So my post maiden review: The plane hand launched nicely, C pack motor appears to be adequate but the prop is holding it back (I believe). I've changed the prop out for a 9x6 and I think the P 40 will fly outstanding with it. The 10x4.5 has a ton of thrust but you don't need it. I'll test out my hypothesis tomorrow. I ran 2 batteries through the plane and was very careful as I badly damaged my Sportster yesterday in a crash and it has shaken my confidence (that I could save anything as long as I was high up, not true for me). The P 40 seems to deal with the wind better than my other planes (as it should) and carves really smooth turns. It flies slower than I expect but that's fine for the maiden. I am wondering if the spinner, all 49 grams of it, is affecting performance negatively. I'll do that experiment as well, to see if there is any noticeable performance degradation due to the extra rotating mass. I really love the way the spinner looks on the P 40, it really finishes the plane. Perhaps a larger motor is in order here too.
I find the plane difficult to see in the air compared to my other more colorful FT planes. I really love the way the yellow and black Sportster looks in the air, it's just amazing. My P 40 looks great on the ground or flying low but up in the air, it's rather blaaa. I really don't know how much I like it yet, I've got to get comfortable with it first. But I think I'm going to like it, especially with a faster prop.
On a side note, I've learned a few things today. The Sportster is slow to roll but that's not due to aileron authority but instead to a lack of speed. The plane is flying with the C pack motor and is a bit to slow to roll fast unless you are near wide open or flying into the wind. The Scout with the C pack motor, rolls so damn fast (at half throttle) you don't have to do any corrections. However, today I flew the Scout with the B pack motor and that's not the case. I switch the prop to a 9x6, that helped but still much slower . So based on this, the Sportster needs a bigger motor to unleash it's potential. At least that is what I believe right now. I flew the Sportster today with the 10x5 and the 9x6 props. The 10x5 is the best option for this plane (w/ C pack), as you need the thrust (due to it's size and weight) and the pitch gives it a tad more speed over the stock prop. The 9x6 didn't improve the speed and lacked thrust in my opinion.
Good day, no crashes, great maiden conditions too.