Looking forward to your progress on this kit, Spiros (@fiveten). I have built this kit before, and I don't think you will have any trouble finishing it on time. I was going through my stored models and came across a 1/48 Kinetic F-16XL-2 that I thought might be fun to do in some hypothetical colors.

The start of a another great project, Spiros @fiveten
Your friend's friend will be very pleased when receiving this model.
Looking forward to it.

Filler added...

The intake is always a problem area on F-16s, Spiros (@fiveten). I should clean up nicely.

Sanded smooth...

Thanks my friend @gblair! Ready for the paint shop indeed!

Thanks my friend @johnb!