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Am I unlucky or to picky?

jymz

30cc
I'm still kind of a noob. I got my first 50cc plane last year to try IMAC with. A GP Revolver and it was a great plane to learn with. Up until this point I've been flying mostly small ARFs, foamys and kit built planes.



When I got the Revolver I unpacked it and checked for damage and waited till the next day to start the assembly. As I was getting started I noticed lots of little things wrong with the ARF. One of the wheel pants was damaged, the cowl was poorly painted and had a crack in it and the wings and elevators were factory hinged and dreadful. So I called Customer Service to talk about my issues. I told them I didn't need the wheel pants because I fly off grass fields and they wouldn't last long. I told them I was planning to put a sticker on the cowl that would cover the paint and that the crack was going to be cut out for the engine so it would be OK. I told them the hinging wasn't going to work, the gaps were 0-1/4" on a wing and the elevator was off set by as much as 1/8" above the stab. CS agreed and told me I could send the plane back and they would send out a new one or as we worked out they would send new wings and elevators, and all was well. I went on to a first and a third place finish in basic in the two events I entered with it.



My next plane was the BH 1/4 scale clip wing cub. I got it in January of this year. This ARF has some issues, mostly cosmetic, and to be fair the only two that I mentioned to Bill were promptly taken care of. One he even sent parts three times to get it the way I wanted it. This plane flies beautifully.



My newest acquisition is the H9 Carden Extra 300. I purchased this to replace the Revolver for next year. Its got great reviews and was a difficult choice between the H9 and a PAU Extra. This one however still sets in pieces in the garage.

Things are starting bad. First I noticed that the covering is missing from the firewall on both sides of the motor box. Its on the plane I've seen at an event and in all the pictures but not on mine. I have covering so I can fix this. Second the cowl ring is coming unglued. I have epoxy I can fix it. Third the landing gear cuff does not fit and it cracked when I tried. Its cosmetic anyway so out they go. Fourth the rudder hinges are off. Now I know the long pin thing can be a hassle but the hinges don't even line up, one is even sort of buried so this isn't going to work. I could drill and install pin hinges? Finally when I was test fitting the servos in the elevator stabs one wouldn't go down in the pocket. I worked for an hour till I figured out what was wrong. The top of the stab is deformed, concave sort of so the whole thing is 3/16" thinner in the middle. I guess I can cut the covering and reshape it. Add 1/8" shims and install the servos? Customer service has yet to resolve any of this other than to say, after calling and asking three times, "they would be sending parts". What does that mean?



So this is my question, am I being to picky? Is all of this to be expected? Or is this what I will have to fight through because I seem to be unlucky?



Jymz

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Patroller

70cc twin V2
I do not think you are being particularly picky. I like many who fly like my planes as perfect as I can make them. Although if you are expecting everything to go together perfectly without occasionally having to re engineer them, I think you may be disappointed. I personally don't mind fixing or altering what I have to. 

You will also find there are differences between the companies. I have a GP Escapade instead of the revolver, and my assessment of both aircraft is they are heavy and very old school nitro designs. My assessment of GP is they make very inexpensive planes and the quality is marginal. I don't have much experience with Hanger 9. The H9 Carden is a still fundamentally a Hanger 9 product. You will not get the quality of a hand built Carden from them and frankly should not expect to considering the price.

All these ARF's are made oversees (mostly in China). The better companies pay extra and supervise to ensure a better product. They are also very good a servicing the customer when the inevitable issues come up. I am partial to Extreme Flight for those reasons. PAU has earned a similar reputation. 
 

stangflyer

I like 'em "BIG"!
Patroller is pretty much on the money. I however have experienced really great success and great satisfaction with my Hangar 9 planes. With each one I ordered, there was a "little" something just a tad off, but hey, I am not too concerned about minor issues. ARF's are by and large mass produced and there fore quality control can sometimes not be the best. One H-9 arf I received was so badly out of whack, (for the lack of a better phrase) that I just could not live with it as it was. I promptly called customer service with Horizon. Not only did they listen intently to my concerns, but sent a complete replacement airframe. And did not even want the original back. 

I don't think you are being too picky. I think you, like any of us want to get our moneys worth. And when we have to go through and alter something either to make it like we want, or to repair something that just will not "fly"....excuse the pun, we tend to get a bit agitated. 

