kirkjohn

Hi There everyone. My name is Kirk, and I live in Canada. I am fairly new to this wonderfull sport, I taught myself to fly 2 years ago and haven't stopped, I love it and am sure it will be a lifetime interest. Recently, I decided to buy my first ARF, and being very passionate about the warbirds, I decided on a corsair F4U. I worked avidly, every spare moment, but seemed to run into trouble at every turn. After showing my kit to a local oldtimer of the sport he assured me that the troubles i was having were not the fault of my own, it was however of the inferior kit I had selected. Seagull Models apparently is not a top rated Arf in the small circle of flyers in my area, and no longer with me. I just wish to let others know before they spend there hard earned cash that this company spends there time on the detail on the box, but not in it. The small amount of instructions included black and white poorly lit photographs which were of the easier placements, and left the more difficult procedures with less than a paragraph of instruction. I thought it was my lack of experience and know how that made this difficult but as I was shown, It is true, you get what you pay for, and although this kit was almost as much as the rest, respected brands will save the heartache of countless hours toward failure.

I hope this helps anyone who may be looking for a new arf, Seagull Models is not a good choice at all. Thanks guys.

adrian-RCU

wrong - i own several seagull models and most of them are just fine and at a price you should not dare to complain about - over the last 5 years there products have improved greatly and are as good as most of the budget arf's- for the record i owe them nothing. below some pics - all of them still fly today.

kirkjohn

I Appoligise to you adrian, I was blowing off some steam. Your models look incredible, really. Good to see another young guy take to the sport, I am only 32 myself. I did however, buy a dud kit, which really cheesed me off, the store wouldn't stand good for it, and I have no way of getting ahold of seagull. I am glad to see that your ventures with them have turned out well, you seem to be happy with the company, please forgive my slanderous ways and keep flying.

p.s. If you know how I can get in touch with seagull, I would appriciate the info.

SuperStick

horizon hobbies is the distributor of the seagull product line, they have a great track record in the customer service area. THey have a toll free number on their website you can call. I have a seagull model extra 300 and the arf was ok as you continue in the sport you will find that mostly all arf have something that needs attention as did my extra but it wasnt all that bad. Being curious what caused yoour kit to be a dud Rickey

NOVAflier

My Feedback: (21)

You really cannot say you get what you pay for...I have seen lower priced arfs that were fantastic. However, he is entitled to his opinion...

Highflight

My Feedback: (4)

Of course anyone can say anything they want here in "User Product Reviews". But the benefit of this forum is that no one post is the definitive answer to the quality of a particular product. What we all should look for is not only the MAJORITY of "reviews" leaning one way or another, but also for specificity of each review, good or bad. For example, I for one will NOT be shopping for any Magnum engines anytime soon based on the thread concerning that product.

With that said, I'll add to the mix by saying that I bought the Razzle 3D by Seagull and am very impressed with it. It's the only ARF so far that I have decided to actually use all of the hardware that came with it. It's a very complete ARF kit, builds fast and flys well. Additionally, the quality of construction is the best I've seen among the other ARF kits I've bought (admittedly, I haven't bought every one of the others available, but this is the best yet). The covering job is excellent, and considering that all ARFS come wrinkled, it needed very little touching up with an iron to tighten it up. I put an OS61FX on it so it's not powered quite enough to make it a true "3D" aircraft, but a .91 would be the trick if you're into that kind of flying (which I'm not).

Other guys at my flying club have had similar experiences with the Seagull Spacewalker as well as others of the Seagull line.

Highflight

Sport_Pilot

How did you come to that conclusion? I see about 10 to 1 favorable in that thread. Maybe you were swayed by the fact that one or two problems took several posts. Wereas the positive ones said have one , two, whatevner number, and had no problems. If you only remember the negative posts you will not buy any products. I see many negative posts for all brands.

Suggest you look up some user comparison reviews. There the comments are usually just as strong on the positive side as the negative. For the most part there is not a huge differance between OS, Magnum, Thunder Tigre, etc. Except for a few select models where it is obvious the manufacture has screwed up. OS 91FX for example.

Fly-guy

kirk

i have had only 2 Seagulll models now but I found them to be of excelent quality. I built a Boomerang 40 and Spacewalker all by myself in one weekend nd I'm only 13. As for the instructions I will have to agree and say they are very substandard but you get used to it. As for the constuction quality it is great, it is strong. don't try and tell me they are poorly built either because my Spacewalker hit the groun from at least 15 feet on the left wingtip and I got away with a broken horizontal stabilizer and a slightly damaged wingtip (maybe I was lucky, but still)

Personally I would say Seagull are very good for the price.

Fly-guy

csalvian

Kirk,

I also bought the F4U Corsair from Seagull and am extremely disappointed in it. I will be posting my comprehensive review of the product momentarily, so go take a look. Needless to say, I wasn't very nice.

