ARFs, build in 15 to 20 hours. Is this possible? Im in the middle of three projects and all have needed mods to some degree.

First let me say this, ARFS seem to be of very high quality overall and I will probably continue to purchase. I have been building airplanes for approx. 8 years, and I know what it takes to put one together. It is also so nice to open up a very large box and take out a brightly covered beautiful airplane already built...kinda ...But..... usually upon close inspection, (sometimes not so close) you find things that just may not be quite right with your new pride and joy.

And another thing, I do NOT expect ARFs to be perfect! I would like certain things to be right though, as certain things would take more work to fix than just to build one from a kit.

Here are my current projects and problems:

DP Extra 330L ARF-

-one wing panel had a warp (I fixed)
-same wing panel was "thinner" than other! (I fixed)
-made numerous mods due to flutter problems experienced by others here at RCU
-stab tubes mounted in fuse were not aligned properly

H9 Cap 232 1/3 scale

-left stab did not slide onto stab tubes (replaced stab)
-one stab sat lower than other in the rear due to tubes mounted in stab were not positioned just right (I fixed)
-rudder warped (replaced) new rudder was warped also! (I fixed)
-ailerons warped (badly!)
-hardpoints for horns only on bottom of surfaces not much meat between! There is soft balsa on top surfaces! Im replacing with hardpoints for the recommended Rocket city hardware (at least the DP extra 330 had a balsa block that filled the cavity between bottom and top and I put hard points in it as well and used rocket city hardware)
-double bevels are horribly not right! I have had to re sand most all the double bevels!


Im finding certain things about these high dollar ARFs that could use some attention. It would be nice if the stuff that is supposed to be self aligning or presanded before covering could be QA'd a little better. Sanding lessons would be nice for the MFG workers! Im finding that a lot of hard sanding is done in some areas and light sanding in other areas.

Again, I realize these are ARFS! They are almost ready to fly, but not really!

I have already had to recover my wings from my DP extra 330, recover my elevators from my Cap 232 . These are from either mods or fixes made. I will be doing the same with my Caps ailerons. Since I have built planes before, this is not so hard for me other than taking up my time. I wonder if more inexperienced builders would be able to make the mods in 15 to 20 hours! Or are people just slapping these high dollar kits together in a couple of evenings, and just figuring "it'll fly!". Im just curious. The only ARF I have owned in the past two years that did not require any mods or take any extra time to build was my Sig Somethin Extra! Go figure! Anyway, it would be very hard to build an aircraft to the completed stage that most ARFS arrive in such a short time, but please Mfgs, please do a little more QA!

OH yeah, and please keep these BIG Beautifull ARFS a coming! The good in them more than outways the bad!