If money is an issue (and when isn't it?) I would suggest that you put some consideration into ordering some Depron and cutting out one of the downloadable plans. The E-Flight Yak is extremely fragile. The fuse is 2mm depron, and will break on any kind of landing short of a perfect touchdown. Don't get me wrong, it's a great aiplane. But after owning the Yak, and having built a few foamies myself, I can tell you from experience that you can build just as good a plane for a LOT less money.

The Yak is about $55. For $40 you can order 10 sheets of 6mm Depron from rcfoam.com. Order some 4mm carbon fibre rods and some blenderm from somewhere ($20), and for about $60 in parts you can build 3-4 planes that are more durable and easier to fix. I make my own control horns from old credit cards (works great!!).

My current favorite is the Extra 330 from 3dbatix.com. I'm on Extra #3 right now. I had Kinkos print the plans for me ($6), and I put them on matte board I bought from Hobby Lobby ($5). Cut them out with an exacto knife and you've got templates that will last for as long as you need them. When I'm ready to cut another Extra I just grab my templates, spray them with some 3M Photo adhesive, and lay them on the Depron. It takes about 30 minues to cut a new Extra. Another hour or two to paint (depending on scheme complexity), and an hour to put the radio gear in it.

I've had a lot more fun with the Extras than I ever did with the Yak. I dork them in all the time and they are 100 times more durable than the Yak.

Hope this helps.

Kurt