I always enjoy reading about this kind of research and experimentation. Not to mention seeing a new and improved version of a historic airplane take shape.
You are in good company with the tail number typo. I have found a few Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) errors even in the very reliable books by naval aviation historian and photographer William T. Larkins work as I have done research for Garry Gillard and my series on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft of the interwar period, now up to 37 aircraft (
US Navy and USMC Between The Wars in 1/100). Fortunately, in the Larkins case, the errors are in captions to photographs that clearly show the correct BuNos.
In any event, I am closely following this thread and OSNs build.
Don