I know that a lot of threads have been set-up for the DA50, but I couldn't really find ANYWHERE that told me what I needed to know. I was at a recent IMAC meet (I live in El Salvador, so the rules aren't nearly as strict...I know) and nearly everyone was running a Venus II (or similar) with a YS 140. There were a couple smaller planes, and ONE larger plane (a QQ 102" running a DA100). I started figuring things out, and it turned out that the cost of a VenusII/YS combo is near the cost of a Goldberg Obsession/DA50 combo...being around $100 cheaper depending on equipment. So, I decided why not chip in the extra cash and get a gasoline engine that'll pay itself off after a couple weekends of flying. fuel here is around $25/gallon for Omega 15%, so it adds up QUICKLY. I'm constantly updating a spreadsheet with different prices of different planes, and the totals and stuff. So, this is it:

My list includes: 2 Futaba S3004 (throttle/choke), 5 JR ST126MG (everything else), Futaba R138 PCM 8-channel receiver, the DA with the DA in-cowl muffler, two Hydrimax 6.0V 4200mAh NiMH Sub-C Flat batteries, 1 Smartfly Turbo-Reg. It comes to be $1200, all but the ignition battery and servo extensions and the actual plane (or so I think)

Okay, that gives battery redundancy. What do you think of the set-up so far? What ignition battery should I use? Are there any accessories that aren't completely necessary but a definite plus to have? One last question for this post, are there any ARF pattern ships around 12-16 pounds (75-85" span, i'm guessing) around or under $450?