Well, this thread helps me make a decision. I have been waffling over the H9 T-34, but hesitate because that plane without retracts would be ludicrous, IMO, and the H9 retracts I've seen at our field have been less than impressive. Plus, how good can they (a set of retracts) BE for only $29.95???

I recently re-learned THAT lesson (if a product sells for cheap, it is, in all probability, made cheap) with a certain helicopter. Since it was going to be a trainer for my grandson, I went against my better judgement and bought cheap. It is now disassembled after less than ten flights, and AFTER I spent $45 in better bearings for a couple of critical areas where the supplied el cheapo bearings failed. Fixed that, but other stuff kept going wrong. All "fixable", but enough is enough. I have no intention of wondering, every time we take it out to fly, what is going to fail next.

So, the $200 I saved by buying the cheap one has turned into a $200 loss; PLUS the $400 I now must spend to get what I should have gotten in the first place. Those numbers sort of remind me of "beer math"...

And I think I'll stay with fixed gear models, until I'm ready to cough up the bucks for a well-made set of retracts.

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