John: What a nice collection of photos. Like they say - a picture is worth a thousand words. If it were me, I would build the whole model out of "basswood" - nothing else. I like basswood because it doesn't have a dominant grain, and doesnt split like pine. I have used it for years, and substituted it for spruce very successfully when spruce prices got out of line, when I was manufacturing 1/4 scale kits. Home Depot stocks basswood.