Great work on the interior, Mark @markh

Great progress, Mark @markh
The armament set is a very nice addition.

Thank you my friends

Louis Gardner is doing a couple of these also and I find his build log most informative, alerting me to surprises here and there. There is a problem with the windscreen being too narrow and leaving a step when dry fit that I solved with a strip of .010 styrene. The model needs putty everywhere and I'm glad I took the time to mix up sprue goo which is also an excellent filler. Installation of the wings did not go over well, they would not postion high enough to meet the wing root on the fuselage so now there's a step to deal with. This also had a bad effect on the fit of the air scoop which I had to rework the mating surface of substantially. Sprue goo helped alot here. The gunsight is dismal so I'm reworking it some, adding the manual sight present on early 51 D's. Once I finish painting it I'll replace the clear part I sawed off with some .005 clear styrene. I'm also deepening the holes in the parts on the engine covers so they can actually be seen, something that would not have occurred to me had Louis not pointed it out. Thank you Louis!

We's a-gettin closer

9 attached images. Click to enlarge.

You solved those fitting issues nicely, Mark @markh
Good progress.

Thanks guys

Right then. Since fitting transparent parts is close I took a look, a really good look at them. In short, they're awful. Distortion is huge and the windscreen looks like someone dripped a blob CA glue on it. To get the windscreen and the interior hood that attaches to it into place I had to cut off some of the parts in the cockpit due to interference. Kit parts, not the AM stuff I added.

Given the other problems I've encountered with this model these two latest occurances have kind of broken the camel's back; I'm not inclined to waste any more of my time on it. Accordingly it's headed into the garbage bucket.

If anyone wants any of the AM let me know, otherwise it will go too. Sorry if I'm disappointing anyone here but I do this for fun and struggling with a poorly appointed model kit is not my idea of it

Regards,
Mark

A pity it ended up in the garbage bin, Mark @markh
I can imagine the feeling if a kit is giving you so much troubles.
You might recall it from the bin and store it in a box, maybe you get some mojo at a latter stage to finish it with new transparant part.

Perhaps this would have been different if it had not come right on the heels of the Ertl haul truck. Generally once I'm done with something it's pretty much over, and I can't see myself going back to this one.

It ain't the end of the world, nor is it the end of my fumbling about with modeling I'll likely be back at it in a short time