I've got the FB small F-5 and a Rafale, built the first production MiG-21 (and another one a few months later), and just purchased the prototype Mirage F-1.

All in all I'd say that the fiberglass work is quite good, the paint finish is great but in some cases can chip easily due to insufficient surface preparation. The retract units can jam due to the sharp corner in the slot in the side frames (if you file a radius on the corner, this fixes the problem). The cylinders can leak at the ends of the travel so it can be problematic if you are using a UP2 or UP3 valve to control the retracts/gear doors. This isn't a problem if you are using 2 valves and a sequencer.

The factory installs of the gear doors and cylinders is quite good. Some planes have the "Chi-ply" retract mounts reinforced with a ~1/16" thick layer of poly-ply that really increases the strength.

The parts fit together well and there is less re-engineering that you need to do in comparison to the products of some of the other manufacturers.

As for Dewey's wingtip smoke, I asked him about it last year. He uses marine smoke flares. You taxi out and light them at the end of the runway and immediately take off. You only get about 90 seconds of smoke but it looks absolutely fantastic for those 90 seconds. Rolls are the bomb as you get a cool double helix of smoke.

Dewey, correct me if I remembered any of that wrong.

Regards,

Jim