I have seen a lot of "Brand X ARF are Junk" threads lately. Seems like it is really getting out of hand. I want to try and experiment;
I would like everyone to post the brand of ARF you absolutely believe is "junk", and would never buy again. Then post the brand of ARF you feel is the absolute best. Base this on ARF's you have actually built and flown, not what you have read or heard. Please don't get into any long descriptions or bashing. Just the "Worst and Best".
I bet almost every brand will show up on both lists.

Based on my actual experience:
Worst- I have not had a real "POS" yet. I guess the early Laniers.
Best-Top-Flite.

I am really curious how this will turn out.[:-]

Thanks

Terry, what Top Flite ARF did you build?

Jerry

Best - Vector flight Sukhoi
Worst - Sportsman aviation Waco 30 Nice little plane BUT many mods and crap hardware

Somehow a Hobbico .40 size Ultimate snuck onto my workbench years ago.Was wood with foam and plastic film.Couldn't bring myself to install my expensive gear into that pile and sold it for half of what I paid.Dont know if it was even air worthy.

I have built over 50 kits,but these are my recent good experiences with ARF's

Built the Funtana with a few mods.good airfame-great flier
Building GPS Katana( new version),nicely done,low grade hardware,heard good flight reports
Built Cap 232 ARF from unidentified manufacturer.Very good throughout,Outstanding handling for a little Cap....
Still would like to know exactly who built this great little guy.Had this posted before without results,just lots of guesses.These are the colors it came with.except for the rudder which was missing and I built up...

I put together 9 ARF's last year. None were bad at all, but my favorites (in no particular order) were:

Pacific Aeromodels Gee Bee "Y"

Midwest Aerobat

Lanier Mariner 40

Dragon 40

Best is Hangar 9. I love there warbirds.

Worst is KMP.

Best: World Models GS Mustang and Hangar 9 Giant Skylane 182


Worst: Hobbico Extra 300 circa 1993, owned 3 all had a spar failure

Best:

Great Planes
Yellow Aircraft
Pacific Aeromodels
Hangar 9

So So:

Modeltech
Lanier

Bad:

Never really had a bad one.

Worse, #1-I will never buy another Vmar! Buy heck, you could not give me one.
#2 on the worse list is Sportsman Waico.
#3-Seagull Edge and Extras. (there Razzle was great.)

Best- #1-Any H-9 or Wild Hare, plane, neck and neck for my #1 spot, Good ARFs.
#2 GP has always put out a good product and will stand behind them.

I have been in RC a little over 4 years now, not nearly as long as many of you, but I have really learned from those with much more experience. So, I have to say that I haven't assembled a bad ARF yet. I have only purchased GP, WM and H-9 ARF kits. Oh I have had my failures both due to my errors and that of one Rx. and a bad piece of balsa in a Giles by G.P. ( They replaced everything so I have no complaints ) So, no worst for me. I have enjoyed them all.

One thing I have noticed is that you can read both good and bad comments on both G.P and H-9, though generally the comments are very good. I do like G.P a bit better than H-9, but this is just my personal preference. Conversely, I have a WM Giant P-51 and a WM Giant Extra (Extra under assembly) The only negative comment I have ever read about WM is that the stock retracts are not the best, which I have to agree. Other than this, I have only read good things about WM. I have to give the node to WM as the best quality made ARF based on my experience level. On a scale of 1-10 with a 10 being the best - Construction 10, Covering 10, directions 2, hardware 2, Final product appearance 10, flying characteristics 10, reliability 10.

I'll vote early Laniers as Junk. Have they changed that "Slo Comet" kit yet? If not then it would still be junk.

I've posted a LOT about how good the GP Fokker Dr1 ARF is (but you better be good at the sticks to try it).

I'm wotking on a Goldberg Tiger 60 ARF now. I have yet to find a flaw in the aircraft's structure... but the mis-molded motor mount in the kit is useless.

Best and easiest is the WH Edge.
Worse is the Cermark Sukhoi.

Good:

1. Goldberg (now Lanier) Ultimate bipe- this one is without doubt the BEST of over two dozen ARFs I've assembled since 1987.

