Of the 3 I recomended:

The F4U is the slowest due to the heavy 'bent wing', but flies very well and is fast & agile enough to be competitive.

Compared to the F4U, the P-47 is better for speed & agility without the complicated wing.

The Zero is a screamer with any stout .25 out front. This one is the fastest and most agile of these 3.

All 3 benefit from keeping the weight down with iron-on coverings like TowerKote (instead of the recomended packing tape) and a strong .25 out front (especially with a mousse-can-muffler equipped Norvel, .25FX or Irvine).

The key to avoiding the radial designs' tendancy to "fly like buckets" is to be sure air can exit the rear of the cowl on the sides. This helps eliminate the parachute effect of the large, open front end.

HTH,
D