Charles,
Congrats on a very nice use of junk box parts, OM!
Most would think the wire wounds wouldn't work, but you solved it with the variable cap for the higher freqs. The fan is a good idea too.
I once made a dummy load using (24) 100W lightbulbs. It required an L/C network and changed impedance the first few seconds as the bulbs warmed up...
Yes, a network to match/tune out the reactance, it is a great idea.
73,
T