ORIGINAL: FlyerBry
RoNeRiC, I'll refrain from doing as others have done and trying to steer you away from the two planes you have mentioned. After all, everyone has their own personal opion of what is the perfect second plane and I'm sure you have considered others in the process of settling on the Tiger and Super Sportster. The Four Star is a great choice but not necessarily the best for everyone.
To me it would be better to ask you more about your current experience and how soon you plan on moving on to a low wing taildragger and leaving your trainer behind as well as how quickly you feel you are progressing. The reason I mention this is that some people simply learn faster than others and sometimes new flyers start asking about a second plane after flying for only a few weeks where others ask the same question after a few months. There are flyers out there who have actually learned on a Four Star or something similar so they aren't that hard to fly... Just different.
My point is if you have truly mastered your trainer one second plane may not give you enough room to grow than would another. For instance there have been individuals who went with a Four Star as their second plane but found it boring after a few weeks and found themself disappointed. On the other hand, some people simply can't wait to fly something other than a trainer and they make the jump too early which results in an early demise of their second plane and they have to go back to their trainer to keep flying.
Both your choices are good ones as far as second planes go. Give us a little more information on where you think you are at and how soon you plan on making the jump and maybe one of these planes will emerge as the clear choice.
My Nexstar is too slow. I have to do the same tricks because it's limited. I don't want to buy a plane and be bored with it after a month. I'm not jumping from my trainer just to fly something else. The plane did it's job of training me and I'm itching for more power and more room to grow in my skills. I'm going nowhere now. I find myself trying to run the engine as lean as possible but still safe and buying different fuels and props just to wring out every bit of extra speed I can. The basics are covered. Simple loops, stall dives, inverted flying is effortless. Dead sticks and close calls still give me an extra beat or two but I don't even come close to panicking anymore. Deadsticked it in 13mph wing with 22mph gusts and landed perfect. It was beautiful, my fellow club members were quite impressed. How many can say they did that with a trainer? But I don't want something that too much for me to handle, i want to fly the plane, not the plane flying me. Even when I started flying 4 months ago, my first 2 flights were on the buddy box and after that I told my instructor goodbye. It's just too easy now. My goal is to be flying the Futana S .40 next year. Put me in a plane that will get me there.