The airplane was fairly light(around 62 OZ sans camera) even though the top block wasn't hollowed out. Bob said there was a minimal finish on it which probably helped keep the weight down. The finish does get a little sticky when fuel gets on it so we're not sure what kind of paint was used. Bob did repaint the nose since he had to go in from the top when refitting the plane to use a different engine. There are a few dark stains here and there on the finish that defied removal using normal cleaners so Bob let them stay. The plane came with a lower cowl but it hasn't been modified to fit the new engine.