For what it is worth.... Stay with name brand companies. You may end up spending a few more dead Washingtons, but in the long run.... very well worth it. I really believe I am about the most ANAL and OCD person around. Short case in point: My newest addition to the hangar is my Hangar 9 42% 3.1M Sukhoi SU-26. I wanted it "PERFECT" out of the box. And believe me, it really is pretty much just that way. Most guys like the Savox servos and honestly I can't say a bad thing about them. I actually planned Savox for the Sukhoi. Due to the size of the Savox over the Hitec I eventually selected Hitec servos. Primarily because they fit the servo bays perfectly without having to do any "whittling" and "carving" to make the Savox fit. The point is this. We work hard for our money, and we spend it as wisely as we can with our hobby. If it DOES NOT meet your expectations, then by all means get the companies to make it right. Companies like PAU, Pilot and Extreme Flight (Only to mention a few) would much rather take care of an issue that will cost them less in the long run, than to have a poor rating from consumers that could ultimately affect the selling power of their products.
 
O

Ohio AV8TOR

No I agree I don't think you are too picky either.  Like Patroller mentions you sometimes need to fix or engineer something to better for you and thats okay.  What really bugs me is when the companies seem to not even care.  I bought a 3DHS 47" Extra SHP and all of the pull pull hardware was left out.  On the forums I found this was brought up a year earlier and still not addressed.  Then it starts to get to me.  
 

jymz

30cc
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to stay with the better known ARFs at least there is some support after the sale. 

As a follow up on the Extra, I was able to talk to a different customer service person who was able to take care of my issues with the plane. They also next day shipped to help out. Thanks Horizon
 

stangflyer

I like 'em "BIG"!
jymz said
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to stay with the better known ARFs at least there is some support after the sale. 

As a follow up on the Extra, I was able to talk to a different customer service person who was able to take care of my issues with the plane. They also next day shipped to help out. Thanks Horizon
Cool...glad to hear things are shaping up for you. You'll have that thing flyin' in no time. 
 

Robotech

70cc twin V2
jymz said
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to stay with the better known ARFs at least there is some support after the sale. 

As a follow up on the Extra, I was able to talk to a different customer service person who was able to take care of my issues with the plane. They also next day shipped to help out. Thanks Horizon
Great that you're on your way now. My experiences with getting warranty issues handled with Horizon has been great. I one case I had ordered a replacement canopy and it arrived racked form shipping damage. I called them and when I mentioned I had ordered the canopy for a fly-in in a few days, they offered to send it overnight at no charge.
 

stangflyer

I like 'em "BIG"!
Robotech said
jymz said

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to stay with the better known ARFs at least there is some support after the sale.

As a follow up on the Extra, I was able to talk to a different customer service person who was able to take care of my issues with the plane. They also next day shipped to help out. Thanks Horizon


That's usually been my experience with them. There are other companies that I have dealt with however that it is like fighting with a Cranky Crocodile.
 
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john_M

30cc
I think anyone who has purchased an ARF has gone through something similar to you jymz... I purchased a H9 Super Cub that was damaged during shipping; both wings were crushed... which of course wasn't the fault of Horizon Hobby... but there were a number of pesky
nightmare.png
quality issues that caught my eye; like the landing gear bungee covers when mounted were all askew, covering issues, cracked windshield... most of the problems were taken care of swiftly by their support team
shaking-hands-smiley-emoticon.gif
... but the little annoyances regarding the Chinese Fit & Finish, you either live with, or you do something about it at you own discretion... at a pinch, when you need something to fly and don't want to build something, the ARF's are what they are; as long as you don't look to closely at them... and they don't fly half bad either... the H9 Cubs are a lot of fun to fly
surprise.png
.

John M,
 

Simon

30cc
I like a lot I surpose have come from a back ground of building from a plan or a kit not an ARF (age thing LOL )
when I first got an ARF
it was what the hell is this crap,every one was saying how great they were and I was like have I got a dud one :-/
they are not brilliant that's for sure not even the so called top of the range ones
so no your not wrong to moan when its still your hard earned cash
just find you have to give a bit of give and take as at the end of the day some little person is working there ass of to put a meal on the table
if its that bad moan by all means and get it fixed
if its like the cowl where its going to be cut anyway then its not so bad after all hay :)
there not bad on the hole and when there flying they look as good as anything else up there
happy flying :)
 
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