You want to make sure you gather up all the pieces after the incursion (ground, tree or other) so that you can duplicate the broken pieces if you have an ARF to repair. Kits are easier because you have plans to work with. I am presently working on a Great Planes PT-19 that lost its forward fuselage and I used the mangled structure glued with CA to enable me to trace a pattern of it. This allowed for duplication of the first one-third of the airframe in plywood. The old formers were used as patterns also.

These pictures represent the completion of the fuselage repair. There are some internal pieces that I didn't show, but they just amounted to some bracing holding the servo ply mounting.

The covering was spliced with new pieces and is ready for paint. I used the remaining Nelson Lite Fab that I had and also some new Solartex. You can't tell the difference and unless someone knows different, I think they are the same product.

Bob