Gentlemen,
Many thanks for your very educational replies.

To be specific about the model it is a small, 48" 'pattern' plane called Chilli Breeze (there's a larger version called Chilli Wind too) which was a free-plan in a UK mag a few years ago. Originally designed for .25-.36 IC motor I intend to electrify mine.

The reason I asked about swept-forward/back, etc. wings is because I was thinking it would be easier for me to build this model if it had straight spars (i.e. no sweep) and I could therefore use a straight dihedral brace. Original design does include approx. 1.5 degrees of dihedral per wing panel; LE sweep-back is approx 3.5" to give a straight trailing-edge. FWIW, root chord = 10.8", tip chord = 7.25".

I am by no means skilled enough to be a pattern flyer so I am only looking for a good sport model. If the change in wing plan layout has only a minimal effect on the flight characteristics with the CofG checked & adjusted - as per Bruces post - then I think I will give it a go. It would be interesting to also build a set of original wings at some point and try them both

Thanks again!