That is what this stuff does..it will crack cross grain almost as easily with the grain.
I think it has hope if you try covering it with .75 oz cloth and Minwax. Then shoot it with fuel proof paint or cover it.
The hope is to find a way to make this stuff worth it's weight.
BTW, the single stage 2 part automotive paint I used on the .049 plane's cowl has proven to be fuel proof [10% nitro] so far.
The color I have is metallic silver which might be the heaviest color of all, but it looks good without a heavy build up or any primer.