The plane is not too fragile for a .46 LA but the engine mounting is a weak spot. If you want to pull from a hover with authority a .25 LA won't do it, trust me. In the $50- $60 price range the .46 LA will work fine with a little triangle stock on the engine rails. I'd stay away from using an electric starter as much as possible, the plane is delicate and a firm grip can crush it.

If you can accept a slow pull out from a hover then the .25 LA works fine, that's what I have. If you want foamy like thrust to weight then the .25 won't cut it, go for the .46 LA.

The plane is a blast to fly and a piece of cake to harrier and hover. Make sure you:

1) get some 2.5" light foam wheels, I used dubro. The stock wheels are too small for grass.
2) forget using hitec 81's they are waaaay to fragile, lasted a couple of flights.
3) buy a spare one. My backup is in the basement waiting for me to crash the original