Thanks for the clarification Tom. Please note that the following portion of this response is not directed specifically at you - but rather as a generic response to numerous contributors to this thread...

Given the above info - for the "unsupported" portion of the hinge to be a "major issue", wouldn't that now suggest that Matt's technique is totally wrong and unsafe, and we should now all have a go at Matt instead of Tam ?

Sorry Matt - I'm not claiming there's anything wrong with your technique - practically everyone knows that you know how to build a model that is absolutely solid - I'm just using this as an example of how the same technique seems to be able to get rave reviews or get crtiicized, depending on whose name is behind it.

Since this seems to be a rather subjective "issue" rather than an objective one, perhaps those who consider the standard hinge method of the Viper to be inadequate could simply add a "cone" of aeropoxy to spread the load and make it even less likely that the hinge would flex at its otherwise unsupported section. If that's the only kind of mod you need to address this particular issue then IMO some of the participants in this thread are blowing things WAY out of proportion to reality. I wish the ARFs that I've put together needed so little rework. Reworking the gearmounts alone, took over 8 hours on the last Roo I did for a friend !

Sounds to me like this whole subject is basically a case of various people making a mountain out of a mole-hill.

I have no doubt at all that Cermark could make further improvements to their Viper ; I have no doubt that such improvements WILL occur in future, just as they have occurred in the past when Tam & others did extensive testing on the original ARF and sent their feedback to Cermark. I also have no doubt that even if & when we get to a Mk 10 version of the aircraft, there will still be some minor issues (putting bug-fixes into software also tends to create some additonal bugs, so why would we expect that hardware would be any different).

Having a certain amount of issues in a kit or an ARF is simply a fact, and one that will not go away. Doesn't matter whose kit or ARF it is, I doubt that it can ever be 100% perfect in construction, and the manual will never answer every single question that can ever come up. Consumers and manufacturers alike need to recognize and understand that ; consumers need to understand that here are good ways to ask for info from manufacturers etc, and there are bad ways ; manufacturers / dealers / distributors need to likewise understand that there are good ways to respond to questions and / or criticism, and there are bad ways.

Now, maybe I'm just creating a mine-field for myself here by trying to find some kind of resolution, but sometimes it seems that that's where I feel most at home - so here goes...

My proposal to restore some form of normalcy here is as follows - Tam - keep your ad withdrawn (at least for now) if you feel that is the right thing to do, but don't simply withdraw all Tamjets presence here... that's just cutting your nose off to spite your face. Appoint John Orito as your "official spokesman" for any contentious issues (or as your sole RCU presence if you wish), and let him loose. From my past interaction with John, as well as from observing his past 'style" here on RCU I believe that he has the diplomatic skills that are frequently necessary here, the smarts and experience to ignore / deflect those posts that seem to be made simply to try to get a rise out of you, and the technical expertise to answer various questions on your product line. In short, I believe he can represent you extremely well while avoiding taking any of the bait that others may choose to set for him / you.

One of the things I value most about you Tam, is that you are absolutely straightforward and honest and you say exactly what you mean, as well as mean exactly what you say. Knowing that you'd never once even think of saying one thing to my face and another behind my back is great at the personal level, but unfortunately it is perhaps not always the best thing to do at the professional / business level where a certain amount of reserve and "marketing veneer" (aka BS layer) is expected to be applied in many / all communications. I know that you personally are too "genuine" to apply that BS layer, and I'm quite happy for you to stay that way - but think about having John handle that aspect for you. PS to John - don't take that as me saying you're full of BS - I think you know what I'm getting at here.

Tam / John - gimme a call if you think I can be of any assistance in helping straighten anything out. I'll PM you my home telephone number.

Spot - I believe you are misjudging Marc ; while I don't always agree 100% with everything he does or says, his heart is in the right place and there's usually a pretty good reason why he questioned people about commercial affiliations etc. I think that you too are perhaps over-reacting and doing him a disservice in the process.

Marc - two things:
(a) I don't think some of your comments in this thread should have been made here... I know you are simply trying to correct some impressions and / or explain what's going on, but when you make a fairly emotional post that can appear in any way to be pro- or anti- a given manufacturer / dealer etc, then there are plenty of people who will take that as "proof" that (i) this manufacturer is now officially a bad guy ; (ii) that its ok for them to jump in and have a go too. As RCU's top dog, you need (IMO) to stay out of the low-level fights as much as possible. Just as I feel Tam should refrain from answering some "provocative" posts (at all, or at least until after cooling down for an hour), I think you should too.. or just make a muted public response and take the stronger stuff to a private discussion.

(b) Regarding Dave (Strawboss) and his Artes affiliation ... I can't tell you exactly when Dave became a rep, or whether it was literally within 5 minutes of you previously asking him about it - but I can tell you for sure that it was very sudden. I know that one week he was lamenting how he wanted a (Jetcat) Titan but could not afford one, and the next week he told me he was a newly appointed Artes rep. If he had Artes plans the week before, I don't think even he would be dumb enuff to be ranting and raving about how he wanted a Jetcat Titan... but there again, we are talking about Dave

Marc - call me at home after 3:30 pm if you think it would help.

Later,
Gordon