Well things have gotten busy at work for me, so some long days, plus some other issues have slowed my progress. There is that and the fact that the cockpit glazing scared me to death. They consist of five interlocking thin very clear parts, not counting the sliding opening and the spherical nose piece where the gun goes. The first canopy actually went fairly easily with all the pieces going together fairly well. It is fiddly but with patience and steady hands it went together. Unfortunately like other components of this kit, the other canopy had one glazing that was warped. It also happened to be the largest one of the five pieces. It was a tough one to get fitted in but after a struggle I got it together. This is such a contrast to the Monogram kit which does the entire cockpit glazing in two pieces.
The engine nacelles were the same way and if you didn't get them together just right the front piece doesn't fit nicely. I did okay on three, decent on one and poorly on the last one. There are little details on the nacelle and I didn't want to sand them off. I used my Tamiya putty and then q-tips dipped in Nail Polish Remover to "sand" it down once it had dried. It is actually a decent technique for some types of seams. The acetone in the remover is mild with all the other additives in the mix. It will soften and remove the putty but leaves the plastic unharmed. Still a little finish work to do, but first a lot of canopy masking!
6 attached images. Click to enlarge.
