My girlfriend used to own one, and I flew it a few times. I also
worked on it some, but didn't build it. So here's my two cents.

I'm a lardass, and I fit OK. The 200 lbs is no issue - neither is 250
- in terms of fit. Well over 6 ft might be. The plane is WAY roomier
than any biplane I've ever been in other than a Stearman. If you don't
fit into a 'Duster, not sure what you will fit into.

Considering what they go for in the US, I don't see how you could build
one for less than the cost of buying. Maybe if you're great at
scrounging. I wouldn't even consider building one. There are always
plenty for sale.

There is a reason there are plenty for sale. They're just not very
useful.

They're aerobatic, in the sense that they can take the stresses. +/- 6
gees, and with a relatively high stall speed (60 mph, IIRC) the Va is
above Vne. What's more, the thing is so draggy that about the only way
to exceed Vne would be to point the nose straight down with full power.
It's a great plane to teach yourself aerobatics - it's damn near
impossible to hurt yourself, as long as you have altitude to recover.

On the other hand, the cg range is pretty limited (I was always
flirting with the aft limit at 250) so they don't make good aerobatic
trainers unless instructor (and especially student) are very light.
And the aerobatic performanceis underwhelming. Climbs are slow (at
least with the typical IO-360, ever with CS), rolls are leisurely at
best (even with four ailerons).

XC flying in one isn't much fun. The stability is non-existent. The
open-cockpit thing is cool, but the wind makes it near-impossible to
have a map. I flew it XC once, just to say I had done it, but once was
enough. Cruise speed is an unimpressive 100 kts for a 180-hp 2-seater.

It's not too bad on grass, but it's a bitch on pavement. The one I
flew could not be wheeled. Everyone (including a test pilot who had
flown every piston fighter on the inventory) tried, nobody succeeded.
You could put the mains down at 100 mph and without power the tail
would bang down, sending you for a bucking bronco ride. Normal
landings were 90-95 mph on final (usually a curving final, to keep the
airport in sight), touchdown 3-point (or maybe a tad tailwheel first)
at 75 or so, and hold on. About 50, the rudder became ineffective.
You might start getting the nerve to use the brakes at about 30. In
between, steering was mostly by prayer. Visibility was normal for a
biplane - nothing straight ahead. Just stare at the fuel gauge and try
to make the peripheral vision pictures match. Max crosswind was about
10 kts. When a VERY experienced pilot with thousands of hours of Pitts
time tried to land it in 15-20, he scraped up the wing.

So bottom line - you have a plane that's difficult to land, lands hot
for a toy, isn't much of a traveling plane, isn't much of an aerobat -
and using the same engine/prop, you could have built an RV for the same
money. But it's an open-cockpit biplane. The concept is cool, but
after you've done a few loops and rolls and buzzed a few speedboats it
gets old. That, I think, is why so many are for sale - and why
building one makes little sense.

Michael