ARE KYOSHO PLANES GOOD QUALITY AIRCRAFT? THANKS, GARY.

generally ... 2 words ... DARN GOOD!!! In every way ...

I`ve only had one and still have it, the now-discontinued PT-19. It`s a quality model, IMHO. I`ve not heard anything bad much at all re: Kyosho with the qualifier that if you`re going to buy one " Bring Plenty Money ". Kinda like you get what you pay for.

My $.02:

In my experience (Stearman and T-6), their ARFs use good quality materials (fiberglass instead of ABS plastic) and the visible construction looks good - not as good as a builder would do, but it is a mass produced item . They are a bit pricey, but deals can be found, and they provide good customer service thru Great Planes...

Cheers!

Jim

Stunning quality...repeatedly....Had a "CAP 232" .46 in THAT Brietling scheme, now got a couple of lovely " Spree Sports " ...to take to the coast....... Fantastic.

hi Im hardly on but I have the majestic 40, could not find a better plane. Quality is tops.you do get what you pay for

If you use the old supply and demand model they must be good , consider there Corsiar , its $279 , smaller then the H9 corsair yet sells like crazey and i have seen it fly and it flys very well

One thing to be aware of, spare parts availability is somewhat dicey. There are no spares listed for the Corsair or the BF109, either on the Kyosho website or Tower.

Awesome quality ARF's I have the Corsair and it looksa new today as it diod the day I finished it. You'll pay more but quality usually costs more.

I beg to differ that all Kyosho models are good!
I assembled a Kyosho P-40 that was less than great,first off the wing did not fit in the fuselage saddle and had to cut it out and carve out the front wing hold down hole,second, when installing the wheel well in the wings,to put them where they showed caused me to cut into a wing rib,third the covering was shelf paper and started peeling off after some fuel got on it.
I flew this plane quite a bit,it really looks nice but after about 20 flights it took a dirt nap.(engine flameout on takeoff)
I did buy another one because it was the best looking P-40 ARF in a 40 size out there and I haven't flown the new one yet because they do not make this plane anymore and just want to admire it a little longer.

Kyosho ARFs are very good quality. I have several and am now flying the Tigermoth which has very good WorldTex fabric type covering. I also have the Giles 202 .60 (discontinued, what a shame) with an OS .91 FX and a great flying bird but really fast. I have several waiting to assemble, Spitfire, P-40, PT-17 and Cub. I'm not crazy about the covering on the Spitfire or P-40 but they do look good.

I've been flying the Kyosho "Aurum" for years. It's long discontinued, but was an excellent pattern type plane. I have well over 125 flights on it, and I bought it used....It's well designed, well built, and although pricey...it's worth it. Seems to me Kyosho makes pretty good stuff....I've owned the Pitts and the Stearman, and I like them too. But then to put some balance into my comments...their ducted fan ARFs are notoriously underpowered and the guys I have known owning them universely dislike them.
Jim

I owned a Majestic 40 and built a Cub for a friend. Both were very good quality aircraft and the Majestic is the best flying 40 size plane I have flown. A little expensive but they are very nice planes.

Kyosho planes are excellent quality, much better than H9 and WM in my opinion. I have had the Kyosho Zero over two years with over 100 flights on it, and that plane still looks great and flies great. I also have the Kyosho Corsair, which is also another fantastic looker and flyer without the firewall and wing problems like the H9 Corsair. Everything on these two planes lined up and fit perfectly. Fuses are fiberglass and round, not boxy. Wing and tail feathers are covered in heat shrinkable plastic film covering similar to UltraCote.

Love my Mustang!

I'm on my third Kyosho ARF. The first was a PT-19, second is a Zero and the last is the AT-6. The PT-19 was fully built up, but the other two have fiberglass fuses with balsa sheeted foam wings. My biggest complaint with these models is the instructions. Though they are very easy to follow, and the models are simple to build, it would be nice if they were written by someone who's primary language is English. My other complaint is the fitment of the control surfaces. All three of my kits have had noticeable gaps at both ends of the ailerons. Other than those two items, all of these models are of very good quality for this type of model. There are models out there of much higher quality, but you're going to pay a lot more for them too.

