Hi Rozzi,

The clutch might grab sligtly if the liner is new or the idle is slightly too high.

I like carbon or fiberglass blades because they don't fall apart as easily as the woodem ones. world models makes some inexpensive fiberglass blades that i used to use, they make a symetrical blade and a semi symetrical blade that will work very well for your purposes. The thunder tiger carbons are excelent too, but more expensive.

A good muffler like the TT upgrade muffler is a good choice, but most other upgrades are a waste of money. The raptor is a good bird right out of the box. The engine is a bit of a pain though. There is a modification to the idle needle valve which helps a lot. you remove the needle then chuck it up in a drill to spin it slowly, then carefully file the end down to be smaller, or even filed down to a point. there are variations of this modification that have been used with good sucsess. I only changed the end if mine grinding a point that went from around 0.060 inch back from the tip. i have heard some folks strongly prefer the Irvine 39.