Chris[&:]

PLANE JIM

My Feedback: (109)

I have purchased two spacewalkers and they fly great-well one does now-the other was dumb thumbed in-Maybe I should blame it on Seagull-for $119.00 US Dollars-it is a real good airplane and flies like a dream

johnnycrash

i have flown many arf's in the short time 5 years since I first started flying yesI do have seagull models Extra 300 S .60size with saito 1.00 , I've had some problems with my plane, most are attributed to construction not just thier construction, but mine as well, useing such a large motor and a 4 stroke at that I should of reinforced the firewall lucky it was on the bench when it came apart. wing cross brace the one you put your wingbolts into when mounting wing, I forgot you should allways put blocks under brace to strenghten,other than that I had to put in a much larger fuel tank 16 oz instead of factory 10 oz tank
pro's of the arf pinned hinges premounted engine mount my saito slipped right in nice and snug, note make sure you check mount bolts are tight, replace maingear bolts with nylon so bolts break not plane
all in all it's a good plane, I haven't found anything out of the ordinary renforcement. most any arf needs some kind of reinforcement, Remember these aren't modeler building these planes

sigrun

Like most overgeneralisations based upon a singular bad experience and written in the emotional heat of the moment, this one too contains elements of truth liberally sprinkled with exaggerative bias.

Seagull ARFs are built in Vietnam to a price. They are not yet as well constructed as World Models ARFs, as is reflected in their respective pricing. A minimum of research accompanied by a modicum of intelligence only is required to establish this.

The upside? Seagull represent exceptional value for money. With a minimum of applied initiative, you can achieve a decent flying result for about half the price of the World Models equivalent ARF. The downside? They usually require the odd hardware item replacment and frequently, some minor modification during construction. Their manuals are utterly atrocious and often in error, so it helps to have a little previous assembly experience or an inquiring mind and some common sense. You pays your money and you makes your choice. You can't have it both ways......yet.

Seagull (Black Horse & Phoenix) product is constantly improving, very much so lately with the noticible acquisition of laser cutting equipment. Unfortunately, according to user feedback the Seagull Corsair appears to be a particularly poor example from the company as this is the second report I've read condeming it, but that is not IME generally indicative of ALL or current Seagull product.

Although I prefer World Models ARFs, I prefer to pay for Seagull. I'm with young Adrian in that I've had positive experiences with my Seagull ARFs, undoubtedly balanced by reaslistic expectations that I might have to do a little modifying if I want to save some cash. For those who want it all out of the box, buy World Models but even then don't expect a product which resembles the perfection of your dreams.

Bodge

Would the "odd hardware item" include a Seagull Edge 540 wing that happened to break near (not at) the joint? Or a 46 sized Seagull low wing aerobatic model (forget what it was called now - I didn't have it long enough to remember the name...) where the tail broke off in flight - again not at the joint.

I think Blackhorse kits are great value for money and have had no trouble with a couple of those. I must admit I prefer Hangar 9, World Models, Great Planes and the like, but I will never buy another Seagull model.

Oh, by the way I think Magnum/ASP produce excellent engines: I have 5 including two fourstrokes and will be getting another shortly - and they are cheap but work perfectly well.

I suppose what I'm saying is, you get what you pay for. But when you are paying for a flying model, even if it is cheap, you expect it to fly without falling apart in the air.

Mick.

PS. Check out the thread on the Seagul Edge 60 if you want the general consensus on Seagull models.

sigrun

Oh the irony! Black Horse and Seagull models are produced in the same Vietnamese factory building in Ho Chi Minh City, use the same hardware and have the same production values and quality control.

Bodge

Irony or not; whether they come from Vietnam or Outer Mongolia; I have had two Seagull kits and two structural failures. I have had two Blackhorse kits and no failures. Therefore I may buy Blackhorse in the future, but I won't buy Seagul.

Okay?

Gary Lantz

My Feedback: (14)

Horizon Dist. Does Not Distribute the Seagull Corsair or Seagull P51 models. They seem to be fairly good at staying away from lessor quality products.
I really feel the ARF's they do distribute have been well worth the money.

Ukmaxi

I too bought a boomerang 40 recently and it is a high quality kit like Fly-guy said and i am 15 (got it for my birthday a week ago), but as he also said the instuctions are a bit over the place. from what you read in the instructions and then see in the picture is the complete oposite of what the instructions say, lol. And also there are a couple of misspellings, like "Double Cheek?" and we can only laugh about it. But it was a fun build and all you need really is the engine (plus the equipment for engine) and a radio kit.

