jbeech
rrAdvertiser
Location: Sanford, FL (Orlando area)
| Hi mirage98
Since I own Audacity Models, and the Pantera is my baby, there's no way for me to respond without seeming self-serving. That said, I think if take what I say with a grain of salt, then you can judge for yourself the validity of my words.
First off, many find the Knight a nice flying bird. Their quality control has also made great strides in the last year. Also, Marty's obseration about a lot of small parts is accurate, and as a result the Knight takes longer to build (and maintain). This is simply a matter of common sense.
Further to this, the Knight 3D shares with the TRex 600N an issue often overlooked during the hoorah about which model is lighter. In short, the lighter weight of the finished product translates directly into a more fragile model. After all, it stands to reason you don't get something for nothing! So when you add a ton of tiny parts to the mix, and while you may never plan to crash, when you do, there is a considerable investment in both your time and money to repair the result.
Unless you have money to blow and time on your hands, this is a factor. Hence, the high parts count and style of construction, which is both strong yet fragile (and thus, may shatter like an egg) means it's higher maintenance as well. Here's an analogy, a composite body Corvette may be sexier than a steel body Mustang, but which would you rather be in during a crash?
Similarly, while not made of steel, the Pantera is more robustly built. The frames are tougher, the bearings are larger, and in general construction is flat out heavy duty, which means it's just more durable. And with fewer parts it's also easier to assemble, quicker to maintain, and generally more capable of abuse, which you'll discover the first time you smack it into terra firma.
When you consider the good flying qualities, inherent toughness, and more easy to maintain design (after all, what's your time worth?), then even if my model were 400 bucks, an argument could be made it's better. Add to the mix our BBC option, which gives you the flexiability of swapping in a 61 to 91-class big block engine (should you get the itch), the greater versatility of the design for scale use, which accepts up to 8 servos in the side frames, and features like the air filter, and many think my product is better regardless of price.
My 2¢
John Beech - GM (and janitor)
Audacity Models |
