I thought provide some information on my newest model, a 1/4 scale (96") Lavochkin LA-7. Chad at Taildragger RC had some good deals that I couldn't resist, so I thought I'd take a chance on this large ARF. I won't get too detailed in the build, but I'll show some things I found and steps I take to improve the model.
Initial impressions are that it comes packed well, and arrived with no damage. The is two parts that bolt together allowing it to be shipped in multiple smaller boxes. The fuse is typical of many Chinese made ARF's, and seems to be decent quality. The fiberglass is thicker than some, and the glue joints seem well done. It has a large hatch that removes from the top which includes the canopy/cockpit, and two piece wings with a wing tube. The wings and tail surfaces are painted fabric. I'd like it if they were glassed, but I thought I'd leave them thinking I could always glass them in a future season if I want to. Hinges are scale type and use 1/8" hinge points (replaceable with robart). WIngs and tail surfaces seemed to fit very well.
Here's a photo of the plane on my pool table.
The fuse is large, and the cowl has plenty of room for the engine I'll be using, a DLE-120cc twin.
Some things I didn't like. The tailwheel they provide is not scale at all, using springs hooked to the rudder like a giant extra. I'll be installing a retractable tailwheel from Century Jet retracts. Because the Anderson La-7 is the same exact size, many of the accessories designed for it should fit.
The plane is not very scale with many details missing. The scoop at the bottom of the fuse, the gun blisters, and many other scale details are totally absent. The canopy has the typical ARF look, and is not very accurate. The included main gear seems OK, but I replaced the retract units with Robart 635RS mains. I'll try to use the struts. The wheels are only 4.5" diameter and look dinky on this plane (curse of the Chinese ARF). The main gear is not scale, and has a very poor angle that will make it difficult to get it forward enough to prevent nose-overs. I noticed in another thread that someone totally re-engineered the mains to correct this, I'll try to make it acceptable without gutting the wing.
Stay tuned for more info and a bunch of updated photos showing my progress.