I have ben using model engines for over 35 years, and in that time I have never ever had one that had the head bolts not tight, or would not run, straight from the factory and out of the box, untill I brought this Super Tigre.
The bolts were just placed in the head, not loose, but completely undone.
Now in this day and age, even if you use the valid points Lou suggests, this is unacceptable, especially for a newcomer to the hobby who does not understand anything about engines.
Even the cheaper engines on the market are better put together then these ST's.
The carb was also completely misassembled, and had to be stripped and put together correctly before the engine would even run.
What happened to even the most basic quality control.
ST have to be careful because other manufacturers produce engines as good/better for less money and they work straight out of the box.
Besides that, the engine is very good, once I actually got it running, and now I have to work out how to get it to idle slowly and shutoff when the throttle barrel is completely closed, but again I have to spend time messing about with it when I would rather just be able to start the engine and fly.
Just my unbiased observations on this subject,, so please no nasty rude comments about this post, I am not putting down ST, just explaining my one and only experience with them.
Darryl