Hi Eddie,
Mine is the one with retracts, but I am anticipating flying it fixed gear. I am considering two different engines: a Magnum 1.20 two stroke or a Magnum .91 FS. Although neither are considered "pattern engines", I believe they will deliver adequote power for this airframe to be a good practice ship until my 2 meter gets finished in the future. Given the long tail moment, I am betting the airframe will need the additional weight of the 1.20 two stroke.
Regarding your dissappointment, I find your experience to be so common with ARF's... there's always something missing, of poor quality, or just plain wrong. These problems take hours to correct and in my opinion, take away any convenience the ARF format is suppoed to offer and replaces it with alot of frustration. I wish I had the time to build like I used to...
In the "good ol' days" of pattern, namely the late 70's to mid-80's, I could get a glass and foam pattern ship from box to runway threshold in about 2 weeks. Ha! Never again!