Hey Shmo:

You will love the Predator. I have two that have survived many combat events and high speed encounters with mother earth with no lasting damage--and a few of the mid-airs have been spectacular.

I built mine according to the plan, 225 MG servos and 6 ounce tank. Even with the throttle servo protector suggested by Tufflight, I stripped my servo during an crash and since it is glued in, etc. was not able to easily replace. My point is not to skimp on the throttle servo.

I detracted from the plan by covering one of my birds with rip stop nylon prior to Ultracote--made it very strong with little weight gain. I fly one with a Norvell .25 plain bearing that really cooks and the other with a TT Pro-.25 that is adequate, but not really a barn burner.

I tried wing plates. Looked like a Clingon fighter, but really didn't role any faster.

The four ounce tank will provide enough run time for a normal five minute heat, but the problem is, it's hard to get good fuel draw of the entire tank--expecially when you are banking and yanking in combat. I am trying a 5.5 oz Tetra bladder tank this year that the pylon guys use. I moved the 6 oz tank forward, drilled a couple of holes in the home plate and wire tied the tank right behind the engine. I needed the nose weight anyway so it has worked well.

I agree with the person that recommended laying out the servos, battery and receiver prior to cutting holes for them. Both my Predators came out tail heavy by installing the equipment as shown on the drawings.

As for larger fin, I started that way but am now flying both with a fin that is smaller than the one shown with no adverse effects.

The guys I fly combat with are flying T-Rex's and Bat Tricks--both extremely durable and highly specialized combat ships, but I would pit the Predator with any of them with respect to performance and durability.

Good luck!