows you to bash it really nice and add as much or as little scale detail your heart desires , for the money it can't be beat I own maybe 7 warbirds from them and for the most part am very pleased

BadSplice

My Feedback: (1)

Interesting, I got a Zero from them when they were having a sale a short while back, and it also had some cracks in the wing saddle area. The Zero had a couple of parts missing, and some totally mismatched hardware. (landing gear struts were 3/16", wheel collars provided were 5/32" and wheels were drilled to about 1/8") But when you buy a warbird with a fiberglass fuse, painted surfaces and retracts for $70, you've gotta know its gonna have some flaws. When I'm done, I'm going to have an awesome looking little warbird for really cheap. I've bought 2 planes, some servos, and some micro heli parts from them and gotten good service every time.

Jimmy Bananas

My Feedback: (13)

try one of their models...Cessna 421 twin...there was so much wrong with it(Engine marks on the firewall were wrong)..for openers...missing a bag of hardware. as the old saying goes, you get what you paid for.....the plane is in the closet and probably stay there forever....nuff said........................

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You've heard of "Builder's Kits"? I think of Nitromodels as "Builder's ARFs"

They are very inexpensive, but they will require a lot of work by the builder to make them flyable.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Most experienced modelers make a lot of subtle changes to any ARF they build.

I know I make a lot of changes to one. The hardware is probably the biggest change. But I also add little braces here and there and re-glue areas, etc

mvallyman

My Feedback: (32)

If your judging Nitro by the support forums, it's like your "looking for the bad side" nobody is going to post in that forum because something is "as we expected". All companies/manufacturers have a "bad day" just like everyone else.

Most everyone changes hardware out of preference alone, some ARF’s don’t include hardware (CA Epsilon 90) just because they know some flyers prefer their own choice. Also, on that comparativly spendy CA Arf, I had to send it back in exchange for another due to damage.

I purchased a CMP Swallow 90 from Nitro models last year, great price, low shipping. The hardware is “OK� I used most of it and its been doing great. The only issue I had with it was the cowl was deformed. It took about 5 weeks but they did send me a new one. I beefed up the landing gear mount on it but this is something I do on any ARF or Kit for that matter.

Don41

LOL,, I guess it's all in how you look at it. Even so, when you receive a plane with rotten hardware, the tail wheel assy missing and no manual, one tends to get irritable.

Regards

ChuckW

I've also been disappointed in a couple things I bought from them. I decided not to purchase from them again but that's a personal choice based on what I expect from a supplier.

It boils down to getting what you pay for. They have some great prices, there is no doubt about it. If you are willing to put up with occasional missing pieces, occasional quality issues (I've seen stuff that was outstanding from them and some that was junk), sometimes lackluster support, etc. then you can get something for a great price. I don't mean that in a negative way necessarily just pointing out that there is a trade-off to everything.

Personally, I'd rather pay a little more to get better quality, better hardware and a company that goes out of their way to support their customers. That's just me though, everyone can make their own decisions based on what they are willing to deal with.

The thing that really turned me off to them though was using copies of manuals from other manufacturers in their airplanes. Not only did these not match the product, they were potential copyright violations. As someone whose been involved in manufacturing and dealt with this sort of thing first hand, I realize the damage it causes to those who work hard and I take it pretty seriously. In fairness though, this may not have been the fault of Nitro Planes. It could have been something done by a supplier and Nitro Planes had no knowledge. Again, I make a personal choice for me; others can do as they wish.

If their reputation improves and they have something I am interested in I may reconsider buying from Nitro Planes down the road.

blvdbuzzard

I have a Giles 202 50 size, F3A pattern plane, 60 sized low wing trainer, Ventus 2.6 meter sail plane. Every one had some small issue. I have had ARFs from a bunch of different manufactures. Every one I have built has had an issue. For the most part, I toss the stock hardware. i would like it if I could pay less for the ARF and get it without hardware.

The Giles 202 I have, I am VERY impressed with. All parts fit well, they look GREAT. it flies very well. I replaced all of the snap/quik links with ball links. For a cost of $88.00, it was a steal.

The Low wing trainer is a clone of the Tiger. that things flies great. Well worth the cost. Yes there are issues. The landing gear wire is about as stiff as a lead pipe. it has been replaced with piano wire. The wheel collars are total junk. I did not nor will I use the EZ type of connectors that come with it. I lost mine when teh battery failed. Just waiting to order another one.

The Ventus is a nice plane. There is a long thread at RCgroups about it. It has a few things about it. The mechanical mixer they use for the air brakes is not the best. I pulled it out and used a single servo in place of the mixer. I will be using some of the hardware and replacing what I think is not good enough.

I would have to say every kit, or ARF I have ever built, I have changed or replaced parts. There have been a few ARFs I used every piece of hardware they came with. I used it just because. it did work.

The ARFs are not Nitoplanes products. They may sell them but do not produce them. the support is all Nitroplanes. I had an issue and John fixed without a hesitation. i used the help forum here and had it resolved in about 2 days.

Just my pennies worth. I have been around a long time. Some days you are the windshield, other days you are the bug.


Dru.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

First off I don't own one, I don't have any ARFs of my own at this time, nothing against them, I just perfer building my own planes and I have them for years and years, not season to season. I do and have assembled a bunch of the Nitro ARFs, are they junk, well yes they are as they come. Can they be assembled to be a better plane, yes they can. For the price you pay for a NP ARF the changes I make to them still make it an OK plane for very little money. I have seen a number of there warbirds that are pretty nice planes after a retired builder makes the mods and adds some wood and glass. A retired builder is just an old builder that got lazy!! For the folks that are upset about the crap they buy??? You get what you pay for. {SOMETIMES!!} Would I have one of these planes in my hanger?? Nope!! That's not a real firm nope either, if I wanted a warbird to play with I really would give the Nitros a look but I am a builder with a lot of good stuff in stock in my shop so I can make one right!!
One question I have for them, how can someone call a plane a 90 size and it's smaller and lighter then one of my planes that is a 60 size?? Just wondering?? How about those Chinglish instructions?? My wife made copies of the set I got in there 90 size Extra and took them to work with her, it was the joke of the day!!! Chuck, if they are going to steel something don't you think they would steel something writen in english?? Just wondering. Yep, fixable jumk!!

flaminheli

The Ultimate 40 I purchased from NP was way beyond my expectations. The fit and finish was top of the line. The manual could not have been copied from anyone because it was of poor quality full of chinglish. I very seldom refer to the manuals anyway so that was not a problem. I feel I got what I paid for. A nice flying plane at a nice price. I have purchased planes from GP, CG and TF that were of alot poorer quality than this Ultimate 40 purchased from NP.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

Ya know, I have their christen eagle BARF, I encountered a issue with the gear cuffs, so I contacted I think it was mike on this fourm about it, so he wanted the exact page describing the cuff. I scanned the page, and showed him the part, next he wanted a picture, so I sent him a picture of the issue, and now he wanted an recipt, well, it was a gift from my misses and she didn't have it anymore since we moved. So I even offered to pay for a new set and a cowl, that had been damaged in transit to me, I got no response and after e-mailing twice I started the whole question, send pictures thing again, so I just shelved it and decided that they could care less about the reputation of thier product, so why should I buy it or another part for it. It sit's in the box with the wings joined and on the rack with a new 25cc gasser in the box too, maybe one day in my break from building kit planes, I'll spend the hours to fix all the poorly made parts to make it look decent. To me it's a second rate arf that price and customer service reflects very honestly.

ZERO-322

My Feedback: (2)

LOL He said Chinglish !

Luftwaffe Oberst

Very true, but again you get what you pay for when it comes to this hobby.