Re sitting level -- my Avistar was "tail low" after assembly too. Flew it some and had lots of trouble landing (could have been pilot experience level too ) Anyhow, fellow flyer at the field mentioned the "angle of attack" issue. I went home, removed the landing gear, placed each piece in a vice and "hammered" a little more angle in them to "raise" the tail (actually wound up with tail sitting high). Yes, this made a nice difference--made it easier for main gear to touch and roll out. I had considered bending the gear pieces after initial assembly when the plane looked as if it sat "tail low", however, initial attemps to bend the gear pieces seemed to take more "force" than I thought appropriate, so I left it be. When I finally did bend them, it took some pounding, but at this point I was more confident that it was necessary.

Re adding weight--I too had to add lead to the tail of my Avistar to balance it (three ounces I think it was)--I had it balanced to what I thought was "perfect" but when the insturctor at the field picked it up at the "balance point" he said, "Take a third of that weight off!" Didn't bother to cover the lead, it makes a nice skid if the tail happens to skid on the runway