mrbass111

what company makes a reliable arf. quaility in workmanship and especially the covering. ive bouth a few arfs and it seems like the coverings peel off after a couple of months. any company out there that makes an arf that will last a little longer?

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

The best ARF...I guess that would be in the eyes of the beholder. I make sure that when I read the specs on the ARF I look for it to tell me what covering is used. I don't like it when it says !QUOT!Real iron on covering!QUOT!, that gets me a little suspicious about what they are really using. Most of the top name manufactures such as Great Planes, Sig, OMP, etc. have quality materials.

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

MrBass:

Since all of your ARFs are Great Planes and therefore MONOKOTE, it might be good to try something else.

Get one of the ones that says ORACOVER or ULTRACOTE. Bare in mind, though, that all covering materials require some maintenance. If you are not willing to go over the covering with a covering iron before the first flight and as needed in between flights, it will all come off eventually.

Jim

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

If the thing you hate most is covering peeling off, I can recommend at least two courses of action.

One, seal the seams down with canopy glue or CA, right out of the box. I have found this effective on Vmar and World Models ARFs.

Or, Two, buy an early Lanier ARF, the kind with the foam wing sheeted with AeroSheet, and the plastic fuselage. I can guarantee you, from experience, there will be no problem with covering becoming loose. They fly really well, too. Mine was a TR-260, flew nicely and quite aerobatically until the receiver quit and it spun in at full throttle. Construction required some experience, and there was no linkage hardware in the kit (Lanier thinks you'll want to choose your own.)

Good luck,
Dave Olson

TeamVertical

My Feedback: (9)

You could try Oxai models. They are some of the nicest models going. But they are $$$$.

http://www.oxai-rc.com/

Sorry the old link was incorrect. The above link is correct.

Paternguy

My Feedback: (1)

You could try building your own and Painting it, the covering never comes off that way. LOL

mrbass111

what about phoenix models. ive read some threads here and it seems like everyone was pleased with them especially for the $$$$

waagbuck

My Feedback: (1)

I've had several good experiences with Great Planes and World Models ARFs and will buy them again when the opportunity arises.

Ken Bryant

My Feedback: (10)

All my SIG Arfs have been EXCELLENT. Best covering I have seen.

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

MrBass:

The Phoenix models sold by Horizon Hobby are covered with UltraKote. That is the best covering you can buy on an ARF. Give Phoenix a try.

Jim

islandflyer

I am very happy with the workmanship and covering of the Hangar 9 ARFs; I have flown both Funtanas (40 and 90) a lot, as well as a couple of their 33% models. They are all holding up great.
However, like any ARF, you should go over all the seams with an iron when you unpack the model.

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

I love the VQ p40 , very nice plane !!!

mrbass111

who makes the vq p40?

FlyerBry

My Feedback: (8)

I had the Phoenix Models Giles 202 and it was very nicely covered. The rest of it was pretty typical as far as low-end ARFs go so plan on replacing a bunch of the hardware if you really want a quality plane. The biggest dislike I had about mine was the weight - mine was very heavy for a .46 size plane. The new Great Planes .46 size Matt Chapman Cap appears to be almost identical if you look at the specs. It is considered too heavy by many as well.

The Giles flew very scale-like and did track very nicely but the weight seemed to hamper its performance. For the price I consider them a good deal but then again, you get what you pay for.

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

MR Bass , VQ does , it has flaps, thick tail airfoils , free oleo struts , Pilot, fiberglass cowl and all wood sheeting , very nice plane inside and out

red head

Take a look at the ARF's from Falcon Trading. (Falcon-Trading .com ) They have the Midwest planes with Ultracote or they have the Modelfly all ABS plastic planes. The covering doesn't come off the plastic ones, sometimes not even if you go through trees etc. and they all fly real well and are easy to assemble. It doesn't cost to look. ENJOY !!!! RED

ICE_MAN

In my experience it's been Hanger 9 ARF's with Ultra Cote. I just talked a buddy into a funtana 40 sized and he said he'd never buy another Great Pains unless it was a kit or one he REALLY REALLY liked. And after what we call the U-Can-Do Disaster I'm thinking along those lines also.

Dai Phan

My Feedback: (2)

Hello,

The BEST ARFs maker of all time must be VMAR! Beatifully constructed and designed, topped by flawless application of unique covering material! Best of all, accurate scale outline with imense details built in such as rivets, panel lines, full cockpit details, FULL body pilot !!! And the best thing of all is AFFORDABLE !!!! And don't forget that they have wonderful handling characteristics. They should be the "inventer" of the phares "...llike flying on rail...". THANK YOU VMAR and MAY GOD BLESS YOU !!!! Dai Phan

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

THAT, folks, is the definitive Troll. It's probably best if we just ignore it.

Jim

Kitman

My Feedback: (13)

Look for a company with good product support and their are many that are great and others stink. H9, Great Planes, Aeroworks, Sig, Chip Hyde, Planes Plus alll make great planes, go the to the web and ask for feedback on the company you chose, then make a final decision.

Even the biggest named companies have their mistakes, judge the company by how they take care of the mistake.


Kitman

Dai Phan

My Feedback: (2)

Hello,

Kidding aside though... In my opinion, it is hard to pin point a company that makes good ARF as each will have a hit followed by a dud... But for the ones who are aware of 3 Sea Bees, I must say that their ARFs WILL take your breath away!!! I am a proud owner of 3 and I am quite impressed of the engineering and construction of the planes. Their planes will simply BLOW away H9, Sig, WM in terms of intricate engineering and construction. I compare them as "pre-built Proctor kits". True, their cheapest ARFs start at around 600.00 USD up to 2000.00 but comparing the amount of work that goes in each plane, it is worth it. The best part is that the ARFs are simply "bolt" together with no gluing needed. The original designer passed away couple years ago but his partner is still running the bussiness. I have no doubt that one day, if the company stops production of their lines, then their planes will command premium prices in the collector market. Dai Phan

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

The better ARF's as a general rule that I have stuck together were from the Super Model company in recent years. They are sold by H9, Great Planes, and Hobby People. All the H9 jobs I have are actually from Super. The Right Flyer 60H and Kwik Fli from Hobby people and the Hobbistar 60 from great Planes are both made by Super. The old ones had the shelf paper covering and the plastic tips but they have come a long way since then.

I've put together a couple of LT 40's from Sig and they were very nice. I don't know who made them?

The worst one I've put together has been a Four Star 60 from Sig. It was actually made by World Models. I've since bought a second one and its not as bad.

The other World Models planes that I bought from World Models were not too bad except for the instructions.

Enjoy,

Jim

Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

All ARF's covered with heat shrinkable film material will peel off and wrinkle or sag after a while. The only ARF's that I've seen void of this problem are from VQ. Their covering material can sit in direct sun for a long time without wrinkling or sagging.

Dai Phan

My Feedback: (2)

Hello,

THANK YOU VMAR !!!!

DiscoWings

My Feedback: (76)

Hangar 9 makes the best ARFs, most of the stuff is already done for you, e.g. retracts preinstalled in the plane.
The quality is really good
and they fly really well.

hangar 9 all the way[8D]