Great work so far
As for ripping on the basic kit, it's unfortunate that the model companies don't tell you what's inside the box if you haven't been involved in the hobby and building them constantly since the '60's. Many older builders know exactly the limitations of this particular model; it's 100% typical of a late '60's kit (fairly accurate body, very crude interior/engine/chassis), with perhaps the mold having more wear and updates like those chassis pins which originally were holes and the chassis held in place with metal screws. Older builders shrug it off with comfortable familiarity, younger builders are incredulous...expecting it to be somewhat more like Revell's '68 Firebird or '69 Camaro, which it never will be...but for it's day, it's really not a bad kit for something first squeezed out of a mold nearly 40 years ago. In fact for anything other than a bone-stock '69 Firebird T/A, using this kit for the body and using Revell's '68 Firebird for a donor for all the dirty parts would be a good idea. Yeah, that means two kits, but it's the only way to avoid all the scratchbuilding if that bothers you. The chances that a '69 Firebird would be retooled to current standards are probably slim to none
Imagine what the Firebird would look like if it was tooled in Japan in the late '60's...flat chassis, huge battery box, Mabuchi motor, rear axle with a humongous gear drive, half of an interior (at best), a shape that's maybe 70% accurate...
