I started on a Sig Senior without ailerons. I thought that being slow to respond to inputs would be a good thing. Ended up busting it in half when I got disoriented.
Repaired it and later built another wing with ailerons. That quickened things up a bit. Ended up ripping the nose gear and bottom of fuse out.
Made a taildragger out of it at repair time. Thought I was really getting the hang of flying.

Built a 4*40. That thing was a rocket ship in comparison to the Senior. It did everything much quicker. I flew it not too long ago after putting about 50 flights on my Shrike 10. The 4* seemed so lethargic and ponderous to me now.

I have flown the 4* with a few different engines on it. With a Saito 45 and the controls backed down a bit, it will give you almost as much time to think as the Senior. Some have said the 4* makes a good trainer with a lot of buddy box time. I am pretty sure it would have been rekitted fairly quickly if I went that route.

It sounds like you are more than ready for the next step. Have fun with it! MikeB