RE: ARF then Kit, or straight to Kit?
I'd build a simple kit like the LT40. I've done a couple of ARFs for others and the instruction are (at best) minimal. If you have kit experience it's no real problem understanding what they failed to say in the ARF instructions. There's also the usual ARF problem of pre-assembled items that are defective or just don't fit. Experience can't be beat when you run into these situations.