George, in this case except for a few pieces, I'm using the original wood. What I gather for the ancient die cutting back then, is one needed to after removing from the sheet, trim up the piece to match the plan, particularly on the larger pieces. On the stabilizer and wing ribs, I needed to widen a notch on each for one of the spars. Stabilizer rib root needed sanding down to match the leading edge. The rudder wood wasn't that great so I'm going cut that from scratch.
I just made do with mostly existing kit wood, so I made it work. That is why I say that Building a Berkeley made a man out of you, LOL.
Can't agree with you more there, George on engines. Mated to the right airframe, they still work fine. The Fox Rocket .09 wasn't a real powerhouse of an engine, but it was very easy to start, just like the Gilbert .11 Thunderhead. It's power was typical of the early glow engines. In the right plane, it will produce successful flights. I just don't happen to have one, and in my build the Gilbert won't fit.
I still have plans for the Gilbert, might be in a CL plane instead. What ever I put it in will have a blast.
Back then I was too young to be a PAA participant, but imagine it would have been a sight to behold, to watch these. I still like the designs, particularly the two Berkeley's I pointed out. They would be great sport park fliers today.