Since you asked about alternatives, I can tell you I am extremely pleased with my LA Racer 40. It's slightly larger than the Escapade, it comes with a thin, but very nice fiberglass cowl, and from what I can tell it comes out a little lighter than the Escapade. I use an Irvine 39 and it goes straight up as high as I want. I had to put the battery well forward for balance, so with a heavier engine I'm sure you could balance it with battery location. I did a short thread on it with pictures on the ARF forum.

Jim