ORIGINAL: Gray Beard
There are still things that need doing on any of the ARFs no mater who makes them.
Very true. There are obvious quality issues with some stuff such as holes that don't line up, poor materials and other things. Ultimately though, the quality of any ARF comes down to how it is assembled. If a firewall looks weak, strengthen it. If a piece of hardware just seems cheesy, replace it. I've seen some lousy assembly jobs and planes losses that could have been easily prevented.
ARF quality does just seem to keep getting better though. I assembled a GP Cap-580 not too long ago. The firewall was pinned with dowels right out of the box, it had sheeted foam-core wings and excellent hardware. Every joint was well-glued and each piece fit together perfectly with all the screw holes lining up just like they should. I didn't have to change or fix a thing. The only thing not exactly perfect is the covering but it is still pretty good.