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

I built and flew the Extra that they produce. The first issue that came up was the box said the plane needed a 46 and the instruction book said it needed a 60. I put an OS 60 FP on mine and finished the build. While it cannot be argued that these planes are a great value, I now know why. On the first flight, it trimmed out with no problems. I did not do any manuvers with it other than level flight and set up for a landing. It did require power to keep it happy on the way to the runway and after a perfect three point landing, I noticed the wing was not sitting on the wing saddle right. Upon inspection of the plane, I discovered the wing bolt mounting plate in the fusealage had popped loose from the fusealage side plates. An inspection of the wing plate reavealed that the glue applied to this plate was almost non existent. I consider myself lucky in that I did not do any manouvers on the first flight as I would have had a wreck for sure. I brought it home and went through it top to bottom and applied liberal ammounts of glue everywhere. I have flown it since and it is a good flyer, however it does fly heavy and it is not as crisp as some of my kit planes that I have built myself. Would I buy another, I think not. Good Luck, Dave

khlash

My Feedback: (6)

Ive got to chime in here....

I've got The Seagull Razzle, the Harrier and the Phoenix Models Seabee and they are all great flyers and seem to be quality made. Haven't had any trouble with any of them. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another Seagull arf. In fact, they are some of my favorite planes to fly. Just my opinion, but then again, im not baseing it on one plane like others are.

Kyle

Desertlakesflying

My Feedback: (28)

I have to say I like these Vietnamese built airplanes. The last one was Phoenix Models Strega. After building and installing radio engine etc, it balanced perfectly. Then of course my brother who I built the plane for, showed it more dirt than most peoples jacked up shiny pickups. Easy to repair is all I can say for the small amout of damage that was done to it in each crash. It took a high speed...(approx 110MPH).......pass inverted into the pavement to break it for good. Then again with that many pieces I dont think anyone could have repaired it.....LOL I'll post a picture of the wreckage a little later after I take one.

FOD MAN

i like the low cost arf's, i am more relaxed when i fly them so i enjoy it more. i tend to be more cautious with my scratch and kit built planes, its not the money its just that theres a little part of me in my planes and i intend to keep them a long time. arf crash i am out one or two hundred dollars and no real attachment to the plane. sure its money down the drain but i had a real good time flying.

cattop1000

Have both The Seagull Razzle, and the Harrier and have flown both long enough to have to replace the tires on both planes. They are well build and easy to complete. The Razzle is powered by an OS 91 FS and the HArrier is powered by a Saito 100. Both running 30% fuel. No problems with either after over 150 flights. I am learning 3d so I through mistakes or design overstress both of these planes and have had no problems so far.

Thanks

Terry

FlyingGreg

My Feedback: (4)

Let me get my $.02 in. I agree with Cattop1000. I have just completed a Seagull Harrier and hope to maiden it soon. Bought the Harrier to repalce a GP UcanDo that I finally trashed. I wanted something a little different and have not seen any of these at our field. I have built several arf and other kits and found the Harrier to be the easiest I have ever assembled. Construction quality looks great and since it is covered in transparent Ultracoate, you can see most of the work. I did change out the hardware for CF rods and 4-40 clevises. There is a 28 page thread in the 3D forum on this plane and I don't beleive there are any negative comments. Some complaints about flight charecteristics, ie. KE and flat spin problems, but nothing about the quality. There is also a review of this plane on RCU. Just for grins I am going to check for any reviews for the Seagull F4U since that was the plane that started this thread.I am very pleased with mine. I have a well used OS91FS for power--would really like to upgrade to one of the new Saito 125's. Maybe Santa will bring.

Merry Christmas.

Greg

justmeme

Well you are incorrect in your comment ,how can you comment on one model?,i have owned and still fly ,decathlon,stearman,zero,rising star ,and now building sea fury,all seagull,The only thing i replace and do not use is the plastic clevises which i use metal ones .And alot of other people will agree that they are not as bad as you portray.

F2G-1

My Feedback: (13)

I gotta chime in here.

I have all kinds of planes, from small electric fling wing to giant scale gassers, and I have to say one of my all time favorites was the Seagull 540. It caught my eye at the LHS " a 60 size edge for 139.00?" I cant build one(kit) for that.(you can still get them for 139.00, and they ship anywhere. PM me if interested) Of course when I got it home the first thing I did was search RCU for comments on it, and of course there was a TON of negative posts - everything from wings snapping to soft balsa in the tail. Oh well let me see for myself - I opened the wing up at the root, re-inforced the spar a bit, re-sheeted it and glassed the joint. Threw some braces on the tail. I spent an extra evening on the mods - big deal. I flew the crap out of that plane for two years before I crashed..., eh, er, 2 years before it had an unfortunate accident doing knife edge snaps 10' off the deck. I punished this plane for 2 seasons - you know, consecutive snap contests, yank and bank to see how the little lumberjack pilot could handle the g-force, downwind pancake landings (also known as the plop) This thing was a total blast, I flew it to its max potential because it wasnt big money. It flew just as nice as its biger and more expensive counterparts.

my personal policy on arfs:
Forget the saying "you get what you pay for"
and remember this: "what you SEE is what you GET"

Support your LHS, open the box and check out what your getting in to. Or deal w/ reputable distributors that will let you return it when it isnt to your expectations.
By the way, I've had to reinforce, repair, redo, modify, and re-design one thing or another on the expensive brand name arfs too.

Just my opinion
Ted