Yeah, my vote would be for the Hasegawa 1/8 SE5a, followed by the Camel and the Triplane, if you can find/afford. Seem to remember they rereleased some or all in 1/16?.
The Merit SE5a is pretty good, with a few areas needing some work, although you'd ditch the daft PE rigging. Haven't got the other two but the Clerget engine in the Dr1 is a bit limiting!
The old Revells are a bit clunky but astonishingly good for early sixties designs, can be made into nice models with a bit of work.
PS just checked, the 1/16 Hasegawa Camel is all plastic, not part wood like the 1/8 one. Supposed to be "Museum Quality" FWIW!
Couple of em on sale on eBay UK at the moment from £170.