Thanks so much for responding, Uwe. And might I say your build of this model is incredible. I should probably read it all before ordering the kit, to see if I think I'm capable of it. One thing I do like is that the parts are a bit larger (my last build being the HMS Victory cross section), which helps these old eyes. But wood finish becomes a model in unto itself at that scale and model type.
As to making sure the model is the complete one, and of Pear, aliexpress sells the basic cherry model for $128, basic pear for $193, section plus inner details for $215 & $308. Now looking closer, while these have the inner details, it appears they do not include the carved pieces, which are sold separately for another $40.
But you make a good point about after sales service. Will aliexpress have a replacement for a broken or lost piece? Doubtful. Will ZHL, the manufacturer? Sure. They even specify they'll replace a part(s) one time within 3 months. Hopefully, they might do better than that, but at least they have the parts.
Also, some of the pics on aliexpress site show a lessor quality construction than the other sites. Guess if I'm going to spend the next year building something, I need to know I'm starting with the best quality kit I can.