The model is coming along nicely and you have some good ideas on the scratch building front.
In terms of the nose-cone access panel for the front suspension, make sure you remove a little material here as, when painted, the access panel didn't fit back on mine... and when I forced it in place I split the monocoque down the middle where join is.
Also, now is the time to recess out of the panel a couple of holes for the screws that keep it in place and one for the aerial.
On to the rear of the monocoque, don't forget to level out the recess where the fuel filler cap goes as the fuel filler cap, when installed does cover the entire recess. I've seen other modellers remove the roll hoop so that it can be painted separately (I didn't do that on mine but would try that if I made the model again).
Keep up the good work,
Bill
P.S. You might find it useful to lay down a layer of primer and then apply putty/filler. The primer helps a little with the bonding process but the main advantage to this is that it allows you to see all the areas that need sanding/putty because the entire surface is a single tone.