You gonna post photos? That has to be a riot!
If you are filling the tail with foam and epoxying the blades you are getting some interesting practice. You might find that when you restore the heli to stock you have become a pretty good pilot!
I agree that you can't learn to walk without falling down, but if you tie your shoelaces together, you're doomed to failure.

It's your budget and I'm not going to tell you how to spend it. And I've been through the frustrations that you are going through. Hmmm, that sounds like I'm not still going through those frustrations. Fact is, I am. I was just outside with a little breeze. I have a bunch of upgrades and I expected the heli to do really well. Flight is a fight, even with the good stuff, if there is a breeze. I don't have a straight line breeze, I'm working with what washes over the house so it's a breeze and downdraft situation. But it's still frustrating. Although not as bad as yesterday when I flew into the ceiling fan.