I just got a Midwest Zero. I am a beginner. I fly the heck out of my trainer and find it a tad boring. I have been told by the guys in my RC club that the Midwest Zero (not very scale) is a great second plane. My two cents.

Kyosho AT-6 Texan is a nice looking scale aircraft and a *****cat to fly. Its long wing and plenty of wing area makes it a great transition from trainers, its a floater on landings. Also the main landing gear is position such that the wheels are right under the wing LE which makes it very stable on the ground keeping it from nosing over. Besides, the colors are bright, perfecftly suited for a beginner.
I wouldnt recommend the F-4U Corsair if its a kit, the wing its a little complicated for a beginner to build warp free with no experience.

Take a quick look at the Great Planes Super Sportster too. Nice looking plane (much nicer than the 4*'s), and it was my second. I liked it so much I bought another one recently.
Dennis-

Try the World Models Super Sports 40. It is a low cost (about $99.00) and has good looks and flies great.

I was in the same position as you recently and like you I'm not crazy about the looks of the Four Star. In my search I found that there is an "improved" Four Star available called the Venture 60. It has all the great characteristics of the Four Star but it has a lot better looks and is an improvement on the original Four Star design.

The Venture 60 was designed by Bruce Tharpe who was the original engineer who designed the Four Star 40 and 120 while he worked at Sig. Bruce left Sig to start his own company and sell his own designs. The whole story can be found on his web site at www.btemodels.com.

I just started my Venture 60 and so far it looks like a great plane. Bruce hand picks all the wood himself so the quality is even better than that from Sig! The finished plane is reportedly almost a pound lighter than the Four Star 60 because Sig has added a lot of unnecessary weight which should make the Venture 60 an even better flyer on top of the design improvements.

The people I have talked to say it flies maybe a little faster than the Four Star. I will find out once mine is in the air. If you are considering a Four Star you will probably want to take a look at the Venture 60.

Also check our www.venture60.com - this is a web site put together by one of Bruce's customers and has loads of pictures of how different people built their planes and any mods they did.

[:@]

There is a guy who modified the four* so that the engine is covered. I can't remember his name, but in the RCU reviews, he put a link to his website. I say this because I noticed what you said about the exposed engine.

That enclosed cowl looks really good. I wouldn't mind trying that on my trainer. However, is it ok to turn the motor sideways or upside down? I know upside down would be harder to hook the glow ignitor on it, but sideways looks really good to me.