eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Hello!
Recently, while searching eBay, I came across the seller "cyradio" who appears to be selling well known designs for next to nothing.
They include the Fourstar, Uglystick, Kadet EP Senioretta, and others. They are probably made in the same factory, and might be of similar quality, but I am not sure.

Has anyone had experience with this seller? Are the airframes any good?

Thank you,

Graeme

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

This Ebay seller does not ship to Canada.

Jim

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Graeme

I bought two of his planes.  The covering is junk.  The construction looks OK but they have taken a lot of shortcuts.  The saying that you get what you pay for is true about the two I have.  The seller is 100 %. My subsequent purchases have been all from H9  Tower  and Horizon at my LHS. I will pay the extra bucks to see what I am getting.

Jim W

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Or they could not be. In these days of computer aided design, 3D measurement devices, laser cutting, etc. it is extremely easy to duplicate something.

I've seen a few of these and flown a couple. They aren't too bad considering the low cost. They are not the real thing though and you'll give up a little in hardware, instructions, support and possibly quality in some cases.

If you can accept that possibility and make up for it then you will likely end up with a fun airplane for a great price.

If it does turn out to be an absolute fake then you also have to decide if you are willing to support people who are stealing designs from their legitimate owner. I personally choose not to do that although it is tempting at times.

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Jim - I get my orders shipped to the US anyways - I live on the border, and there is a store that does just that!
JCW111 - How much has the total cost been for an ARF? All the ones I see are going for 30 dollars.
Chuckw - I see your point about the ethics in purchasing one of these.  I think I feel the same way.


Thank you!
Graeme

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

The prices seem good but the shipping is high.

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

I don't know - I was looking at one of those "Four Star Bird"s, 40 sized, to use as a cheap sport plane. The covering might suck, but I will need to recover it after a few flights anyways (pilot error, as usual), and I doubt there would be any support from the manufacturer if anything goes wrong, but they are cheap...

Should I even bother, or should I just put up with a Great Planes model with lousy covering and lousy support (that costs more)?

Thanks again

Graeme

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

I purchased 3 of his airplanes, all in the same week, the Velox 56, 4-Star 60 copy &
the Something Extra copy. The Velox wing tube required a lot of work to make fit
and engine mount pedistal had to be reinforced, had some fit issued with the landing
gear. Control rod runs too tight, had to replace.

The 60 sized 4-star & Something Extra copies went together so-so, had to replace
the control rod runs to the rudder & elevator on both as they were kinked at the exit
point in the rear of fuselage. They have not been flown as of this writing, waiting for
our field to dry out and better weather. They are what you pay for........nuff said.
Save you money and buy a brand name, or better yet build what you want, that
way you know what you have.

Bill D.

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Graeme
As someone said the shipping is high. All the other comments about construction control rods etc were true with my two planes. I learned a lesson.  Buy at LHS so you can see what you are getting. Had I seen these things first hand I would definately not bought them.

Jim W

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

I purchased the ultra sport from cyradio and had only one minor issue with it. It was a fun little assembly. Have not had a chance to fly it yet.

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

What GP airplanes have you had issues with? I've gotten a couple where the covering was disappointing but it was at least durable unlike most of the cheapo ARF's. All the other GP planes I have owned have beautiful covering. I've assembled ARF's from a variety of manufacturers. Many of them were very good and GP has been consistently at the top of the bunch.

I've also had unbelievable support from GP. They've come through and taken care of me on things where they probably would have been justified in saying no. One example was my Super Skybolt. The covering on the bottom of the wings and stab was awful. I called and explained the situation telling them I'd be happy with just new wings since I'd already glued the stab into the fuselage. The guy asked me to hold on then came back and said they were sending new wings, fuselage and stab. I asked if they'd like my old pieces back and he said no. They could have told me I was out of luck on the stab or just sent me one and made me cut the old one out of the fuse. They actually made a lot of money that day from one gesture because I always look at their stuff first when making a purchase and I recommend them to others. I haven't had to call them often and definitely not in a while, hopefully their customer service hasn't changed.

An example of poor service was a little electric bipe that I bought from a "no name" company. It was basically receiver ready with the motor, ESC and servos already installed. The ESC burnt up during the first flight. There was no contact information in the instructions or packaging but I found a number online. They never answered my calls or returned my messages. I tried e-mailing and they never responded. That said a lot about their character. I will never buy from them again and I'm quick to share my experience with anyone else thinking about buying from them.

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Thank you

JCW111 - I wish I had a LHS, but the only one that carried RC closed - I have also had horrible luck with internet orders - almost everything from Tower has arrived semi-annihilated. (I guess it saved me time - I would have ended up with the same result after a few flights anyways!)

ChuckW- Thanks for responding. Recently, for example, I ordered a  Spirit Sailplane ARF, and instead, I got an ugly Fling handlauch glider. The Fling's covering was tacked on, not shrunk, and the construction quality of the wing was brutal. The fibreglass was also very rough. I assume the mixup was Tower's fault, but the shipping company made them look good. One of the wing panels was smashed into a million pieces.
I called Tower, and they sent a gift card, but asked for the glider back.

If I call the manufacturer will I get better service? Tower seems to respond accordingly, but It sounds like GP is much better.

Thank you

Graeme

RE: eBay Knockoff ARF's?
 

Bill - I think I will take your advice and buy a kit - they rarely are damaged in shipping, and I can build it just how I like it! :D

Thank you

Graeme