Hey Stephen, stick to your guns my friend. =) Your opinion and mine put together give him the best insight into what he may want to do. Either way, I think he'll be happy with the outcome, and hearing from both of us helps him the most. I don't think you were being neglectful in the least, just sharing your experience, which is the responsible way to post.

My 40cc pulled that Extra around really well, but not until after it was broken-in. Gas engines take a little longer to break-in than glow engines I've found, but the power increase is also more dramatic. The nice thing about the break-in period with a gasser is that you just fly it for the best break-in. I'm wondering if the Saito 220 may be overkill, but then again it could be a heckuva lot of fun. =)

I agree that a 20cc on a 90 size Funtana would be good for sport flying but not for 3D at all. I have a H9 Showtime 4D, (90 size) with a BCMA 26cc and it does great in hovers. Sure, it's a heavier engine, but I mounted a tray for the Rx battery in the back of the fuse and ended up with a great flying plane. It pulls out with plenty of punch for me. In fact, my best hovering to date has been a 2 foot hover in a cross wind with the ST/26cc combo. That plane actually ends up pretty light, so the 26 handles it well. A lot of the performance depends on the particular gas engine you go with. The Evolution, BCMA, Brillelli, and a handful of others are light enough and powerful enough for a 3D application, but the Zenoahs are notoriously heavier and expensive to boot. However, they are very reliable and long-lasting.

-Pat