ORIGINAL: ameyam

From a third-party point of view on the US-Vietnam issue, the Phoenix models are quite well built. They are comparable to GP or others and most suited for developing country conditions. I have 3 models from Phoenix- trainer, Tiger and Topstar (Flip3D) and they are all very decent. Yes, the covering is not monokote / ultrakote standard and some of the wood is not excellent quality but you can shrink it with a hair-drier, patch a hole with a bit of clear tape and if you KO your model, you can rebuild it with glue (I crashed from 10 feet hovering and destrored the fuse on my Topstar front of the wing including mount. It was flying the next day again the same as before)

The ARFs I have are older so I dont know whether things are become worse with the newer ones (Topstar is no longer available) and Pheonix doesnt have a lot of models. Interestingly, Phoenix, Seagull and Black Horse are sister concerns (built in the same factory) and I see a lot less resistance to purchasing the latter two in the US.

Coming back to the original thread, yes, work can be a pain when you cant fly[>:]. We havent flown for the last 4 months due to the monsoon

Ameyam