Present state of Play on my Tamiya -1 Birdcage. waiting to return to Portland so i can finish it. Apologies to those who've seen it before and are sick of it...

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Martin, that's the 32nd scale kit. I dropped everything to start this model when it came out in the fall of '13. First efforts with Mr Color. Nice paint; has its quirks but no regrets.

-d-

Marvellous, David!
Trying Mr.Color is on my list, too.

Looks nice, David. When I've done Corsairs and Hellcats in the past, because of their somewhat monotone topside blue, I've lightened the blue a little and sprayed the centre sections of the panels at 15psi to create a slightly faded appearance. The panel lines themselves remain somewhat darker for natural contrast. That said, I've never stumped up £100+ cash for one of the Tamiya kits, but of course have seen and heard good things about them, as they seem to be a regular feature of model shows these days.

Make haste!