I have a Shuttle Plus and a Hawk IV. There is no doubt that the Hawk is a more modern design. The basic Shuttle dates back to 1985. Of course, it has been upgraded and updated since then.

When you set them side by side, the Hawk LOOKS more stout. The Hawk also flies like a bigger heli. But when I bring them both to the field, I prefer to fly the Shuttle Plus. It just "feels" better to me. I also think the Shuttle is a little more crash-resistant. It also has a lower parts count. I had a boom strike after an autoration with both helis. These were minor. Basically, a blade nicked the tail boom. In both cases I was able to continue flying. But when I landed, there was damage. Here's what I had to replace:

Hawk IV:

Blades
Main Shaft
Spindle
Tail Boom
Tail Rotor Drive Wire
Landing Gear
Horizontal Fin
Two pushrods
Three ball links

Shuttle Plus:
Blades
Spindle
Main Shaft
Tail Boom

You tell me which you'd rather crash? The Shuttle went in HARD another time and cost less than $60 to fix (not counting blades - I use FinKey FRP blades).