Ok I am venting now about how ARTFmodels are a rip off.
Some of you might have seen my thread about the trouble I had with a Black Horse AT6 Texan. The first one I had an issue with the C of G and the second one the wing fell off on its second flight.
All in all I had laid out £400 for these 2 planes and ended up with nothing to show for it.
Any way, I wrote a letter to Ripmax the importers of Black Horse models with photos showing the damage and the fact that the model failed through lack of glue on important fittings. ie the wings.
Ripmax agreed and ended up giving me back the £200 I paid for the second model in theform of a credit not at the model shop I bought it from. Very kind of them I thought. I cant fault Ripmax at all in this.
Any wayI told the model shop that I did not want a Black Horse model again after what I had been through. I noticed that they had a Graupner P47 Thunderbolton their web site and they had one in stock.
Now the Black Horse Thunderbolt is priced at £152.99. The Graupner Thunderbolt is priced at £223.99. A whole £71 dearer. You would think that the more expensive modle was going to be a better kit.
DONT BE FOOLED.
When I got it home and opened the box I noticed that there were lots of bits that are identical to Black Horse parts. (engine mount, fuel tank, Wing bolts and fixings, etc) I thought strange.
On Sunday at the club field, one of the guys had a Black Horse Thunderbolt. On close inspection and a chat it turns out the the Black Horse and the Graupner P47 Thunderbolt are one and the same model.
The Black horse is in a Black Horse box and the Graupner model is in a Graupner box. That is the only difference. Nothing else at all.
This is a warning that I had never concidered. These ARTF Models are coming out of the same factory and are built by the same people and then sold to different companies and labeled as being different.
I phoned the model shop and pointed this out and got some of my money back, and then was told that of course I wouldn't normally have noticed this, it was just that I had had the problem with the Texan that I did.
We are being RIPPED OFF.
Watch out.
Just because it is labeled one thing it doesn't mean you are getting what you think you are.

Ok Thats me done.



Ray.