The way I see it is:

The original Skybolt kit was fantastic, but it was heavy. This in itself wasn't too bad, but I added a smoke system to it (Pump, servo, battery, etc) which made it REALLY heavy, but it was still a blast to fly.

But then 3-D came along and everyone was on a "LIGHT-AS-POSSIBLE" kick. So when GP designed the ARF, I think they may have gone a little overboard on the lightening.

But personally, I think the biggest mistake they made was not keeping the way the top wing and interplane struts are mounted. On the kit, this was the best system I have ever seen - quick and easy. but on the ARF, it's not only a PIA to get the top wing off, but you HAVE to take the top wing off first to get the bottom wing off. So if you want to get at the radio compartment for something minor, you have to disassemble the whole thing [:@]