I have several airplanes but never tried pattern. I have a ST 51 glow engine looking for a home. Looking for suggestions on good quality .40 sized pattern ARFS.

How about a Venus 40 flies great

about 140 bucks at tower

I agree. Venus 40 could be good.

VB

I'll third the suggestion for a Venus 40. You'll be hard pressed to find a better pattern plane for your size of engine. (Note: running an OS AX 46 in mine.:

Another vote for venus. Although I've never flown it everyone who has or had one loved it.

MIke Roger has your wing

See if you can find a Global Hobbies Excelleron .40. Has an airfoil tail section. I also agree that the Venus .40 would be a nice choice.

All good suggestions above. Kyosho Oxalys 50 is not bad also.

If you want to keep the price down, the Phoenix SeaBee is only $99.99 from Tower. In addition to the Great Planes Venus 40 and Sportsman Aviation Excelleron 50 already mentioned, you might look at the plethera of .50-sized pattern ARFs available from World Models at http://www.airborne-models.com The Spot On 50, Aeropet 50, and Groovy 50 are all very reasonably priced.

I'm in the process of building a Thunder Tiger Imagine 50 ARF from Ace Hobby. Interestingly enough, I don't think I've ever seen the imagine offered for less than $180 or so online, but my local Hobbytown ordered one in for me and it was only $144.99. It's not the easiest building ARF, but the wood quality and construction is the best I've ever seen in an ARF.

Don't forget the Cermark Javelin II

The problem I have with alot of the .40 and .60 size pattern planes they are marketing, is the counter balanced elevator and rudder.
I understand that this is to make the plane a dual purpose Pattern / artistic freestyle plane but how do these counter balances
affect the pattern flight characteristics? do you have to keep the throws way down? I was thinking about getting the groovy 50
after I finish my 2m plane.