carrellh, I think you're right. Because of all the dope that's going to be put on it to give it a REALLY nice gloss, a .45 even with a 11x8 prop is going to really underpower it badly b/c of it's weight. I've got an OS .60 that will fit well on it and I KNOW it will pull it through the air VERY well (my Sr. Falcon runs a .61, 11x8 and it weighs 9.5-10 lbs w/o fuel!). And thanks for the links to the Decals! VERY COOL!!!! I'll have to check the blueprints to find out what sizes I need.

Gray, The fuse + tail is, at the moment, straight, naked balsa planks; no "skeleton cutouts" or anything. It's SOLID balsa! Just sanded alot, that's all. And it's been sitting for THIRTY YEARS!

The wing has a "Silron" skin that's drum tight (silron is an OLD fabric material made by Royal about 20+ years ago that's a mix of silk + rayon). I almost WISH it was fiberglassed! I've worked with Fiberglass before, but Silron is a REALLY different beastie all together! And using dope is DANGEROUS! All of it is LETHAL and a Carcinogen, which means working outdoors is MANDATORY

The entire plane will have 10-13 coats of Sig LiteCoat butyl clear dope + 2-4 layers of Red and White glossy Sig dope paint (with 2-3 more coats of clear on top of that). The body will have a layer of tissue on it after 3-4 coats of "clear") followed by fine sanding, followed by more clear, then paint (red + white) + decals; then 2-3 more coats of "clear"

All of the clear dope will give it a really glossy luster (and add weight to it). I expect that after all the coatings, engine, servos, batteries, wheels etc.... it's going to weigh in aroung 8-9 lbs. I'm a little scared to put a 12" prop on it, I don't think it's got enough ground clearance to keep me from banging a prop on landing.... I'll probably start with an 11x7/11x8 and then if I need more, I'll go with an 11x10.

My Senior Falcon has had this same technique done to it (solid balsa with layer upon layer of clear dope + paint) and it's really glossy and looks really nice. It's just going to take some real work to make it look good. BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!!!!!