When I started looking for my first giant scale plane, my LHS had two DPM offerings in stock; an Extra 330L and the bigger Edge 540. having seen the fancy ads in the mags, I was almost ready to buy one, but couldnt decide which. I finally decided on the Extra, and asked (as I always do) to open the box and check the contents. Upon opening the box, I found what was, without a doubt, the sorriest constructed plane I had seen thus far. The covering was wrinkled to the point of actually being creased in places, several of the fuselage stringers weren't even glued in places, the cowl had chips in the paint and the color didnt even come CLOSE to matching the yellow covering. One elevator was severely warped, etc. etc. etc. I boxed that one back up and decided to check on the Edge... same deal, with all sorts of problems. Honestly, that's the last time I have even considered anything from DPM, and after reading several threads on their LACK of customer service, I am sure glad. But, to be fair about the customer service situation, DPM is NOT the only company that seems to be lacking in that department. Seems like pulling teeth to get service from SEVERAL of the big companies. This is PRECISELY the reason that I rarely order anything direct from a manufacturer, or even from an online hobby shop. If I order it through my LHS, I can inspect it BEFORE I take delivery of it, and if there's a problem, the shop has to deal with it, not me.