2. Goldberg (Lanier) Matrix- only about 30% done with this one, but so far has been excellent

3. Kangke CAP 232 Sport- very good, but sad hardware.

4. SIG Somethin' Extra & LT-40- both excellent, with good hardware.


Not So Good:

1. Hangar 9 Super Stick- Crap shelf paper covering, flew like a dog.

2. VQ Models P-40 (Chinese markings)- I didn't put this one together, but looked at it closely enough to convince me to stay away from this firm's offerings. Cheap hardware, poor design (tank mounts too high for inverted engine installation), and absolutely abysmal supplied retracts. Of course, the RCM review gave it a hearty endorsement. Big surprise there, eh?


Nitro Wing,

Be glad you never finished that Hobbico Ultimate bipe. I got one when they first came out ('92 or so), took one look at it, and promptly sent it back. I later heard it had a tendency to shed the upper wing quite regularly.

.

Best - World Models - Super chipmunk.........All world models seem preety damn good


Worst - CMPRO - Cap 232 ... very heavy and poor covering that falls off that you can buy a colour match for.
- My mates Model tech Giles........ fell apart in the air.

The best...... World Models I have 2 WM P-51 .46 size and a GS WM P-51 both are well built and fly very well as far as retracts go not the best but i have flown for a year off a grass field and never had a problem

Best value - World Models Super Stunts 40 @ $79.99 from LHS
Best overall - WM Super Stunts 60 @ $159.99 from LHS
Worst ARFs in the last 10 years - Thunder Tiger profiles. Guess it tells you something when the ARC costs $10 MORE than the ARF.

Others I've been happy with: Lanier 30% Edge 540T, World Models Fun World 3D, World Models .46 size P-51, World Models Clipped Wing Cub 48, Hangar 9 Easy 2 trainer

World Models appears to have gone to Ultracote/Oracover on all their ARFs, including those that used to be sticky-back shelf paper. They have also upgraded their hardware to usable.

ARF manufacturers I would buy from : World Models, Lanier, Goldberg, Hangar 9(Ultra Series only), Top Flite, Wild Hare

Those I avoid: Thunder Tiger, VMAR and anyone else with poor quality covering.

Best - Great Planes
Worst - VMAR

Best Phoenix Giles
Worst.... Dont have one yet.

Have two so far.

Great planes P-51, good quality and parts fit. Winter in NE. No flight info.

Sig 4 star 40, VERY nice quality parts. Everything fits well and looks to be of good quality/build. Covering is tight and qrinkle free out of the box. Agian, too darn cold to think of going outside.

just my $0.02

I am not doing this to be funny or a smart#$% ... I am going to tell you the ARF that was the best quality (fit, finish, etc.) and the ARF that was the worst.

Absolute best ARF I have built and flown - GreatPlanes Cessna 182 Skyline

Absolute worst ARF I have built and flown - GreatPlanes AT-6 Texan

Total ARFs I have built and flown in the past year for comparison[ul][*] 1 Kyosho Corsair[*] 4 Hanger9 SS Cessna (don't ask why 4 )[*] 2 GreatPlanes AT-6 Texan (1 crappy, 1 excellent)[*] 1 GreatPlanes Cessna 182 Skyline[*] 1 Sportsman Aviation .60 Waco[*] 1 Lanier P-47[/ul]

Dang .. now that I list them, I see where all of my money has gone [&o]

hey all,

heres my choices

best would be world models f4-u corsair (except for there retracts) and black horse models speed air .40 great all around building and flying. also RCM .40 trainer was a good one

worst would be dymond models AT-6 texan and then th GP sport .40 slowpoke parts fit was bad


this will be interesting to see the end results.


bassman

Gee, I'm gald others buy the same airplane over and over again. I thought I was alone in enduring the punishment of losing one, or, um- two only to do it again.

Best I've built: World Models Clipped Wing Cub 48
Worst: VMAR Pilatus PC9, utter junk

Best: Hangar 9 80 inch Cap 232 good fitting assemblies and all other hardware was left to the builder to pick.

Worst: Lanier Jester, I can read Lanier, Please provide printed directions, picograms don't help much.......

worst, junk, horrible: VMAR Apache


good: SIG LT-40, Kyosho Calmato, Phoenix Models Sonic 25


average: Lanier Explorer 40