I would advise against using a gas engine on this plane due to weight. The gas engines tend to make this plane too heavy for good 3D performance. With the Satio 180 you could possibly come in around 12 to 12 1/4 pounds of weight. The only mod this plane needs is to add additional triangle stock to the landing gear mount to further strengthen it. Thats all. If you go with the Satio 180 you might want to put the elevator servos it the stock location because you will have to add a large amount of weight to the nose to get this plane to balance if you put the servos in the rear. The Y rod for the elevator can be made to work well but is a pain to get correct. That is why most people do not like it. Just make sure to use a stiff rod like fiberglass or carbon fiber. Also give the MDK Elevator Bellcrank a look from Central Hobbies. This is a neat little fix for the split elevators and works real well.