Hello George @gblair , thanks for you comments . This is the first can of humbrol spray paint I’ve used ... I really like it. I’ll use it again in the future.

I have some liquid decal film in case there is any decal malfunctions . I hope the replacement sheet I have will be problem free. It looks ok.

After reading what other F-105 modelers have written online , I see that this kit has some details I should have sanded off or otherwise removed in order to produce a more perfect F-105F , but I’m happy with the way it looks anyway. As commander , maintenance officer, and enlisted force of the “ 148th fighter squadron” I can make those calls . Had I know about those required alterations, I probably wouldn’t have made them . I’d hate to risk turning the kit in to spare parts by my clumsy attempts to make it something it’s not.

Started to put the decals on this morning . They seem to not have any problems . The kit is a Revell , but the replacement decals I have are from an earlier released Monogram of the exact same kit. Revell used gray plastic, which I liked better then the dark OD plastic Monogram used.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Progressing nicely, my friend @ssgt!

Decals look great, my friend @ssgt! You are right: money is money...
You'll get back to your bench with great eagerness, though.

The micro sol worked its magic with these decals ... they settled down nicely over the surface details.

It has certainly become a winter wonderland across Oklahoma where I live and also across much of the USA. I’m thankful it’s not as bad here as it is elsewhere , @johnb

The snow is drifting, luckily there isn’t a lot of it .

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Decals look great, Jay (@ssgt). They look really nice against the NMF. I keep reminding myself what a large model the 105 is and how much paint it took to get to this point. I live in central Texas and the storm hit yesterday. I took my daily 2 mile walk at 11:00 in a t-shirt and it was 69 degrees. By 12:00, the storm hit and the temp had dropped to 32 degrees with winds over 35 mph. It went down to 11 degrees last night. We aren't supposed to be above freezing again for several days. This is just like the big freeze we had several years ago that killed a bunch of people, except this time there isn't snow. I was stationed in the panhandle of Oklahoma for 4 years, and we used to get ice storms. I remember going out to my car one day and it had 4 inches of ice plastered on it. I decided I could ride my bike to get to the squadron. That didn't work out so well. :o) Good luck with the cold weather. Stay safe.

Thank you Morne @mornem ! I’m happy with the Thunderchief’s progress . As always there are things that could have been done better or differently. I appreciate the advice and encouragement on this project ... it’s good to have your expertise to draw on !

The decals are all on , micro sol & set were used. They all went on with out too much of a problem. I need to clear coat them and do some minor paint touching up here & there. Then the final assembly.

2 attached images. Click to enlarge.