While I am admittedly STILL building (it seems every year I have less and less shop/airplane time, that needs to change!) the most specialized tool I've had to use so far is the tig welder, but you can get into gas welding for it much cheaper. I've got a rather large collection of tools, but what I like about these eagles is they are so simple. I built the fuselage with a 3" cutoff wheel, a grinding wheel and hand files. You could do it with a hack saw instead of a cutoff wheel, and you could even forego the grinding wheel and just use hand files really, but the grinding wheel makes it go quicker (though be warned, it can also make scrap parts quicker too!) I'm currently building wing ribs, which pretty much just requires a scissors/x-acto knife/utility knife type device for cutting gussets, and I've been using a small hand coping saw to cut the cap strips. I use some adhesive backed sandpaper stuck to the table next to the rib jig to sand for fit. I got bored with cutting gussets out though and fired up my laser cutter to make a set. My better half has me on a strict 2-airplane projects at a time limit, so the faster I can get one finished up the sooner I can get to another
It just wasn't supposed to take me several years to finish this one!
Also, I've been in IT for 16 years. I know you'll know how to work Google, so most questions you have are a few minutes of reading away. Any questions you're still wondering, just ask. This group is a great resource. If you're curious what the proper construction/repair methods are, AC43.13-2b is a superb resource. You can download the PDF's of it from the FAA website, or a paper copy can be handy to have on hand as well.
As Tom said, don't get scared away by the big picture - it's just a bunch of small steps to get there. These aircraft a quite simple to build. Scratch building my Mustang 2 has by far been a much larger challenge.
Chris
