RE: Corehouse Li'l Hacker
Hi Rolla,
I've flown the Hackers with Big Mig .061's and with a Cox Medallion .09. Both worked well on suction and were fun and fast. The serious combat guys I know change the needle valves on the Norvels and go to bladder tanks. After a few crashes (including some midairs) my Hacker got too heavy to fly well.
How to mount an external tank is a real problem with the Hacker. A firewall-mounted engine will avoid that. So the Hacker is OK but kind of heavy.
For better flying with a low powered engine, I would suggest a Combat Kitten (modified) or a Baby Flite Streak if you're not doing combat.
If you want a sharp-looking plane with landing gear to keep those rare engines above the dirt, consider the Sig Deweybird. It won't turn as tight as the above, but it will look sharp doing loops and eights. And it builds quick.
For nostalgia ( if you are old enough to have that problem) one of the many Walt Musciano / Scientific designs may suit you. They will not stunt as well as the others.
My opinions are based on seeing these planes flown with various Norvel and Cox engines, but I haven't flown a Space Hopper or an RR-1.
Randy
Alameda Aer-O-Nuts