Done a bit of gluing bits to the cockpit and priming engine parts before painting them. Did a few paint dot tests to check on the shades. Tried Vallejo model air in Insignia blue and Dark sea blue to see which of them to paint the engine cowling. Might go for the DSB just to have some life in the extreme dark blue, not just very blackish. The second photo shows the top green and bottom grey to adorn rest of the aircraft. To the right are varieties of the colours a Swedish fighter of the same period would be in.

Next step will be engine assembly, cowling paint and assembly, aotake wheel wells and painting the interior. See you in a bit!

2 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Thanks Spiros, not sure I´m doing anything as fancy as many others, more like a match to get things looking good if not totally historically correct.

Full ahead at work means less energy for building in the evening. Not that I didn´t plan to, it just didn´t happen. Fridays being a bit less heavy I got my mojo back so I did a bit of engine building and painting and the odd bit going, like doing the wheel wells up in Aotake. Engine was primed in GW´s Chaos black and then wet dry-brushed in aluminium to bring out some details. Crank case got a coat of Vallejo Steel grey. After assembly a bit of oil wash brought out some more details in the lighter areas.

As it seems like the engine cowling actually not is black in real world I decided to airbrush it in Vallejo model air Insignia blue, not black but very very dark blue. In the photo it may pop a bit more blue than it actually is, don´t you all worry, OK?

For the wheel wells I decided to go with Vallejo aluminium and a light spray of Vallejo model color Transparent blue on top. Might give it a bit of oil wash later on when all bits are ready.

Cockpit got some XF-71 interior green as a base. Tomorrow I´ll pick out some details in black and so on.

3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Always nice to compare the colors on a project like this. I try to paint a small piece of evergreen every time I airbrush a new color and one day I will have a large library of colors (learned that from a good friend)
It is always great to get just a small bit done every now and the, and your engine and Aotake looks very nice. Keep those small progressreports comin' 🙂

Eric, I do the same. Have quite a collection of greens and greys now to compare and match. I think it is ore important to get the nuances relate to each other than go strictly by the book. n the end all layers, pre- and post-shading, clear coats and weathering is going to change it anyway.

I go with Erik @airbum too! I choose not strictly by the book, trying to focus on having a result that seems "normal" and harmoniously related to the real thing I am depicting.
I love your Aotake, Stellan, and your engine looks magnificent, a jewel inside that blueblack cowling!
Perfect cockpit and no fuselage/wing gaps!
Waiting for your progress, which seems will be rapid!

Things are really coming along well, Stellan (@stellan). You can't beat Tamiya kits. It will go quickly now that the fuselage is closed up.

Does anyone know what the rainbow coloured stripes on the undercarriage doors are for? No 43 + 44 on the photo.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Cockpit detailing is great, Stellan.
The outcome of the glassing is very realistic.
To be honest, I have no idea where the decals were used for. Squadron marking maybe.