ORIGINAL: Campy

You will be hard pressed to beat a Saito. They USUALLY fly great right out of the box and require a minimal breakin before flying, although you will need about a gallon of fuel through it befor it is completely broke in.

The Saito 72 has the power/performance of MANY 61 2 strokes (and some 75 2 strokes), but the weight is somewhere between a 46 and 61 2 stroke. The Saito also comes with a 3 year warranty. Yes, they are more expensive than a Thunder Tiger or Magnum, but in this case, you are getting what you are paying for.

I have a Saito 72 in a Jack Stafford Rearwin Speedster. With a 13 x 6 MAS prop the plane has UNLIMITED vertical and a VERY broad speed range. It also just "SIPS" the fuel. I usually do a 10 - 12 minute semi aggressive flight (loops, rolls, hammerheads, a vertical run or 2). A 10 oz tank still has 1/2 - 2/3 of its fuel left upon landing.

A couple of other things.

For ANY 4 stroke, you need a tachometer to PROPERLY set the engine up. Also make sure the engine is "MAKING SMOKE", especially at full throttle. If it isn't making smoke, it is either too lean or you do not have enough oil in the fuel.