3D_Tony...

The OS will be a good fit for the UCD. Use a APC 15x6 prop. Sometimes 2 strokes mounted inverted will cause a bit of a problem. So be prepared to address that. I've never tried the 2 stroke inverted so I'm not much help with that. Some use a hotter glow plug. I will have to address the issue myself as I'm building a Giant with the OS160FX inverted.

I personally wouldn't use the CA hinges. I had several break on one of mine. Lately I've built the UCD with Dubro pinned hinges and 30 minute epoxy. Same as gjeffers.

If you can fly smooth and land smooth I wouldn't worry about the gear. It's an easy fix if it breaks. But obviously it is light in that area. The last two I've built I didn't reinforce the landing gear and never had a problem with it breaking. I've just gotten the hang of landing these and rarely have a hard landing. And it lands easy so that's not really that big of a deal.

Some have problems with flooding because the fuel tank is higher than the carb. Maybe that's not a problem with the 2 stroke but it is with the Saitos. 2nd best solution is to loop the intake line all the way to the top of the cowl. Best solution is to put a YS110 in the airplane. That solves a multitude of problems.

My guess is you'll tend to be a little nose heavy with that heavy 2 stroke up front. You'll want to build with that in mind. I had to put my battery 14-16 inches in the fuse towards the tail. I cut a hatch area and glued the battery back there. Make sure you glue it good because with the whip and thrust this baby produces you want to keep it from breaking loose.

Don't even install the stock tail wheel. Get a replacement. Best one is from Sig. Use the same one that comes on the Mayhem. Another place is Chief Aircraft. They offer a carbon fiber version but the Sig is better, and lighter. I just posted some pictures of mine on the long thread. Just a couple of days ago.

Make certain you use metal gear servos. I've had several nylon gear servos break the gears. Use digitals if you can. It's a great way to peak the performance of the plane. I use HiTech HS5645 on the rudder, HS5625 on the elevators, and HS645 on the ailerons. I use a mini HS85MG on the throttle. I upgraded to this over several UCDs. It's worth the effort and money. The 5646s are about $42 each when you get them from Donald's Hobbies.

Don't put the wheel pants on. They are extra weight and won't stay on and if your landing gear fails, they will tear up your wing.

Cut your cowl WIDE OPEN. Make sure you get enough air out. I cut the whole bottom out of mine. I cut the width of the channel and the length of the cowl. My early UCDs overheated while hovering and when I cut the cowl, the problem went away. Cut it wide open.

If you want some good pictures of all that go over to the UCD46 thread. That's the best place to get info on the UCDs. All of them. And the people are nice and informative. They'll answer any question. Accurately and fast. And all the pictures are there already. Nice place to visit. Might even hear some info on a Pitts Monster, Mayhem, Showtime or other plane and how they compare to the famous UCD.

Other than these things...the best thing to do is FLY SLOW. It will not tolerate speed. But what fun it can be.


Thanks
Barry