Thanks everyone for the kind and supportive words.

On the remote High Needle, is it normal to have a slight slight jiggle? My buddy said this could be one of the reason for not being able to tune. When I bench test I don't see bubbles but I haven't jiggled the needle when running so I'll try that next time.

Another question: when I slid on the carb to the motor I noticed when the holes aligned it just touched the rubber ring. With my OS heli motors I have to squeeze the rubber to align the holes. I'm wondering if I could be having an air leak at the carb.

Another question: the back plate on the magnum xls 46 does not have a gasket. should I seal that?

Again, the motor is new - perhaps I should be patient and give it some break in time.