I had dealings with him years ago that mimmick your experiences thus far. I needed a short kit for a Ziroli Panther. He said it would be 4-6 weeks, no problem! In the mean time, he offered me a great deal on a Bates Wildcat full kit. I bought that as well. I got that right away, but it was 6 months of so waiting for the Panther.
I ended up not building either, but the quality of cutting was avg. He left the patterns stuck to the wood, and he followed the lines ok, but didn't really finish sand to the level that the aeroplane works(when owned by the Gills) did.