American model builders structures

[Sumpter250]

I don't know about American Model Builders kits, but typically, laser cut kits have locater tabs and slots, and all the pieces are cut to size and shape. It's more like many of the plastic kit buildings than the "craftsman kits" ("Are these the kind of kits that are basically a box of raw materials and an instruction sheet" ).
Kitbashing is always possible, but with laser cut kits you will have to have some experience with wood construction.
If the kits are cut sheet basswood, common tools, and a lot of gentle handling will be enough for kitbashing. If they are cut microplywood, you might need slightly more sophisticated tools to kitbash. In either case, straight assembly is really no more complicated than a plastic kit.
Painting is probably better done before assembly. I did have to paint some pre-assembled laser kits, and it's do-able, but the masking takes for ever.