RE: Great Planes Escapade .40 ARF
You certainly don't have to do the mods and yes the plane can fly fine without them, however if done in moderation you should not be adding that much weight. It could also save the aircraft on one of those windy days when you might have that extra unexpected gust of wind and a bounce.
Some of the earlier Escapades had some issues. The elevators came out of some of them because the hinges were not glued properly.
I reinforce most of my planes with minimum glue and wood and there is little difference in the weight and they fly excellent. I have only replaced stock landing gear on one plane and that is the small Revolver because the gear is flimsy and the composite material starts cracking with standard landings. The rest of my planes have the factory landing gear and factory tailwheels installed.