Nice job, and it's a great subject!
I'm going to speak up in defense of this kit, though. It's not that bad. The basic shape is accurate. The drawbacks, if you will, are the lack of real and accurate interior details, and Lindberg's choice for molding the tail assembly as a separate piece, guaranteeing that you'll have to putty it, if you want it to be more accurate, and their choice of molding only the front half of the engine. Sure, this kit's really only a nostalgia build anymore, especially since Classic Airframes produced a more detailed kit. But think of this venerable old kit more as an opportunity to stretch your scratchbuilding muscles.
The hardest part about building an interior for this kit, in my experience, has been the complete lack of photos of the F11C's cockpit. I know, I know, there is the old Squadron "Curtiss Navy Hawks", and the Profile magazine. But neither of those show the F11C's interior (in fact, I think neither show any dedicated interior pics). And you're right, the aircraft at Pensacola is the later BFC (half-canopy and higher turtleback added, as kits for field modifications). I have a disc of photos of that bird, inside and out, but I've never been able to confirm whether there were any changes internally to the Goshawk as a result of that development, or if the BFC's interior is unchanged from the F11C mark.
But otherwise, unless you're willing to shell out the kind of money that the Classic Airframe kits go for on eBay, the Lindberg kit is a reasonable alternative and a good starting point.
Regards,
Brad