kochj,
I agree with you. All the RC magazines are little more than an advertising agency for their advertisers.
The only industry that I know that has "watch dog" magazines is the dirt bike magazines. Motocross Action and Dirt Bike tell it like it is. They see a problem they identify it and then they fix it and explain what they did. If it can be fixed. Oddly enough I think those magazines have the highest circulation of any magazines in the industry. And every manufactuer advertises there. They have to...they're the magazines that get read. I heard one time Suzuki didn't like their reviews and pulled their ads. MXA just printed that and continued to test their bikes and evaluate them. Suzuki got better...and so did their reviews. Now they are back advertising with them.

Another thing I'd admire about them....they don't allow beer, cigarette, or girly ads of any kind. A nice family magazine the gives the straight scoop on what bikes are really like. Oh I wish a RC magazine would do that.

For a long time I used to post my opinions of the planes I fly and rate them on everything I could think about. I used a scale of 1-10. I evaluated ground handling, take offs, landing, rolls, hovers, harriers, KE, flat spins, rolling circles, etc and also rated the ease of assembly, price, manual, and customer service I experienced. What I found was I became a target for many manufactures and their cult like followers. Very discouraging indeed. I finally quit the practice because nobody else really did it. You only get comments like, "best plane I've ever flown" etc. Of no use really. I determined that RC manufacturer has a loyal following that will go to any length to defend their hallowed products. They really don't want a rating system or even the truth out there. Someday we'll all grow up enough to realize there is no perfect plane. And any plane will have areas of quality or flight that are of concern. For the life of me I can't figure out why some people will defend almost to the death what they fly. Me I really want an honest evaluation and that will help me pick the planes I want. Currently there are no magazines or forums that objectively look at that. Too bad.

An easy example are the Extreme Flight guys. Can't say anything constructive or otherwise about there planes. The cult won't allow it. There planes are big (that's a good thing and a bad thing) but they are also heavy. They fly good but not perfect. My Yak won't flat spin well but apparently every other one ever built flat spins "the best I've ever flown". At least that's what they say on the forums. But I get private emails by many who express that their planes fly the same way. But it's not for open debate. If you try you'll get "hazed" even from the manufactuer themselves. Darnest thing I've ever seen.

Until we are willing to look objectively we'll continue to wallow in the mire. I hope someday it will change and we can get meaningful magazine evaluation.

If I'm wrong would somebody point me to that magazine or even that one article the "tells it like it is".

On the subject of this forum....My experience with Great Planes and Tower Hobbies has been excellent. I've had over 20 of their planes and every one was pretty much what I expected. I've only had one time where they shipped my the wrong thing (ordered 30% fuel and they shipped 15%) I called them and they told me to keep what they sent me and shipped the corrected order the next day.

I don't have the 46 Reactor but I have the 50CC and mine is covered with Monokote. It's a fun plane but I don't like the way the stab attaches. It's weak but easily reinforced. But stock from the factory it is very weak and concerns me. The wing tube is the smallest I've seen on a 50CC class airplane....and oddly enough, the heaviest. Mine weighed something like 11 ozs. I replace it with a TBM CF wing tube which weighs less than 2 ozs. But it appears small, but so far no problems.

I'll continue to deal with Tower and Great Planes because I have an open mind. If I don't like a plane....that's ok. I'll get rid of it and try something else.

Anyways....wish we could have critical evaluation without the fight. But....I guess that would be Utopia.

Thanks
Barry

PS: I've even been ridiculed for the way I start my posts (with a smiley) Who really cares and who'd be offended by that. But I've had several PM where I get trashed for that. Man....life is just too short for that.