George,
The ShyFox plans are available from the AMA. You can go into the Members Only section and see them in the archives, including a very complete build article in the March 2010 magazine. The Mk II differs only in the wing planform. There are no released plans for the Mk II, just two sketches that I made and gave to a few guys that were interested. The root chord is 10-1/4" and the tip chord is 9-1/4". The wing LE is moved 1/2" forward in this version to maintain the balance. Neither of my planes required nose/tail weight. I tend to use firm wood in the fuse and tail. Spar construction is the same, just a bit shorter. Just make up some root and tip templates per the sketch and stack-sand your rib set.
Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't follow the plans when I built the Mk I stab and elevators. Kind of like Pete and his wingtips, the piece of wood I had was a bit bigger than the plans so I used it. The plans actually show both, so take your pick. The Mk II used the smaller stab. No difference in the way the two fly, really.
For anyone who has not tried the exact sewn hinges shown in the plans, you should. They are really bulletproof when combined with the spruce spars. They work equally well on basswood surfaces that I use for Goodyear, Mouse, Rat, and Quickie Rat tails. The problem I have when I tell people about sewn hinges is that they remember carpet thread and a million stitches along the length of the surfaces. (Like Frankenstein's sutures.) This is unnecessary with modern materials, draggy, takes more time to do, and is butt-ugly. The second issue is that guys all fondly remember the "best" material to use. I try not to get involved in these conversations any more. People do what they know--even if it has long since been improved. When a guy tells me how great 1/2A Dacron flying lines work but won't try Spectra, the receive channel just isn't turned on. Or dental floss. Or carpet thread. Or, the super techie dude, who has got to use Kevlar thread. Sure Kevlar is strong, but for a sewn hinge, it is harder to work with and you need some pretty small stuff. If you have a 100 year supply of Soviet Kevlar that you need to use up, go for it!
Well, I guess if Rad doesn't do beer, he must not have been the pitman in question. Or else I drank too many and can't tell the story right! Bob did a great job pitting the heat races at the Nats that year. Most races are won in the pits, so try not to hand a rent-a-pitman a plane with some unusual trick setup. If the teams have to split up for the final, that pitman may only get 5 minutes to figure out your setup. Less if he has to go fill up the refueling bottle. Most pitmen are very familiar with the setup shown in the ShyFox plans. This plane has probably been pitted by all of them!
McSlow