As a builder, you can work with Robert on certain design parameters, but sometimes the past is still very much in the present. I have a full size Sopwith Camel replica with a Rotec radial and a modified airfoil to be a bit more easy on the break than the original. That said, owing to the Camel's designed in weight concentration , she is still a handful to fly and really likes to change direction. There is no large torque effect from a rotary engine, but a lot of the Camel's original personality is still there. And to some degree, part of the original personality may always be there in many light wing loaded WW1 replicas.
What fun.