Nice work on this and good progress. Chuck.

I've been meaning to ask, is that background thingy you have in these shots really something done with glor - or resin - filled with fishweights, as it appears to me, or am I seeing things? 🙂

Next up is to start masking off the glass panels and lamps. Using Eduards masking set.

Starting with the rear compartment. Each panel are masked off.

Then the canopy. Eduard's masking sets make this process so much easier and a bit quicker to do the process.

What is also a plus, no adhesive residue left on the panels when removed.

Next to attach the landing lamps under the wings and then mask off.

Pylons attached, airframe masked off.

One minor detail is to attach a towel rack type of antenna just aft of the weapons bay.

The elevators will be displayed in the lowered position just to add character.

Next up to paint the lower surfaces and apply the pre shading on the upper surfaces.

More to follow...

Excellent progress, my friend @uscusn! Indeed the masks are very helpful!

Using Tamiya Semi Gloss black to paint the lower surface while pre shading the top surfaces as well as the cockpit and rear compartment framing.

The rear compartment and cockpit framing painted black.

Next to preshade the upper surfaces, and the leading edges of the vertical tail, horizontal stabs and the wings.

The front fin cap is not white but Light Grey FS36622, painted, then will be masked off.

As the Light Grey dries before masking, I went ahead and painted the Hypersonic resin wheels Flat Aluminum

They Grey is dry and the rest of the masking off of the leading black edges, under surfaces and fin cap.

Next up to paint the upper and side surfaces SEA scheme of Tan FS30219, Medium Green FS 34102 and Dk Green FS34079.

More to follow...

Excellent start on the paintwork, Chuck @uscusn

David @dbutlr.

Aft engine nacelle to wing is one of the big gaps. I had a few gaps around the gunner's glass also. But nothing really earth shaking. The only really bad thing on the kit that has to be replaced are the wheels and I have to get a set of these Hypersonic wheels and toss the already painted Aires set out.

Though the sparsity of detail in the cockpit under all that clear canopy is really annoying. Get the Eduard cockpit PE and it will go a long way to fixing the short comings. But the Quinta 3D decals has the quilted insulation that is seen behind the pilots and along the copilot's side or do like me give some aluminum foil a quilted pattern, paint light gray, a wash to make the pattern pop more, cut to fit, and glue.

For my next Counter Invader lets see all the after market I have - 3D control columns, 3D tip tanks, Eduard cockpit set, Eduard mask, Aires wheels, and Vector propellers. I may have more aftermarket than original kit at this point.

Now to start to airbrush that SEA tri color top scheme. First starting with Tan FS30219. I used Gunze Aqueous acrylics for the first color of the scheme.

Starting below the tail and working around over the top to the front part of the fuselage. I painted the sections that are Tan.

Next up is the Medium Green FS34102, using again Gunze Acrylic. Freehanding the Green over the Tan with a fine feathered edge not a hard edge.

Next is to paint the 3rd color, Dk Green/Euro Green FS34079.

Once the initial scheme is painted. I remove the masks from the wings and tail. The glass not yet as more paint work and clean up is next up to sharpen the edges and overspray.

Black is repainted to clean up the demarcation line from the top and lower scheme.

The other colors are also touched up before the clear coat is sprayed on to prepare for the decal process.

Next up the decals.

More to follow...