I've only owned one H-9 plane, not a warbird, and it is an okay plane, quality-wise.But I have rebuilt about half the airframe over the three years I've had it. Not from crashes, or almost crashes, but from general wear-and -tear that my similar, and kit-built, plane has not suffered from much the same kind of flying.

What was experienced by the owner of the P-40 in question isn't typical of H-9, but could happen with most any ARF on the market, as the engineering of these planes is geared toward 1: light weight for the overall size, 2:simplicity of construction for whomever is on the assembly line, and 3: cheap enough to assure a really good profit margin after the assembler gets paid next to nothing, and the distributor and retailer get their considerably greater share of the sale price.

Unfortunately, durability suffers. If everyone could fly like Greg Hahn or Mac Hodges, or QuiQue and grease the thing in on every landing, it might last a bit longer in its out-of-the-box assembly. But I think most pilots are closer to my end of the pilot curve, and unless it is reinforced from the get-go, the typical ARFisn't going to last all that long without constant patching-up.

This isn't to say that the same thing can't happen to any plans-built, kit-built, or scratch-built model, but I am convinced that it is much less likely to happen. The builder who invests the time and effort to create his own plane is usually knowledgeable and skilled enough to avoid the pitfalls common in ARF construction. he isn't trying to build three or four of them a day, is less concerned in having a super-light model, opting for a more robust and durable plane, and he doesn't have to have it tomorrow, so he is willing to take the pains to build it right.

Those who opt for ARF's over kits have decided on the quicker route, usually the less expensive route (than building one like the ARF they bought), or just don't feel they have the skills to build it. Nothing wrong with that at all, but be ready to put up with quality and durability less than what you'd be likely to get in something not mass produced.

I think ARF's have opened the door to some who are capable of becoming technically adept at most phases of the hobby without having to become builders, but has also made the hobby available to those who'd be better served doing needlepoint.

I know that last line will create a stir, but just take a look in some of the forums where you'd expect to find questions and replies that suggest a grasp of the fundamentals, but instead lead you to be happy you don't share the flying field with that particular person.

As far as your P-40 goes, whoever said "box up the remains and send to Horizon" probably has the best solution. If truly a mfg defect, they'll make it right.