Hi Ted,
I can't speak to all small gas engines. But as for RCGF, there is nothing wrong with the RCGF 15cc and 20cc engines. The issue is our brand new engines have not had a gas in the carbs before. You sometimes need to use a starter on a new engine to get the carb wet with fuel. After that they will hand start. The other issue that comes to mind for using a starter, is to use a prop with a sharp trailing edge.. (Not Smart to try to hand flip one of those)