ORIGINAL: ChuckW
The problem isn't where it's made, it's what we want to pay.
The problem is that the people working in the ARF plants appear to have little understanding of wood selection. Another problem is they have no experience actually using the models.
They make beautiful, often flawed THINGS for us. As far as they know, if it looks right, it is right.
In the last year, I've had a P40 flutter it's tail because the stab LE was punk wood that should never have been LE stock. The worker who built that stab had a chance to reject that wood. Didn't happen. A Skybolt's firewall was so weak that a nose-in that didn't hurt the fiberglass cowl pushed the motormount through that firewall. There have been three ARFs with maingear that placed the tires almost directly under the CG. An experienced flyer knows model's won't handle properly unless the CG puts weight on the nosewheel. Those workers/designers didn't. One of those ARFs landing gear is located such that there is no way to move the CG back where the model could fly better. Landing gear location shouldn't limit that. A couple of ARFs have absolutely no exhaust openings for the engine cooling air. One entire line of electrics have a plastic box with a tightly closing lid to hold the battery/esc. No cooling whatsoever. And they're 3D. etc etc
Unfortunately, I think we would have a difficult time finding a skilled labor force to make good ARF's here.
We're building Hondas in the US. We're paying US wages. US citizens are the ones doing the work and being paid those wages. As for skills............
A US worker can afford to fly model airplanes for a hobby. It's highly doubtful Chinese workers have even seen model airplanes fly, much less own and fly one. It appears that the Chinese workers have little exposure to the hobby and it's obvious they really don't understand what they're sticking together. It appears they're making Barbie Dolls that fly from their point of view.
Continuing the auto analogy......... The US Honda workers all drive. We have a history of maintaining our own cars. Some even mess with cars for fun. US made Hondas could be the best built cars in the world for the price. Chinese made ARFs are some of the prettiest things made. But they're very, very often fatally flawed. It's time we got across to the US companies selling them that they need just a little better QA. Either do it over there or over here, but quit selling flawed pretty things.