I ditched the wheel pants right away! My second landing was a little rough due to a bad cross wind and yes it poked a hole in the covering. What I did do was remove the gear and bent the gear forward by 2 inches so the wheels wouldn't bow back. Works like a charm! One recommendation on the engine... Go with the Saito 100!!! that extra bit of engine makes a nice improvement. My original MM had a 91. I bumped it to a 100 and the plane flies with authority. As for "the other guys coveting it"... I know exactly what your talking about. I bring my plane in from a full throttle downsweep across the runway 5 feet off the deck (running about 110 mph) then perform a hard 180 bank midway on the runway. It's a sight and feeling you can't shake. The tail gyro makes this plane too. When I bank the plane at a 90 deg angle the plane tracks like it's on a rail. It makes you look good!
The funniest thing about this plane is I've been flying for 12 years and this is the only plane that still makes my thumbs shake. I fly quickie 500s, Giant Scale, acrobatic, etc... This plane is my first love!

As for a newbie flying it... It'll be "re-kitted" faster than you can blink! You can't take your eyes off of it for 2 seconds, nor can the croud... Wouldn't have it any other way on this one!

One last thing... I swear to all things good than on several of my fastest flybys (110 mph+) and 20' away from me, I've felt a small shock wave (only way to describe it) as it's flown past me. I can feel it my chest. No one believed me until I got two of the club members to stand next to me. After the fastest downwind run, they felt it too... They just kind of looked at me funny and they all said... I'll be darned....