ORIGINAL: darock
Hey, a question about the Raidentech Ultimate.....
Did they supply shortened horns for the connections between ailerons?
No... and the large control horns they supplied had hollow centers so they couldn't really be cut down for use to connect the aileron pairs. I dug around the shop, thinking I had some sets of the connection horns (a got a big bunch of nylon stuff in an auction lot) but it seems I either don't have any or couldn't find them. I took short sets of nylon horns and cut them down to the bottom hole. Not the perfect set-up, but it'll do for now.
It really looks to me like these ARF producing Asians don't actually field test their production products. My Sukhoi had a couple of really braindead deals and the Ultimate has at least this one... but then I've only got it about half done.
Oh well, they surely are pretty and seem to be bringing lots of people into the hobby that wouldn't have come otherwise.
I think it's a double-edged sword. The fantastic bargains lure new hobbyists who may then become either frustrated by the poor engineering, incomplete instructions and sub-standard hardware, or diappointed with the flying qualities of a poorly-engineered, poorly assembled model using sub-standard hardware.
I just assembled one of the $38 trainers that RaidenTech sells. It would have the average newbie cursing and throwing tools around the shop in no time. [:@] I don't know how if flies yet.
The bargain ARFs do offer great value for someone who likes to, or is willing to, tinker, customize, improvise, upgrade, etc.. But sometimes, the bargain ARFs don't need any extra work...
I just started assembling a Hobbico TwinStar ARF. It was the same price as RaidenTech's Ultimate: $120. The quality is remarkable. I would not buy the four colors of covering and apply the beautiful trim scheme on a kit for $120. And if I decided to, I could try my best and still not do as good a job. This model seems to be my "best buy" in ARFs so far.
Good flying,
desmobob