RE: lil rascal........020 cox
I think a lot of us are poisoned by the thought of a total excess of power being "just right". A PeeWee on a 30 inch span 9 oz model will fly just fine. Granted it won't go vertical and it won't loop from level flight but it will fly in a very satisfying manner that mimics a sporty full sized casual ultralight or homebuilt.
And who knows, having to cooperate with the model to get the most out of it may just prove to be fun.
You WILL need to run an honest 25% nitro fuel. 30 to 35% would be even better. It'll have better power but mostly it'll run more consistently.
And I totally agree with you. They ARE a lovely little engine.
And as for the ball and socket joint ALL Cox engines other than some of the old .15's and the Conquest use this same joint.