That might work. Another possible material would be sheet plastic, such as Plexiglas or Perspex. But the person who tries it is going to have to be somebody other than me.
We dissected the Heller Soleil Royal pretty thoroughly in another thread a couple of months ago. Here's the link: /forums/1/678958/ShowPost.aspx#678958 . I think I said more than my share about the subject on that thread; this kit may be my un-favorite of all time. I built it once, and regard the two years' effort I put into it as utterly wasted. But if somebody else, knowing what's wrong with the thing, wants to tackle it, that individual certainly has my best wishes. To each his (or her) own.
On the other hand, there are quite a few kits out there that come up to a much higher standard. A week or so ago, having sensed that I was creating the impression that I didn't know how to say anything positive about a plastic sailing ship kit, I started a thread labeled "GOOD sailing ship kits." It appears a few lines below this one. There are more than fifty kits on it. I don't claim for an instant that it's a definitive list - but I do find it interesting that, so far, nobody has suggested that any of the kits on it shouldn't be there.
Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.