The thread has wandered....
The beauty of P30 is the limitations imposed by the bad props.
To compare, look at a Coupe. Same rubber,twice the weight and 250% better performance. The difference? The prop.
Based on this, wouldn't it stand to reason with a "good" prop a P-30 would go OOS on the motor run alone?
Well, the other difference is no 30" limit on Coupe -- you can build to 40", or even 50" span if that's what gives you the performance you need (and 70 grams of airframe can be pretty big). However, I'd bet a P-30 would perform better with Coupe style propulsion (carved, folding, with tension stop to prevent rubber shifting) than a Coupe would with a P-30 style propeller (even in a larger size to absorb the torque of a short, thick Coupe loading).
Originally, the plastic propeller and dimension limits were intended to level the playing field and give beginners a class that wasn't too intimidating -- perhaps the rules need to be revised to eliminate moving surfaces and gear drives, to keep it more that way. The best fliers will
still win most of the time -- but a beginner with a good eye and hand and some good mentoring will have a chance on any given flying day, if a One Night 28 isn't completely outclassed on technology.