Matt,
From what I have Heard, the patch panels aren't the greatest and will require a bit of working over to make them fit and look proper. On the other hand, fabbing up panels on your own might take more time, depending on your skill level. If you're like me (have only a little bit of experience in this area), the patch panels are probably worth it. They aren't that expensive to begin with and will probably save you time over other methods.
Is the paint and filler stripped off of the car so that you can see what you are working with? I think that's the other big issue. You don't really know what's going on until all of the surface stuff is stripped away.
Cheers,
Steve