First step in preparing the Snipe for flight was to check radio operation. And nothing. So it looks like there's a dead battery (even after several attempts to charge it in the model). So I disassembled the front end to be able to get at the battery and am charging it outside to be sure that it's not a switch problem. Some foam had turned crusty and also found a spider living in my Snipe.

As you can see the "business end" is quite crowded. It's got to be since the nose is so short. Balancing a model like this is really tough. That custom molded lead pancake you see is as far forward as it possible can be and even then needs to weight 850g (30oz). This is a real shame because without all this weight the model itself only weighs 3.5kg. I'm sure there are a few things I could have done to lighten the model from the cockpit back, but honestly not that much.

Anyway, I'm going to put my thinking cap on and see if there is anything I can do to lighten the model overall and also to make the model easier to service.