RE: What is a REALLY good, durable, .40 Sized trainer ARF ????
IF you can find one, a Midwest/Falcon Trading Company, AEROBAT.
I own 2 and have beat the crap out of them, rebuilt one almost entirely and they continue to fly like new. I've run ST .40's, SK .50's, Thunder Tiger 4s 52's and even an OS .61FP and they just can't be beat. Quality hardware, woods and covering.
They were made in Italy orignally and double carton-shipped. I paid $105. a piece for mine and they occassionally pop up on eBAY.
Semi-symetrical airfoil, dual aileron servo's(for flaperons and WOW...what nice vertical take-offs and landings you can do with those!) and smooth as glass approaches. Slow it down for a gentle landing or grease it in, hot. It won't fall off or snap on dead-stick approaches.
I modified one of them so that it doesn't even look like the same airplane but it FLIES like the same!
PM