Great start JWH! I built the kit stock out of the box a couple of years ago. Many prefer upper wing ailerons and two servo's mounted in the lower wing over the stock single servo with bellcranks. Pull-pull rudder etc. I was surprised how much frontal area that huge radial cowl adds to an otherwise rather slender fuselage. Maybe consider a faired in engine like Andrews original? The top wing bolts are kind-of a pain to install using a stubby screwdriver but its workable and definately a visual improvement over the old rubber band version. Since you're scratching I suggest foregoing the erector set landing gear in favor of a nice T6 aluminum unit.

The plane is a robust design overall and a nice performer. I too built mine with both wings swept and added a Supertigre G-61 for motivation. Keep up the great work.