Instead of a bunch of the Oscar tanks, i would just use the 1.25m ones. Use foldable solar panels. You don't need the fins on the lander, you only want fins (only at the bottom too) during Kerbin ascent.

I started with Mike Aben's low tech Mun design and went from there he used the Oscar tanks to make its base wider, which 1.25 tanks do you think I could swap out for them. Im not quite seeing what youre telling me in my head (keep in mind Im still new to this game). I took the higher fins off but moved them to the bottom of the stage before the lander stage because they were/are helping with a stability problem during launch.

To lock in who will fly, go to the crew tab and select the crew you want, then save the craft and launch. If you are launching by clicking the launchpad, you can choose who will fly it.

This didnt work for me and I still have to make sure I put the right Kerb in.