Looking great! The sleek canopy is what I like. I have a wing kit and a set of Dave brown retracts for my V-60 so I am anxious to hear how yours works out. My retract project is on hold as I have built a float conversion this fall. Used aluminum aero tubing for struts, scale type rigging for the twin, retractable water rudders and a paint scheme to match the plane. Look for a new thread soon. I love the appearance of the Venture with the gear removed so post some in-flight pics when you're done. Thanks.

Oh yeah, here's an idea for you to really set your Venture apart from the crowd. Add a 1/4" X 1/4" balsa stringer to each side of the fuse midway between the top of the wing and bottom edge of the canopy, parallel to the fuse top and extending from the firewall to about the leading edge of the tail. You may want to add another below that one and terminate it just behind the wing's trailing edge or where ever it runs off the bottom of the fuse. The lower one can be 1/8" X 1/8". Sand the ends of them to a taper that blends to the fuselage and the cowling. You'll lose that slab sided look and gain a whole lotta comments at the field.