ORIGINAL: mnmills
Dan,
One problem I had in mine...see those holes in the former in the front section of your plane? Thats the former your retract mounts to. Dont know why they would put holes in a high stress former. I recommend laminating that too with some thicker ply especially while there is nothing else in there. All it takes is one hard landing or a landing with no nosewheel (which was my case) and it will crack that former between the holes.
Mike
I've got some spare gear blocks from my Avonds F-15 and they are nearly identical. The lightening holes do just that - save weight -and also give you a place to route hoses and wires through. One time, my Avonds departed the runway and when the nose gear hit the mud, that's where the plate broke, saving the fiberglass. If it proves to be too weak, I might just laminate the Avonds blocks on top of them.
Have you shot any color on your plane yet?