Wow, looks gorgeous, my friend @pikofix!

Ah, now I have the decals right. They still look good.

That's very surprising about the controls. Wow!

Looks great, Csaba (@pikofix), especially given the complex nature of the paint scheme. The good news is almost any other paint scheme you might choose for another model will be less complex.

It was a long learning process John @johnb. I remember my first models build as a child. I always struggled with properly adjusting parts, and usually my planes were never sitting correctly on their wheels after assembly. Something was also wrong, and the finished model was terrible. I started making custom assembly fixtures as a teenager to help with this issue.

George @gblair my intention with this project was to get experience with such painting schemes. I have a few kits in my stash, waiting for assembly with similar patterns. Many of these kits had decal sheets, but I really don’t like using such large decals. Painting gives much better result, but of course it requires more work.

Erik @airbum for me the research part is just as interesting as the build itself. I have been a bookworm since I learned how to read. 🙂

George @gblair I considered such a machine last year, but I have limited space for hobby stuff, and it would not be used too often. Would be great, but that project has to wait until we get another place to live. The price and features might be even better in a few years - same with another item on the wish list, a 3D printer.

In the meanwhile, I finalized everything on the kit, except the rigging. It has to wait until I get one or two days off from work and have some time alone at home. I simply can´t do that when the wife and kids are around me. 🙂

This looks 1:1, my friend @pikofix!
Spectacular job so far!
Yes, kids daycare, working wife, I am a proud member of this club, as well!

All of the control surface cables are done now. I used Uschi rigging wires, these are excellent based on my limited experience.
The remaining tasks are the actual airframe wires, but I am not sure what to do. Most of the reference material shows the Po-2 with flat wires. I bought the flat wire photoetch set from S.B.S. model, but even the 1:72 scale version seems to be quite oversized for me. It might look better on the model...
I also need to figure out how to use such a wire set. Probably using PVA glue to fix the wires onto the turnbuckles would give me enough time to adjust them properly. Once everything is set, I could place a tiny amount of superglue on top of the PVA joint to strengthen it.

In the meanwhile, enjoy this video covering the maintenance work of HA-PAO, a Po-2 in flying condition. It shows a lot of great details - you might find it interesting, even if you don´t speak the language. Unfortunately it is not HD, but still very interesting to watch.

Another video is showing the engine test.

@pikofix - this is really coming together nicely. Your finish is highly realistic.