Whenever I see an 'Arizona Models' thread pop up, I experience a flash of bad feelings. I'm sorry to say it, but it's just the way it is. Yes, I had designed a few models a while back, and was asked by AZM to supply these designs for their kit production use. The rest is history.[]
I've worked close with them before, and the company does try to 'do it all'. I don't believe they TRY to be deceptive, but the end results would appear that way.

I'd like to share an experience I had with them a long time ago, and perhaps you will get a better feel from a designer's perspective. I designed and built a 1/6th scale DH-1a intended for Scalemasters work. I put it through a pretty thorough testing/ adjusting program. CG and incidence was altered and tested, and being a pusher, the thrustline was experimented with since it was all new to me back then. The model ended up being a really good flyer! I finalized the plans, and at that time was asked to provide them to AZM. A year or so later, I just happened to be at their shop, and was checking out a copy of 'my' plans which had been enlarged to 1/4 scale. "WHAT THE....?" The incidence angles were ALL WRONG. Why? Because one of the shop's groupies, a scale RC "expert", advised that the angles can't be right.... So they were changed, and no mention of it was ever made to me. This was but just one of many disappointments over the years. I truly wish I had a better story to tell.

I will continue to design and build WW1 RC models, but will keep them closer to home.

John