Well said....

However, here's the case against junk-ARF's...when a modeler goofs or takes shortcuts, whatever...it's one aircraft on one field endangering perhaps one individual, (ok, maybe more).

Junk-ARF's are mass produced, show up all over the place, (the US, UK, Europe, etc) and are potentially hazardous to thousands and thousands of people. The impact on the hobby is enormous...and usually negative. Look at my photos a few posts back...I had rebuilt the landing gear blocks and had everything else WELL checked out...or so I THOUGHT. Now, look at the "after" photos here.

I never dreamed that a glass-filled nylon mount would snap with MINIMAL force as this one did...better on the ground than in the air...I shudder to imagine what would have resulted had this occurred while flying over fellow modelers and spectators!

Not only do junk-ARF's all look alike, they need to be stripped, examined, rebuilt-repaired-reinforced and recovered before flying.
There is a REASON these machines are offered as ARF's and not ARC's...An almost-ready-to-cover model DISPLAYS it's quality...or lack of. These things cover all that with a nice finish. All that glitters, my friends...

This doesn't make them such values afterall in my opinion. I do realize that there are true quality ARF's on the market BUT these don't sell for $129.00 either! Dave Patrick, Hanger 9, Horizon Hobbies, etc. all market great qaulity models so please, don't misunderstand me...I am speaking of the clones and knock-offs flooding eBAY and others, hawked in magazines.

Caveat emptor!

PM