The good news is, it gets better with time. The more you already have, the less critical something "new" becomes. if you already have a plane, engine, etc, then it's not nearly as big a deal to wait for a new one.

One tip though: get spares when they are in stock. If you wait until the last minute, I garauntee you Murphy will kick in. JR gear sets for instance...YS engines....C/F wing tubes.....C/F langing gear or pants.....that sort of thing. If you know that eventually you will have to replace the gears in your servos (and with a YS, you WILL)...go ahead and get a couple of spare sets when they are in stock. It may be hording, but it's also smart.

Otherwise I garauntee you, it will be a few days before a contest you are really ready for, and you will then notice that you have a lot of play in the servo, and then you make the call: backordered and not due for 3 months.

Don't be that guy [8D]

-Mike