I have been flying the Neu for the last three seasons. Yes, there is some maintenance and a different sound but the power and throttle response are great. The pletty is dead solid reliable and sort of medium on power.
The big question I always have for E iMac is duration. A typical 10s pattern setup will give about an 8 minute flight. With a draggy scale airframe and two sequences per flight this could be a concern. Especially, with some of the extra time for non-scored take off and landing.
Dana's suggestion of twelve cells is a good one since higher voltage would be more efficient and allow you to carry more watts.
As for esc I always use Castle but the tend not to work with the higher pole motors.