My experience...

Of all the planes I fly, my favorite is a Kyosho Cardinal 177 ARF. No longer made, it's a prefab foam core wing with OPS covering, and a polyethylene fuselage. On the plus side, the model company can build these units quickly and they're typically stronger. However, if you 'break' the wing or body, you have to replace it.

I also own a Hanger 9 Solo Series trainer. It went together pretty easily and flies well...but the wing covering came loose after only 5 flights. Eventually, I had to replace the bottom covering of the entire wing. It seems that 'covering' has always been the bulk of my problems when purchasing an ARF kit. Some kit builders go real cheap and use a tape like covering. Seriously look into a kit that offers a good covering.

Just stick with the names you know...Great Planes, Hanger 9, Hobbico, Kyosho, Hobby Lobby, etc. In my model room, I'd say 70% of mine are kits and the rest are ARFs.