RE: .30 or smaller 4 stroke engine?
I have an old timer (Buzzard Bombshell) with a Magnum .30 four stroke. It's great fun just to cruise around at low altitude, do very slow fly-by's and touch and goes on a dead calm day.
I was telling a couple of club members that I'd like to make another old timer with an electric motor. They said "don't do it, we like to watch your plane and hear the putt-putt of that little four stroke." So even though it's a messy clean-up after each flying session, I'm going to stick with a four stroke for my next one.