I just picked up an ARF that's closer to Almost Ready to Fly than any I've seen yet.

This one came with the surfaces already hinged.
The horns were already installed.
The vertical stab was already glued in (and of course the rudder already hinged).
The fuel tank was not only assembled, but it was installed as well. But could still be removed.
The motor mount was installed but not bolted tightly as the width of your engine determined that.
The motor mount was drilled (fixed front holes, adjustable rear holes).
The wheels were mounted on the struts.
I forget what else, but bet I'm forgetting something.

The hardware looks top drawer.
It's a 40 size low wing trainer and you can get it in 3 different color schemes that look decent.

It's the KYOSHO Calmato (what a name) Sport. It looks like a blatant copyright infringement of the Tiger40. OK, I know that's not the way it works, but I couldn't think of a better way to say how close a copy of the Tiger it is. I got a Tiger2 and this thing looks VERY close to exactly the same. I'm fairly certain the fuselages come from the same jigs.

There are some differences. But not really in moments.

It was only $104.95 from my LHS. And the quality of the workmanship makes that a steal. Forget about all the work already done, the thing looks well made. And I think the covering is Ultracote. And I haven't checked all over but what I've seen hasn't got a wrinkle.

I understand that KYOSHO had to make a clean start this year. They had a pretty shoddy reputation a couple of years ago and basically pulled out. My LHS owner was reluctant to order me the first KYOSHO I got a couple of months back. He went to lengths to explain all the problems they caused him with their line and he wasn't wanting to mess with them again. If this one is any indication of their effort to win back some market share, it's a good omen. I'm gonna recommend them. This one is definitely not anything like the previous stuff. And the price is in line with some of the knockoffs everyone describes as, "you get what you pay for". With this ARF, you really do.

Is there a web site for this plane?

There seems to only be one retail outlet in the US that's showing KYOSHO for sale. They're down in Miami and can be found with a Google search. I've gotten one airplane from them and attempted to buy others but have run into attitude I didn't like so find it difficult to even mention them. The one I got wasn't a great buying experience as well.

I've discovered that my LHS can get KYOSHO quicker than mail order and without hassle. Also without guesstimated shipping charges that wind up being more than quoted and without heavy sales pressure and with no wondering when it's going to arrive, or ship, or where it is in the US.

So here's the mfg's website. I think it's got a "where to buy" application, although almost every LHS is going to carry KYOSHO.

http://www.kyoshoamerica.com/airplanes/

You're right, that DOES look a lot like the Tiger. Great price too!

Have you put this plane together yet? I would be interested to know how it builds and flies...looks pretty good from what I can see on the website.
Let me know how it does- Thanks

Put it together yet? Not it, but it's brother.

I've got a flying buddy that's having some pretty serious health issues. I recently got the CALMATO for a real deal. It's the highwing version of the Calmato Sport. It builds the same way as the low winger. He and I buddy box 'cause he's losing his sight and can only see so far. And got one or two other things that have hit him that normal people would consider problems, but he doesn't. So high wing'ers make better models for us. And the Sport looked so good that I figured the high wing was just the ticket for us. So I worked a deal so we'd have one.

He and I picked the box up Saturday but couldn't start on it until Tuesday. We did about 3 or 4 hours on it Tuesday and about all that needed to be done we got done Wednesday in about an hour. It went together great. We flew it today.

Here is a picture taken on it's first flight.

(I was showing him how steady the sucker flew...... It does.)

Yes, it is upside down.

Is this it ?

Yes that is the plane
Thanks, darock for the info on it. I may just have to try one out for myself. I've got a super sportster as my "second" plane, but I don't want to crash it so I've been looking for something as an in between plane, and it sounds like this one may just fit the bill. I was just wondering about the quality of materials and construction, and if you had to make up your own directions to put it together as some arf's seem to be lacking in those areas

I built the highwing Calmato with my buddy. I've just about finished the low wing Calmato SPORT and will probably fly it in the next day or so. BTW, mine isn't the blue like BrineyMolly's. Mine is the yellow/orange one.

Both airplane's are very, very good quality. They both have excellent covering that's tight. The highwinger puckered up just a bit sitting in the sun all day Thursday. Guess there were 3 or 4 wrinkles on the fuselage. Wing got two very tiny ones. Good deal....

I did swap out the clevis on both airplanes. When you see them you'll understand why. Steel 2-56 clevis thread right on the provided rods.

I actually did not read the directions on the highwing, and have only looked up a couple of things in the directions of the low wing.... until I read your question. I just took a minute and looked through them. I've built a couple of other new SQS KYOSHOs recently and found their instructions to be good. And when I opened the box and leafed through these last two booklets, I said to myself that I've seen all this already..... so didn't read 'em..... But now I can say they're more than adequate.

BTW, keep in mind that about all you're going to be doing is gluing the wing halves together and gluing the stab into the fuselage. And then of course, installing the radio and motor. That is covered good enough.

Sounds good- thanks for all of the info!
I'm going to the not so LHS today to see if he will order one for me- otherwise I will have to order from the kyosho website. BTW, I did fly my super sportster yesterday ( I just had to put it in the air) I did fine with it and am very impressed with the handling and speed of this plane compared to my trainer! It is awesome! A radio glitch caused a less than perfect landing, but no real damage was done. The glitch will have to be fixed before I fly again. I still want the calmato for my hanger though, I already have the engine for it and for the price it will be a great plane to have fun with. Before I bought the SS, the tiger2 was my next choice, but the price for this one is to good to pass up.
Let me know how it flies!
Thanks

This plane sounds great both as to quality and price! Is the wing simetrical or at least semi=simetrical. Would not want a flat bottomed wing. If it slies similar to the tiger two, that would be good enough for me for a second airplane. I'm glad that Kyosho is back in business. My friend built a Kyosho spitfire for his next plane after a trainer (and I strongly advised against it). To my amazement it was a wonderful flyer and easy to take off and land. Only complaint was the covering.