The fifth and final week of the VMA-223 build is complete! I completed the final touches on the fuselage. I added a clear lens on the nose gear after previously drilling out the molded light. The dorsal light was cut off and a clear lens was added and painted with clear red. The HUD and windscreen was then installed. Next I added the det cord decal to the inside if the canopy and attached it to the canopy frame. The canopy assembly was then placed in the open position so the cockpit details could be seen.
I did some final touch-ups on the weathering and this build was completed. As for a review of the kit, it was a nice kit to build up. The landing gear just required some minor adjustments so it could sit on the gear correctly. The fit of the parts was very good. I did not use the kit decals which by the way were minimal. I would recommend buying an aftermarket set that includes all the placards and correct decals. The resin 1/48 Eduard AN/ AAQ-28(V) Litening pod has some nice details and the decals are very accurate. The only downside is it would have been better if they had clear lenses and maybe some internal details behind them.
All that is left now is to pack the aircraft carefully and ship it out to the client. Thank you for following along. Happy Modeling!
You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/
6 attached images. Click to enlarge.
