the actuators should work pleanty well if you're under an ounce. the only time actuators have a hard time working is if the control surface is too large, or if the plane is fast. the 1 gram actuators put out enough power to handle just about any plane around an ounce in weight. the only plane i ever had it be an issue with was a 9.5" IFO i built, it was very quick, but i was using .6 gram actuators and they just didnt have quite enough power to control it well enough.

if you can go with any system, i'd say the Plantraco or the Micro Invent systems would be the way to go. the JMPs work great, but they're heavier. the plantraco system is on a 900mhz frequency so there's really no glitches, but you have to use their TX with it unless you buy the buddy box cable to use your own TX. right now there's only 3 radio channels for the plantraco system, but they're working on a 6 radio channels right now so more people can fly at the same time.

the micro invent system is as light as the plantraco system, but its on the normal 72mhz frequency, so if your TXs are negative shift, you can use your own TX. it can also run either 2 actuators with a brushed motor, or 4 servos (from what i understand). it will also auto detect a brushless ESC if you plug one in. i know BSD is out of stock right now, but i'll dig up the micro invent web page, they should have them. i'd say they're probably the best way to go.

if you plan on doing larger models, the Falcon systems are really nice. the BreezeBlock has the RX and two of the lightest servos on the market all on one PCB for easy mounting and installation. only "problem" with it is it doesnt have an internal ESC so you'd have to get a seperate one (i could be wrong on that though, i'm not as familiar with them). the entire system weighs less than 5 grams, the servos are tiny, but fully proportional like normal servos. these are also on the normal 72mhz frequency.

as for construction, balsa is more than possible. i think i've only built 2 or 3 foam models ever, everything else has been done with balsa. i think its easier to work with than foam, but thats just a personal opinion.

nick