Thanks. Lots of experimenting. We're the few that stick to it, which is what counts. There's not many anymore, and it makes for some pretty boring forums when it's all RTF.
The one reason I keep going back to the weight thing, is that it took me so long to really get onto it myself. In recent times, using a battery/servo/ESC even a gram heavier than needed, is a gram too many, and always avoid ballast. Took me a lot of experimenting, especially with micros, as I like scale details such as infill sheeting, as well as reasonable robustness. What makes things much easier now is that I have achievable specs for small models, which is everything with micros. The 24" Guillow's models are always a favorite, as having a selection of gear that can make 100 grams or better works every time. I still build heavier than some, as I like painted opaque models and at least sheeted noses, on metal skinned subjects.
A few days ago I managed to fly a DH106 Comet, that started out as a total fail. The model was heavy at 18oz, had a fan larger than the ducting could properly handle, and unacceptable batt/ESC weight also. The fuselage mounted fan has massive thrust losses, which is just part of the deal with a scale jet subject. I ripped the gear out, did some calculations based on good known specs, and realized that I could make around 11oz, with a tiny 40mm fan with a 12mm inrunner weighing under an oz, and a much smaller battery/ESC. Even the clear exhaust ducting cover was made from the thin clear acetate that we used for windshields, as plastic weighs. Having a good idea of the T/W ratio required for a model this size with it's new wing loading, it looked feasible. Most of the EDF guys tend to build heavy, with lots of power, which did not work on this subject. Even if I had used a more powerful 40mm fan with an outrunner, the added motor/batt/ESC weight would probably have not paid off. If building light, I've found little advantage to the heavier outrunner fans at 50mm and under, other than speed. Getting the lightest AUW possible worked, with the 33" span and light wing loading of around 8.5oz/sq-ft. At it's low speed, I'd like to rip the 4gm tail servos out and replace them with 1.7gm servos. It had to be flown carefully at it's power level, pretty much just holding the controls at the same position for a continuous pattern. I hope you like this one, as it flew like a free-flight model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rApFCTXHRUY