LDM,

Have a read through the VMAR Mig 21 thread:http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3515389/tm.htm

There is nothing wrong with the VMAR jets. They all fly o.k.

I have seen an early release F18 in action and it flies just fine.

There are always negative comments made about VMAR in any thread appearing about the brand. And the negative comments usually come from the same people, over and over and over again. And you can bet one thing. They have not had a real close look at a VMAR kit in years.

Sure, the early VMAR offering were terrible. I have had 2 or 3 that lasted a very short time, but on the other hand, my oldest survivng ARF is a VMAR Ramrod, constructed in early 1998. It is flown regularly.

But they are not as good as World Models many will say.

Well I have a World Models Super Sports 40. it is now 8 years old, it. I put it together shortly after putting the Ramrod together.

Now we have all heard how marvellous World Kits are, especially from the VMAR knockers.
But I have not had anyone of them answer me, when I commented in a thread on that particular model some time back, that
1)I had to chuck away the supplied undercarriage legs and supply a Dubro nose wheel leg as well as salvage the 2 main legs from a crashed Seagull (now Phoenix) Scanner. Why? Because the ones that WM supplied were so thin that they would have folded up on the 1st landing.
2)That the supplied wing joiner was only some 2 inches long and as thick as an APC prop blade, so that I had to put a fibreglass bandage around the wing join.
3) That the aileron torque rods had no bearing around them, they just ran against (and eroded) the wood in the wing TE and in no time became so sloppy that the model was unflyable. I had to cut down to the torque rods, remove them and fashion and install a bearing from hardwood dowel, before glueing the whole thing back together.
4) That my friend and fellow contributor, tiANci of Malaysia, bought the same kit about 12-18 months ago. On its 1st outing, the whole internal nose structure fell out because it had not been glued in at the factory.
He also mentioned it on this website. Not a comment made in return!!! And so much for World Models quality!!!!

Name me one ARF Kit that you have used 100% of the supplied fittings and built without the slightest change or modification?

And lastly, you have a VQ P40 right?

It does not have Oracover or Monokote covering! What is the covering?

And despite VQ being a US company, your P40 was not made in the USA. Where was it made?

Yes, KMP/ESM et al, raised the bar in surface apperance (But their kits still have to be modified, just read the threads.) and this certainly put the pressure on VMAR, which meant that VMAR has had to keep improving and that is a good thing. If they had not, after all these years, would they still be in business today? Well the fact that they are, has got to means that VMAR must be selling a lot of kits and we don't have too many threads about them appearing on RC Universe nowdays.

What does that tell you?

Well, now that I've vented my spleen and had my 2 cents worth (and am feeling better. Nothing like venting some bile before breakfast) I will finish up by saying... Go ahead and get an F18 LDM. Sure, there will be items in the kit you will feel you need to change or modify, but is that anything new with any ARF?