RE: modifying an ARF
Just about every ARF will need a little "tweak" here and there. Hence the name ARF - Almost Ready to Fly. Any one experienced enough will go through and check the usual stuff such as: glue joints, firewall strength, landing gear strength, tail group, etc., etc. Although you have to "upgrade" the ARF's, it is still saves tremendous build time and allows you to get in there much faster. The quality of most ARF's are far superior today than they were a few years ago. We should all be thankful that we have these ARF's.
Good luck and happy flying.