Getting to focus back on this Katana, first thing I had to do was get some English instructions as I had a feeling I was missing a few details with regards to some spot painting and such. Luckily Tamiya re-issued this kit in 2018 and Scalemates had an English copy for download.

I had to do some disassembly to get some painting done.

After sanding down the red car bondo and adding some newer Tamiya putty, parts were smooth for painting - First coated all the white body parts with TremClad White Enamel primer and then with Tamiya XF-2 Flat white.

As I started painting the black trim parts with Humbrol Black Satin 85, I forgot just how long it takes for the brushed enamels take to dry and next thing you know I got fingerprint smudges on half the model 🙁

I now remember why I stopped building this kit, the white was very intimidating 30-40 years ago.

Some scraping and some tape masks and a quick recoat got things back in order.

Now I waiting a few days for things to cure fully and I'll coat all white parts with Future.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Solid progress and great recovery from the fingertips mishap, my friend @georgeswork!
For the "Suzuki" logo on the chromed crankcase, a suggestion might be to carefully apply highly thinned black wash with a fine brush inside each letter and let dry. It might lt provide a slightly darker shade to the letters from the surrounding "gold" shade upon drying.

Nice progress George! I have found if you primer with pink surface primer and then a few coats of white that the opacity is good. Model looks great though. Yes, I think we should change this to the "george" group. Three of you here already and my nickname my whole life has been George, so I can claim being #4. (My surname is Wilson, and Dennis the Menace's grumpy old neighbour was George Wilson, hence the nickname... just I am probably more grumpy than he was...LOL)

Hi guys, it’s amazing how many Georges there are on this site, I’ve met very few otherwise. Great work on the Katana @georgeswork, personally I’d stick with the panel liner, I think any excess is easier to clean off being enamel.

Well - no more finger smudges and looks like we are ready for the decals. I used more CA glue on this build than any other build. Great stuff , buy the bottle had a tendency to 'burp' out the glue every now and then and I was lucky that I didn't get any blobs on the bike. I removed the rear wheel and sprayed everything with Pledge and put the rear wheel back in place and added the front forks and wheel. I'm not 100% satisfied with the crank case lettering but it'll pass for done. Just need to put the windscreen in place with some Krystal Klear.

In the home stretch on a kit that's taken me over 30 years to build.

Come to think of it, this is one of my first Tamiya kits that I have completed since getting back into the hobby.

I haven't tested the decals out yet, so I gonna give them a covering of Micro Film just to make sure they stick together.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Looks fantastic, my friend @georgeswork! Getting really close to the finish line!

Thanks George (@chinesegeorge), we were four brothers and one sister - 5 kids - 15 names used, don't ask me what they are.

Thanks Guys (@johnb), (@fiveten). I haven't decided if this is a keeper or a gift for my cousin, the cousin that I wanted to give it to all those years ago when I started the kit, but I thought I'd dress it up a bit with a display stand. I messed around with some ideas and made a decision. Test print and fit in B&W then final print in colour and place on a $1 wooden plaque from Michaels Art Store. Display stand is ready for a gloss coat tomorrow.

Still no decals, and now I might need a way to sure the bike onto the display stand.

6 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Smart looking stand, George @georgeswork, not sure of the best way to fix the bike to it, though.