To clarify, the depron was for you Martin ! I was looking at your very thick balsa crutch airframe. A formed monocoque shell in depron will be worth considering, Tony has the right idea with vac-form. Blue foam can be carved and sanded to the streamlined shaped of any aircraft and the inside hollowed to lighten and accommodate the r/c gear. A simple variation on the well proven bungie launch technique will suffice to get the `plane to flying speed in a short distance. The slipstream from the large prop used in electric flight is one of the main factors in foamie aircraft success plus very good power to weight ratio. The "flying" version could be slightly overscale in size and some additional wing and tail area too, just enough to be unnoticeable. However the aircraft is awayy down the line yet and so is the next bit of (maybe)useful information...I spotted some woven wood blinds in both "Homebase" and "Focus DIY" furniture stores yesterday that might be a good source of deck planking. They come in mahogany, chestnut,oak and tan colours, have a look. There is also bamboo round rod version that could be useful for pipework etc. Not cheap but strip from a wood supplier wont be either, might pick up some second hand, keep watching the skips when a house is being renovated ! Don't know what size you require but might be near enough scale width.
