RE: Do the flight characteristics stay the same..
Craig,
You know how much I love the F-16 1/6 scale! I was considering adding a Gyro since I was getting some pretty good tail wagging. But decided to wait till after I added the rails and missiles...glad I did. It "evened" the plane out completely, actually flew more stable and better with the full missile load (not the center tank or large stores).
I did check the CG after installing the ordinance and it was no difference at all.
Rex