Barron, sounds like you are catching the scale bug. Be careful, it'll suck you in. My second plane was scale and I've never looked back. Of the 20 or so planes I've built, only 5 have been sport planes.

I think you'll like Balsa USA kits. The one I built was real enjoyable. The Taube is a nice airplane. Which size are you getting?

I'd be afraid to hand launch my planes. Don could do it, but I'd be afraid to trust him. It seems there have been a couple mishaps when I've launched planes for him. And revenge is sweet.