I'm thinking about buying a kit to build this summer. I'm looking for a simi-advance to a advance Aerobatic plane. After looking around I'm thinking about building the sig Somethin' Extra and placing my engine, servos, and my receiver from my PTS P-51 in it.

My question is to any one that has built this kit or has flown it, would this make a good first time build and a good third plane? (i now fly the PTS P-51 and a scat cat 500)

You should be able to handle the SSE without to much trouble. Use the low rates at first and go from there.

Zach,
There's a joke that a lot of SSE builders like to make. To build the kit you open the box, throw in a bottle of glue, close the box, shake, and then remove the completed plane!! I often recommend this kit to people who are doing their first build. It's a very well engineered kit, and the instructions are some of the best I've seen. You will have no problems at all doing this kit as your first build. I've built three of them so far, and the last one I was able to have completely framed up in just a weekend!!

Hope this helps

Ken

Thank you for telling me that. I think I'm going to build my FF rubber power P-51 (i think its gluwos), and order the SSE as it is being completed. How well dose the SSE Preform as compared to other kits? (i would like a good aerobatic plane that can do some 3D)

It's a beautiful flying plane. It "feels" light. Very responsive. More control throw than the P-51 or the Scat Cat, but that's so it will flip around wildly at lower speeds. With low throw settings it flies very, very pleasantly.

That Guillow's kit will be about 4X harder to build than the SSE. No kidding.

well, that will give me more practice, would be better to screw up the guillow's that will never fly (debating on if i want to make it a static display or a FF) than the SSE. So my guess is that this would be the perfect model for the next step in model aviation. (cant decide if i wont to fly patron, or 3D)

IMHO the SSE would not be a great pattern trainer, but it is a great 3-D trainer.

The GP Rapture 40, Sig FourStar and Goldberg Tiger series would be better pattern 'lil-ships. All of 'em are great sport planes, just have different strong points. You want steady and smooth for pattern but extremely manueverable with fast acceleration for 3-D. (And don't confuse acceletration with top end speed). Using a car analogy: 3-D planes are stop-light to stop-light, inner-city right-angle-cornering torquey cars and pattern ships are winding country road turbo-boost handling machines.

Hi Ken. It helps me for sure! I ordered one from my LHS a few weeks ago. No rush, waited for the owner to get enough orders up to buy something to make it reasonable. Anyway, it's on the truck and should be here tomorrow. I appreciate your comments. I've built two kits so far, but several ARF's. I intend to make this one a good build.

Dick.

Flew both of my planes today. Today for the first time i flew the P-51 without the drops. I was told that it would be like flying a new plane (not!), so i take it up and the only thing i can tell is that it was faster and could snap better and took off faster (longer run up time to get airspeed) and landed faster. On the second flight I did a snap so fast and hard that it fling a servo tray loose! I was flying along did 2snaps (ran together) and when i came out i noticed it was banking on its own, so i brought it in for a landing and was too high so as I pulled out i saw the servo hanging out of the wing, so i quickly came around again and safely landed. Then i took up the Scat cat and flew around (it is so much funner to fly). I'm going to repair the servo tray and fly the P-51 a few more times then if I still don't like the way it flys I'll probably buy this kit now and build it here at school.

Would the Scat cat make a good pattern trainer?

Personally, I think what you are looking to do is a logical, good idea. The SSE is a nice build and the kit has great instructions. Your Evolution .46 and JR radio gear will work just fine. I say go for it and have a blast.

I don't own a JR radio, I fly futaba. I bought the plane used, came with a OS 46 AX, servos, battery. RTF except radio. I think if the P-51 is no longer fun to fly that i'm going to build this kit (and when money allows). The servo tray had all 4 screws holes striped so I found new larger diameter screws with a coarser thread and remounted the servo tray. I then used Krazy glue (only "CA" I can find tonight) to harden the holes.

Opps, I figured your PTS was the RTF version. The .46 AX will be great for the SE and my first one had Futaba S-3004's. You'll like it.

I just finished a build of an SE. It is a blast to fly. I powered mine with a Saito 56. It gets around real well. I'm trying to get a video of the maiden on youtube and I'll post a link when I figure it out. Very fun airplane.

PT. Yeah, let us know when that video is available. I would love to see it.

DS.