i am going to start building a Sig Somsthin Extra and i already know i should add aboout an inch to the rudder and how to set up the rudder and elevator for a pull-pull setup but i would like to know if there is anything else that would be smart to change.

i plan on putting a .51 supre tigre in it. is that too much engine for this plane?

I have a Super Tiger .45 in mine and it has all the power I can handle, but the SSE could certainly handle more.

A lot of people eschew the rubber-banded wing in favor of wing bolts. Be sure to beef up the fuselage sides if you do this.

A lot of people relace the rudder-supported tailwheel wire with a fuselage-mounted type. I went with rudder-only and haven't had any problems, but I reinforced the rudder with plenty of epoxy fiberglass.

I'm not sure I'd go with a pull-pull system, but I did replace the supplied pushrods with Sullivan Gold-n-rods. Sig did a beautiful job of engineering the controls--no measuring, no planning, no figuring out control horn locations--then furnishes some pretty flimsy nyrod.

Some people suggest sheeting the turtle deck, for looks only. I didn't, but I extended the scalloped fillets about an inch more than the plan shows, and the turtle deck looks good.

Some people replace the LG hardware with real axles and collars. I didn't, but may yet. Wheels are way loose.

Some people consider building a hatch for the fuel tank, but I'm not sure if anyone has. Reason for a hatch is that (despite what the plans say), fuel tank installation is permanent. With the wing tube holder glued in place, the "standard 8 ox. Du-Bro tank" is not removable. Some people don't glue the tube holder in place, so it can be slipped out to allow access to the tank. That seems like a big compromise. Choose your tank wisely and build it kink-free. Reasons for NOT building a tank hatch:

1) Too much effort for an otherwise easy-to-build plane
2) May compromise structural stiffness
3) Sig tells you not to

This is a terrific plane. If you like taking pictures, start a build thread in the Kit Building forum. Lots of SSE builders out there.

thanks a lot for all the info nickj, do you know any threads that show how to do this wing bolt system and if the pull pull setup isnt that much better i guess i wont do it. also i think instead of adding an inch to the rudder ill just counter balance it. and once i start i will create a build thread.[8D]

Nothing against a pull-pull rudder--install one if you like. It's just that, unlike most kits, every detail of the SSE controls have already been worked out and designed into the kit, and it seemed a waste not to use it.

Check out the build tips in the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/product_guide/kitprofile.cfm?kit_id=226]User Review section[/link]. Not a lot of detail on the bolt-on wings, but here's what I did:

1) Before sheeting the wing, I epoxied a 3/8" thick maple block (1" square) to the inside of each ply root rib (the inner root rib), directly ahead of the small hook hole. (You could also epoxy it right over the hole, but I wanted to leave it open in case I ever wanted to use the hook-and-rubber-band joiner in the future).

2) After doubling the fuse sides, but before framing the fuse, I filled in the opening in the fuse doublers near the hook holes with 1/8" balsa (1-1/4" wide), then added a 1/8" lite ply tripler (same width) over that, from the top of the fuse down to the landing gear block (bonus: extra reinforcement for the LG).

3) I then aligned each fuse half over each wing panel (with the cadboard tube, aluminum wing tube, and balsa dowel in place), and drilled a 3/32" hole through the tripler, doubler, fuse side, wing root ribs, and center of the maple block that I epoxied earlier. I separated the fuse side from the wing, enlarged the hole in the fuse to 1/4", and tapped the hole in the root rib/maple block for a 1/4" nylon bolt.

This worked well enough, and my only complaint is that the fuselage is so narrow you can't fit even a stubby screwdriver inside to tighten the wing bolts. So you can go with hex-head bolts, or build your own super stubby screwdriver (which is what I did) out of 1/16" piano wire.

Looking forward to the build thread. Also check out kiswa's thread in the Beginner forum--very long, with probably way more information about the posters than you wanted to know, but some helpful info as well.

A few mods on my SSE. Rudder, elevator, sheeted deck, and cowl.