As an avid kit builder from years back, I will admit it...ARF's are here to stay and have gotten (on the whole) a LOT better in just the last few years. With that said, I still have a couple of reservations. First, I personally WILL NOT buy an ARF from a new company (seems like more every day) until I have seen one in person, seen it fly, and seen how it holds up for several flights. There are still too many makers out there that use some version of "Crap-o-Coat" covering that starts to fall off like wall paper in a rain storm after just a few flights, and is difficult or impossible to match, or repair. Second, even a great covering job with a good quality covering job (I still only buy if they are covered with Monocoat or Ultracoat/Oracover, and a lot more do now!) can cover up poor assembly methods, with too little glue, or the wrong wood and/or structure.

I now do support some of the better ARF makers out there, but am choosey about which ones!

Lee