Thanks for the response. I saw your pictures but more then once in the past I have thought I had plenty of room to fit an engine only to find that I had been had by the thrust angle. Even though there was plenty of room in the cowl for the engine, because of the thrust angle the muffler of the engine on my Rearwin speedster required a large cutout in the side of the cowl in order to clear. Ruined the looks of an otherwise beautiful plane. Keep us posted as you progress Your pictures were the deciding factor for me when it came to this plane. Thunder Tiger isn't really known for producing a plane that warrents the price tag they placed on this one but it looks like they have outdone themselves this time.

Does the plane look to be pretty sturdy? I looked at your pictures and the retract mounting blocks appear to be very lightly glued.