Ok, I finally decided that I just needed to take some time off work to finish this project. It's now done and test flown. The entire construction took about 10 hours.

The plane:
The construction of the actual aircraft was immaculate. Top quality balsa and ply was used throughout. The wood was well cut and sanded prior to covering. The Oracover covering was done very well. No wrinkles, bubbles, mismatched pieces, or crooked lines. The wing comes as one piece, so no time is spent joining wing halves. I used purple Rit die to color the canopy and it came out a perfect match! I tried to die the cowl, but the white fiberglass wouldn't allow for such a close match.

The hardware:
The hardward that came with the ARF was mediorcre at best. Several (rare) metric screws were missing. I replaced all the control horns with Robart horns. I threw out the plastic hinges and used Sig Easy Hinges (doubled up because slots were already cut for thicker plastic hinges). The elevator is designed to be removed for transport, but I removed covering and epoxied it. I'm throwing away the cheap plastic wheels and putting on Dubro lightweight wheels. I had to use a heat gun to slightly reshape the fuel tank as it was too tight a fit.

The radio gear:
I used standard Hitec 425BB servos throughout the plane. Plenty strong and plenty fast. The elevator requires one servo per half, one for the rudder and one for each aileron.

The powerplant:
I installed a Saito FA-100 for power. The plans call for a throttle servo to be mounted on the front of the firewall. This was out of the question since I had to rotate the carb 180 degrees to gain easy access to the needle valves. So, I was force to drill a hole and create a mount for the throttle servo inside the fuse. Any engine with a front mounted carb (OS or YS) will have no trouble.

Final prep:
The elevator is extremely effective. I used Dubro heavy duty extra long servo arms and left max throws for high rates. For low rates I took the recommended low rate settings and added just a bit. Ground clearance wasn't an issue so I attached an APC 15x6 prop. The center of balance in the book was too far forward in my opinion. Using the spinner they provided, I was 1-3/4" aft of the recommended CG. That seemed too risky so I removed the spinner and added a weighted prop nut. The CG moved forward about 7/8". Close enough.

The flight:
The Saito pulled the plane into ground effect in about 12 feet. This plane is so light, it just floats. Everything trimmed quickly but the airlerons were very ineffective...even on high rates. The elevator was a different story. Just an inch of deflection was enough to get the nose to chase the tail. Very stable at extremely slow speed. It was tough to get it to stall despite a hot day. The tail surfaces were very responsive and powerful. Knife-edge loops are no problem with the huge rudder. It practically hovered into a landing.

What's next:
I'm going to install more powerful servos (Hitec digital) in the ailerons to see if I get better performance. The sheer size of the aileron may be generating too much aerodynamic force for the Hitec 425BB's. Beyond that, this is a definate keeper. It will out perform the Somthin' Extra any day and is much larger than the Pizzaz. In fact, the Showflyer's control surfaces are even more pronounced than those of the Pizzaz.

I will post a link to several pictures. I will also try to add captions to highlight problem areas during construction. While the plane is relatively expensive ($300) and the hardward included was a mess, the ARF is beautifully finished, took only about 10 hours to finish, and performs like a real dream. If you want extreme fun flying capabilities, I haven't found a better plane.

-Jason