Skyraider, thanks for the comments. Actually, I'd like to thank everyone who left me the positive comments on this build. I'm sure I could have done a better job with my write-ups, but I'm not a pro and I really used the forum to keep myself motivated with the build.

I have to agree with you and everyone else who think the Smoothie has great lines. I really like the nostalgic look of the bird. I think upper wing struts would really look awesome, but I didn't think of it until after I had the wing covered and I wasn't about to open up the wing to add the needed mounting blocks. I would have liked to go with an open cockpit, but I trimmed the canopy before I thought about just going with a windshield. If you like the look of the Ryan STA, I think that with a minimal amount of work you could have a close clone.