The exhausts look fantastic after drilling, my friend @johnb!

Opened up the barrels as well.

Started to apply the decals. The first one (on the lower surface of the wing) did crack, likely caused by my eagerness to get the decals on. Next one I gave a lot more time to in the water to release from the paper and that worked quite well although they remain brittle as a tiny piece came off while drying it with a cotton tip.

That's the thing about modeling aircraft, your one meter away from crossing the finish line headed for the best build ever and a decal goes south. That "tiny part" might settle down with more setting solution later on or you can touch it up with a little paint. The majority of us on lookers will be too busy gushing with compliments to notice your fatal flaw John. : )
I'm in the same club of noticing the fatal flaws. 🙂

I've been told by my better half that there are two states of perfection . . . your either six feet underneath the grass or you've become, what ever higher power you believe in. I hope to fail miserably.

Shangri-La nose art applied. This ofcourse covers the exhaust stains partly so need to redo those a bit.

@fiveten, thank you, Spiros

@gblair, thanks a lot, George. Same here, in a lot of cases I find something which I should have done the other way around, like in this case.

With most of the decals on she finally starts to look like Gentile's aircraft, 'Shangri-La'