Thanks for posting, I have an electristar and am going a123 due to safer charging and shorter recharge times.

How would I turn off the lipo cutoff on my ESC?

What could happen if I didn't mess with my ESC?

I ordered a dewalt 10cell pack that I will use to make up batteries.

How would I wire 2parallel as you suggest? How many cells would that be?

Here are earlier comments: As the A123 cells are only 2300mah, I'd suggest running a 2P (parallel) configuration to get reasonable runtimes with a .30/.40-sized airframe.

Turn off the LiPo cutoff on your ESC, as well, since very few ESCs (none, AFAIK) can handle A123. The power sag when the battery is depleted is VERY pronounced. And you have no worries about damaging your cells due to over-discharge.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!