G'day Jim!
Great to hear from you after so long. Hope you.ve been writing because I really enjoyed your books & would love to read more!
Sounds like you scored well with that deal. I gotta say you made fitting those pin hinges look easy on your video. When I did mine I thought 'what have I got myself into here?' This is only the 2nd plane I've built. I think my first drill hole veered off course straight through the covering which was a great start to building an expensive model. Heaps of Aussie vernacular was heard throughout our house after that one. But I soon worked out a system & with some careful Dremel work I gouged out those ply plates using an end mill type bit. I reckon one of those guide jigs you can buy would've been a big help but I couldn't wait for one to come from the US.
Ahh you've got it all ahead of you....so many decisions after reading all the great ideas on here (many which came from you)....cant say your not well informed like those poor buggers back on page 1!
Looking forward to hearing from you Jim. Best of luck with the build
Mick!