Pete,

I would definitely recommend glassing and painting. The ultra light/soft balsa used in the finish will not hold up well with monokote. Every slight ding this plane encounters monokoted would show. They can all be taken out, but the glass/paint method is so much more durable. I had a Dennis Hunt Viper with the same problem. The wood was so soft that when my dad would carry the plane out to the runway, if he had a button down shirt on, it would leave marks on the fuse. I'm sure Mike and a lot of other guys will agree with how much more durable the glassed/painted fuse is, and will hold up so much better over time,

Arch