I noticed while taking these photos, that I'd managed to get some clear flat overspray on the windscreen:
I've since removed most of this overspray with a cotton bud moistened with Windex. I punched out a small disc of Bare Metal Foil chrome for the pilot's review view mirror.
I also lost the small clear part that goes on the fuselage spine behind the aerial mast, so I made another one from clear sprue:
The entire model looks like it's sitting too tall to my eye, and you can see how upright (and long) the landing gear is in the following photo:
The other thing you'll notice, which I only noticed myself once I had assembled it, is how oversized the prop blades are. The prop really does need replacing, but obviously it's too late for this build.
Overall though, I'm still pretty happy with the way it turned out. I'm especially happy that I managed to achieve what I had in my mind's eye, weathering-wise. Builds like this are perfect for practicing painting and weathering techniques, and it really doesn't matter that the kit itself is a bit crappy, and that I didn't execute the build as well as I should have. I have the Hasegawa 1/48 kit in the stash, too, and intend to build that one with a fully exposed engine. I just have to decide if I'm willing to tackle the fuselage length issues...
Anyway, thanks one and all for looking in.
Kev
