Good progress, Stellan (@stellan). It always seems like things move much more quickly once the cockpit is done. I understand about being tired after work. I almost completely stopped modeling for 40 years thanks to work, but retirement fixes all of that. :o)

Hello Stellan,
I really like the color choice you made for the cowling. I use the same Dark Sea Blue colors too, and it looks just right to me... 🙂

These Tamiya Zeros are a beautiful kit to build. They fit so nicely and look so good once they're completed. I like what you have done with yours, and it's going to be a masterpiece ! It looks magnificent already, and you still have to add the Swedish camouflage paint.

As far as the multicolored stripe decals you mentioned earlier: Number 43 and 44. They go on the exterior landing gear doors and it's a visual reference / aid that shows how compressed the main landing gear struts are. When all three colors were visible, the plane was most likely empty, and not loaded with fuel, ammunition, and ordnance. When two colors were visible, it was a quick visual indicator to show the plane was loaded. I believe that all three colors were also visible once the landing gear was raised, The outer gear doors are a two part assembly, one is fixed stationary to the upper portion of the strut, and the other is fixed to the lower and this allows it to move, thereby making it look differently as the landing gear is compressed.

Some aircraft have a landing gear system that allowed the ground crews to add compressed air into the oleo strut when they plane was loaded more heavily than usual. The Junkers Ju-88 was like this.

I'm not sure if the Zero had this feature or not... Maybe this is another possibility ? Hopefully someone else with more knowledge than I have about this can chime in and add comments.

OK, been busy so only a quick update. Added a seat harness of Tamiya tape and a couple of loops of wire.Bit of painting, voila, a bit of safety for the bus driver. Also glued the fin on its mount. Absolutely fantastic fit and no gaps! This is Tamiya at its best. Fuselage joints are sanded so in goes the office in its hole and next will be joining wings and stabilizers to the fuselage. Onward!

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Nice progress, Stellan!
It's a good thing the Tamiya kit helps you.
Your cockpit looks fantastic!

Great seatbelts, Stellan (@stellan). I have used tape seatbelts before, but they don't look as great as yours. More practice needed on my part, I think.

Bit of progress. Both rudder and stabilizers where a beaut to add to the fuselage, never had a model this neat to construct. Wings glued to the fuselage, wingtips and some panels just behind the engine cowling added. Rest ought to be a dance to add: undercarriage, ailerons, flaps, guns and canopy. PLayed around a bit with decals just to get an idea about how the end result will look like.I think it will be very interesting looking in the end.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Sure is, John, sure is. Very pretty aircraft if I may say so.