<<<...in order to keep the price below $200...>>

There it is. We have met the enemy, and he is us.

If we (modelers as a group) would pay the extra money required for a top-shelf quality ARF, "they" (the mfgs/distributors) would provide it. But no; we, as a group, are terrible cheapskates and demand Mercedes quality at Yugo prices. Still, I think we're beginning to see an "edging up" of this under $200 mind-set. ARFs keep getting better; and more expensive. And I'm not talking about the firms who provide low-ball product to appeal to the lowest-price/to-hell-with-the-quality crowd.

If you sit down and really look at things, we actually have it pretty good. Most of the hobby stuff we buy is of acceptable quality at a reasonable price. These retracts are just one area where cheap doesn't work; and from what I've heard, some of the expensive after-market "name" retracts aren't so hot, either.

My club has a lot of large scale warbird guys. Well over half of the numerous problems they have on any given Sunday afternoon are related to retracts. High wing-loading and squirrelly handling accounts for much of the rest; and contributes to the first...

Which is why I'll just keep building fixed-gear sport models. If I wanted aggravation, I'd take up golf.