Hello!

I was wondering what you thought of VQ (or QV) ARF kits. I have seen them on sale in a couple of HS here in Houston and the sales folks think they are worth the money. What do you think?

Happy Flying!

Flying Scotsman

Scotsman, I have a VQ Macchi 205, it was powered by a Rossi .40 with hobbico mechalical retracts and had just under 10hr flight time before I retired it. It was retired because:
- Plastic Wing fillets cracked so bad from vibration they had to be removed.
- Plastic retract seround departed in flight because it was so badly cracked from vibration.
- Plastic wing tips began to crack due to vibration, I filled them with foam. The cracking stopped then parts started coming off like it was stattered auto glass.
- Plastic head rest behind pilot started to crack.
- Cowel had cracked in meny places.
- Landing gear mounts each riped out once, I replaced them with marine ply. But when they ripped out they put large holes in the bottom of the wing. PatChing required shelf paper or packing tape.
- Plastic oil cooler on bottom of wing cracked so bad it removed it's self in flight.
- Prone to flutter, caused by unanchored "Y" pushrod to elevator.

Mine sits in the burn bin awaiting sacrafice to the cloud gods. I normaly would pass it on to someone interested in warbirds in one of the clubs I belong to. But as the plastic parts started to fall off it started getting squerly, dropping wings, snapping. I don't know if this is because of the mostly missing wing tips or the wing has become very loose and can be bent almost any way I want to bend it. I'm almost tempted to remove the covering to see if it is the only thing that is holding the wing togeather. If I was pressed to rat it on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) it would round up to 3.

Regarding the VQ War Birds,

Morris Hobbies has distributed these new ARF's since 02/01/02. I hope Paladin contacted the orginal distributor and received new parts for his aircraft? While I can't make excuses for previous distributors, I can give you the following facts about VQ Models.

-Improved plastic (upgraded thickness)
-Improved Fiberglass Engine Cowling (Different Cure Process)
-Improved Hardware Package (No Plastic - All Metal)
-Improved Assembly Manual (Actual Pictures)
-Metal Retracts Pre-Installed
-Replacement Covering Panels Available
-Replacement Plastic Parts Available
-Excellent Customer Service

Please call me if you have more questions - 1-800-599-6887

Sincerely,

Matt Jolley
Senior Vice President
Morris Hobbies

I have one of the new P-51B models and the A-26 Invader. I can say that they look great and seem to be very strong. I put a Saito .72 in the Mustang and two Magnum .52s in the A-26. Having never seen the early planes I can not compare them. I can say that the Mustang looks to be of good quality and has a very nice outline.
I have not had a chance to fly them yet as we are in the middle of a move and that has my full attention right now.
I like mine very much and can't wait to see what is next in line to be modeled!
Hans

can you post a pic of the p51B? please?
I saw the pic on the website but wanted to see more pics.
any ideas if there are more pics of it on the internet?

Just Bought the new P-51B and it is great. The detailing is very realistic including drop tanks and pre-installed retracts. The kit seems very well put together, the only downside being the shelf-paper covering, almost disuaded me from buying it. Best looking B arf I've seen. SHANGRILA

Please keep me posted on how does the P51 flies

I just noticed that Morris has a pic of the "B" on their site.

I just finished up and flew my VQ Models Space Walker on Sunday......only quality issues that I found were as follows:
Some of the balsa seemed to be of inferior quality (small areas of sheeting were too soft), lack of blind nuts for engine mount and landing gear mount.....that's about it.

As far as flying, it flew GREAT. My only concern is how it will hold up in the long run.
Is it worth the money? ($160)....probably......

I've seen these on ebay starting at $100 and usually not going past $110. They're advertised as US Aero kits on ebay.....I was leery because I thought that these might be the older models that were out there before Morris Hobbies started distributing them.

Mike

Whats this rumor I hear about a 80" P-38 from VQ?
I have the silver A-26, haven't done it yet.
The covering is good, the cowls are great and even the wheels are acceptable. Will have to go over all the accessible glue joints with thinned epoxy. I very much like the fact that the plane is designed for Spring Air retracts.
Not sure which engines I'll use yet.

If you have questions, call Morris or e-mail them at [email protected] they are the US distributor for the entire VQ line. The folks there are knowledgable and nice, and modelers to boot! I just received a Zero from Morris and it's nice. I'd say only a notch below my Kyosho Mustang (and it come with retracts unlike my Mustang). The covering appears to be sticky backed (like my Mustang), but is applied neat and tight. The weathering printed into the covering gives it a more authentic look as well. Wood looks to be of good quality, the cowl is made of heavyweight fiberglass (unlike the brittle Kyosho stuff which cracks WAY too easily for my tastes), and the painted plastic bits (wing saddle and tips) are a very close match in color to the covering. My only reservation with the kit so far is the small size of the main tires. They look to be 2.5" and the wells don't look like they can accomodate 3" tires (might make takeoffs and landings a chore on my fields grass runways)...

I'm impressed with the VQ line of airplanes that Morris is carrying. They're carrying quite a few models that nobody else makes in ARF format (such as the Macchi, Mig-3, and Aircobra) so you can get something that's sure get some interest at your field. Plus they seem to be carrying their planes in a couple of color schemes, which can turn a humdrum ARF into something entirely new.

In any case, I'm waiting for the 60 sized Warhawk... And the twin Lightning like the rest of you...

BTW, Flying Scotsman, since you live in Houston, why don't you just drop into Morris?

I guess I'll add my 2 cents on the subject of VQ arfs. I have a
Macchi 205 and couldn't be happier with it. It is the best flying
airplane in my fleet and really turns heads at the field since
noone else has a Macchi. I am considering a purchase of either the P40 when it comes out or the Mig 3. And by the way, Morris
Hobbies have great support for these airplanes. All in all, I'd
say they are definitely worth the money.

Hey snapper,

Do you have any pictures of your macchi? I've searched all over, but a picture of the actual model is elusive...

Thanks!

Sorry, F2,I don't have a digital camera. If you go to the Morris
Hobbies website and browse their VQ models selections, you will
find the Macchi. Click on it and enlarge the picture. Mine is in
yellow and green desert camoflage and it looks awesome.

What engine are you using on the Macchi 205?

I am using an Enya 50CX swinging a 12-6 prop. It seems just
right for this airplane. The airplane is very stable and has pretty
good low speed performance. For me, it was a perfect first warbird.

Thanks for the info on the engine, I wondering now if my Irvine 46 would work or change it to a 53?

Here's a picture of my Macchi. I hope it goes through.

I flew mine with a Rossi 40 with a muffler (this setup is 24years old) and it was plenty of power. Just do it!

Good luck!

How are the VQ kits built, the phots look like EZ construction (ie foamboard)??

Are the EZs foam? Didn't know that, as for the VQs, they are all (unless I'm mistaken) built-up balsa/ply construction with some plastic parts and fiberglass cowls.

Thanks for the input on structure. The EZ line is a light spruce/ply substructure with foam board covering.

The covering on my A-26 looks like "shelf paper" but the instructions say you can remove wrinkles with a heat gun.
I haven't tried it yet, let ya know when I build it.

My Spacewalker is all-wood construction, with fiberglass cowl and gear. I flew it again yesterday, have about 8 flights on it now, it's fast becoming one of my favorite flyers. Carlos, you're right, it does look like shelf paper, but much more durable than your typical shelf paper, but it is heat shrinkable, make sure you use low heat.

Mike

Due in sometime after January.
Go to morrishobbies.com to see the prototype.