I have spent the last few days painting detail on the resin cockpits. This is complicated by the fact that nearly everything in the cockpits is cast together as one piece, which makes it necessary to paint under, around, and through the many cast details. Another complication is that I can barely see many of the things I am trying to paint. I used some 1/87 decals that I originally got for my model trains to add some stencils and other markings. Given my shaky hands and bad eyesight, I am pretty happy with the cockpits and other equipment. I still need to do some washes and other weathering, but I hope to start mating the resin interior with the Monogram fuselage tomorrow. Cheers everyone.

8 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Great details, George. That cockpit is terrific compared to the Revell bare bones version.

Excelletn work on the cockpit, George @gblair
All the work you put into this one really paid off.
Looking forward to a detailed engine as well.

We had our almost three year old granddaughter over today, so I didn't get much done. Evie time comes first. I did get the resin interior very close to installation. I wanted to try some new AK weathering products (or old products in a new container?), so I used the general wash first, and then used the "Atmospheric Dirt" in areas where I thought dirt might accumulate. These are enamel products, so you can use Odorless Turpenoid to adjust the effect. The weathering remained workable with the Turpenoid quite a while, even after I thought that the enamel was completely dry. The turpenoid dries with a flat finish, so nothing to do to get a non-shiny finish. I like the effect that was created. I plan to assemble the small parts (stick, etc) after the cockpit is added to the fuselage to prevent damage. More tomorrow.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Your washes are really superb, my friend @gblair!

I was absolutely sure yesterday that everything was ready to start adding the resin to the fuselage. I made it a point to read, and re-read, the instructions. I did one last trial fit and managed to snap off the forward part of the fuselage on one side. It glued back perfectly. The plastic on this kit is very thin, so I obviously need to be more careful. There were some areas that needed more thinning, so very carefully the plastic was thinned. Just as I was getting ready to commit to some glue, it occurred to me that the inside of the upper fuselage would be visible and needed some paint. It was today before I really and truly had everything ready to go. The test fits were good and I was tempted to try and glue the resin into the fuselage while the two sides were taped together. The instructions tell you not to do that, rather you are supposed to glue the resin to one side of the fuselage and then glue the sides together. Trying to hold the pieces in place is a lot like herding cats, and there is a lot of room for error. I decided to glue the resin pieces first using some AK PVA glue that is very thick and sticky, and then use super glue when I was sure everything fit. This glue worked well to glue the first bulkhead in place. Once that dries, I will start adding other pieces. Happy Fourth of July to all of you who celebrate the holiday. Cheers.

5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten). It seems like one step forward and two steps back.