Oh! I forgot about this thread as no one answered it. I went ahead and made my mods anyways.

Dan, don't know if I can make you feel better, but i think the kit stinks. On the other hand, I recall seeing that A&A claims to be using laser cut parts now, so maybe the kit you have will be a good one. Please let us all know as up till now at least, all feedback on the kit aspect has been negative. Comments I've heard about the actual finished model have generally been positive (flying characteristices, etc.).

Assuming the kit you get is as bad as mine or others in this news group, then the following might apply:

1) If you have built a wood kit from plans only (cut all the parts out yourself), you should be ok, as you will likely want to replace about 75-80% of the wood. I photocopied the rib and former patterns and then spray mounted them onto the balsa or ply to be rough cut on the bandsaw and then sanded to exact contour on the belt/disk sander. Ribs were done in stacks of 6 I think.

2) Experience with building several previous wood kits would be benefitial as the instructions are very general and you will need to be able to figure out most of the construction from reading the plans.

I have posted my progress thus far, along with a few comments along the way at the following url:

http://www.elliotfan.com/art/flight/...ia/cit_01.html

Hope this helps Dan, and don't forget to let us know if the quality of your kit is better.

Regards,
-elliot