John

re: my Kyosho experiences.
In the past 5 years I have had 4 Kyosho ARFs:
1. Super Stearman--Still flying today after 5 years. At the time it was one of the best on the market tho some don't like its agility in the air. It tumbles like nothing else and stays together after it all! It kept "nosing over" so I tilted the landing gear forward. See photo.
2. G-202--Terrible covering and construction. Sent it back to the retailer.
3. Majestic 1400--Construction not up to par. Sent it back to the retailer.
4. Cap 232-60--Ugly covering stripped and re-covered. Contest grade balsa, needed minor fitting. No push-rod exit slots. Engine cowl was absolutely terrible as were the wheel pants. Scratch built cowl and used SIG pants. Crashed during first lap of first flight due to signal loss. Photo below.
I witnessed these events:
F4U Corsair--Crashed upon take-off. Comment was it was not that stable.
Cap 232 40 size--Watched some fantastic flying with this model ...2 differnt planes, 2 different pilots.
GeeBeeZ-- Another crasheroo. I was told it was difficult to handle.
In my opinion, the Kyosho models are grossly over-priced compared to like models on the market.
You pays yer money and you takes yer chances.

Regards,
DrGO

The Kyosho Corsair is one of the easiest warbirds to take off, fly, and land. Stable is a relative term. In the hands of an experience warbird pilot, the Kyosho Corsair is pretty darn stable:

* [link=http://whitetyphoon.com/rc/kyosho_corsair/take_off.mpg]Take Off[/link]
* [link=http://whitetyphoon.com/rc/kyosho_corsair/flyby-01.mpg]Fly By[/link]
* [link=http://whitetyphoon.com/rc/kyosho_corsair/low_pass.mpg]Low Pass[/link]
* [link=http://whitetyphoon.com/rc/kyosho_corsair/inverted_pass.mpg]Inverted Pass[/link]
* [link=http://whitetyphoon.com/rc/kyosho_corsair/landing.mpg]Landing[/link]

Mine has well over 100 flights on it and counting.

In my opinion they are the nicest ARF on he market

Bummer! The 109 and Corsair are both discontinued on the Tower site.

My guess is that Tower/Great Planes wanted control, and more profit, so they designed their own replacements and stopped importing the Kyosho models. The pattern is pretty clear. The two Stearman Biplanes (Super and PT-17) are the latest replacements for recently discontinued Kyshso (victim) models. Granted, they are larger, but that fits into the "bigger is better" mentality, and that's perfectly ok for business. Unfortunately, it prices many people out of the market.

Slightly off topic, but relevant..I have long been a big fan of Kyosho ARFs....expensive yes...but quite well designed and built. Tower/Great Planes has lost credibility in my estimation...as well as with many other flyers...having produced and marketed a number of "dogs". They appear to place their emphasis exclusively on profit, with not much care and thought into quality and performance. Just look at the short life of their Giles ARF. Look also at their error in stab incidence when blowing up the venerable Aeromaster into the giant version....also long discontinued. It ballooned like a homesick angel. I simply don't buy any of their offerings anymore. There are too many other, excellent flying, cost effective choices out there.
Jim

I have a Corsair which I've sparingly flown...looks too nice to crash and I'm still getting good at flying low wing war birds.......had a PT-19 and absolutely loved it....ended up being "my" primary trainer...lost elevator servo and plowed it in pretty good......wish I could find another....if anyone's willing to part with theirs let me know.

I picked up a Kyosho Calmato low wing trainer as a practice stunt plane, and the quality out of box was exceptional... even the vertical stabiliser was pre-fitted, so finishing of the model was easy. It went together extremely well and for the AUS$250 i cant complain one bit, everything bout it was exceptional.

I have the Kyosho Spitfire and its a great flying plane, one of the best I've ever owned. Definately doesn't fly like a warbird. I have a Jett .50 on it, and it cruises over 100 mph and does some awesome snap rolls. Fun plane.

I am not completely thrilled with the sticky back, printed covering though. I've had edges lift, and its not fuel proof.