I'm getting more and more impressed with my VMar ARFs from Richmond RC. The Apache III and the Ramrod have both been on a back burner for a while. It's been raining a lot for the last several weeks, and I've been trying to maiden my Thunder Tiger Pitts Special .40 ARF and my 84" Quaker. I am able to report that our club auction came and went, and I'm still a happy VMar owner. I think the Apache III will make a wonderful trainer with which to work with students.

I had a couple of additional surprises today. My buddy Fred was looking for a project, and I'd had the Ramrod ARF sitting out in my garage still wrapped in the heavy shipping plastic that protects the display box. I went over to Fred's house this afternoon with the Ramrod ARF and all of the necessary electronics; a Hitec Supreme IIS receiver, four Hitec HS-311 servos, a Hitec DC 72Mhz FM Ch33 crystal, a Hitec 4.8V 600Mah receiver pack, an Airtronics switch/charge jack, an Airtronics 6" servo extension for the aileron lead, and charge port for the side of the fuselage. I needed to round up an engine for it, and I figured I could give Fred the fuel line, prop, and safety nut when I gave him the engine.

I told Fred that I hadn't even seen the Ramrod yet, and I was looking forward to opening the box. We unwrapped the box and lifted the lid; inside was a perfectly restrained Ramrod ARF waiting to be assembled. Like the Apache, the covering was beautifully applied without a wrinkle to be found. The control rods were pre-installed, the canopy was already mounted, all control surfaces were pre-hinged and pinned from the factory. The wheels included with the Ramrod were high quality foam, whereas the Apache III ARF came with rubber wheels. It was surprising how nice the silver, yellow, light blue, dark blue, and white covering looking laid out across the airframe. The pictures I'd seen on Richmond RC's website didn't do the Ramrod justice.

"My collection of extra engines has thinned out a bit," I told Fred. I've got the MECOA Aero .46 at home along with a couple of older Super Tigres, but I'm not sure I want to use any of those on the Ramrod. I was trying to decide whether I'd use an old engine on it, or just go ahead and buy something new, and when I went out to the mailbox today my check for serving on jury duty was waiting for me."

Fred chuckled, "Well that wasn't too hard of a choice, was it?"

I cracked a grin and replied, "I thought about ordering a few more Aviastar .46s from Sig and just using a couple of those. I might order a couple of new Super Tigres instead, or get another (Thunder Tiger) GP-42. I'll need to get safety nuts, too, for whatever engines I decide on. I still don't like plastic spinners. I have to give VMar credit, though, the spinner they include looks quite a bit nicer than the ones you normally get thrown in with an ARF. Here, check this out!"

I reached into the box and grabbed the black spinner included with the Ramrod ARF. Still in the plastic bag, Fred grabbed it and opened up the package to inspect it more closely.

"Uh, dude?" Fred's face switched from puzzled to amused, "This isn't a plastic spinner; it's aluminum." Fred clinked the spinner against his wedding ring to emphasize the point.

My $49.99 Ramrod ARF came with a painted aluminum spinner included in the box. Sweet! When I got back to my house, I checked the spinner in the Apache III ARF box, sure enough it too was painted aluminum rather than plastic.

I'm really looking forward to seeing and flying the finished Ramrod ARF with whatever engine I decided to mount on it. Like the Apache III, it looks like a high quality airframe that should be a terrific flier as well. While having either of them disintegrate in mid-flight will likely change my mind regarding VMar ARFs, so far I'm very glad that I decided to give Richmond RC a shot and decide for myself with regard to the quality of their products.