RE: First Gasser. Which engine. What do else is needed?
You can see my 30cc Homie mounted on an 86" Super Decathlon in a recent thread. It flies just fine with it. I would not recommend it on CAP, Extra, or any of those kinds of aerobat. A big high-wing constant cord like Decathlon, Taylorcraft would be a better aerobatic choice.
I don't think I'll do these Homie weedies any more. They require a lot of grinding and cutting (for those of us who don't have machining equipment) on the crankcase. I trimmed mine as much as I can, and the whole engine still came out weighing almost the same as my Poulan 46cc, which needs absolutely no cutting and is ready to use right out of the saw.
That said, the Homie 30cc is probably one of the better conversion weedie engines. It is built well and has good hotrodding potential. Mine is bone stock and turns 7000rpm with a MA 18x8. I have read that other folks have gotten more than 8000rpm with 18x8 after porting and rasing compression. The Homie 30 has twin-rings, whereas the 25 has single ring.