Sorry I'm late responding Gordon...
The e brakes have been doing well. You need to take them apart every 10 flights or so and make sure there is no sand or dirt in them. It just takes a few minutes and I make it part of my post flight so When I put it away, its ready for next time. My 15lb model is doing fine with them. I had some issues with the Eflite retracts but sorted it out. I had too many extensions and splits and the voltage drop was causing them to freak out. I hard wired everything except the wing connections and they have been working good since.
Thomas, my 83% 15lb Turbinator flies really well. I think if it was a few pounds lighter, it would be a lot nicer and easier on things like gear and brakes. Its not built heavy, it just needs lots of ballast to balance. I hate to see full flying stabs. They induce more load on system and I have found them to be flimsy and a failure point. Just ground handling or bumping into them can induce large loads where a fixed stab could easily absorb them. Just my opinion....Foam cores are alright. If done right, it can simplify the build a bit. Gear doors look cool and may give a few MPH's but otherwise are a pain. A nose gear door can produce more speed but the main doors don't do much for us. Definitely flaps
Jets are slippery enough as it is....