Thanks for all the encouragement guys. Just a quick update. I've got the wings and the stabs glued on and she's looking like a real plane now. The fit has been pretty good with just a few touch-ups needed where the wings join the fuselage on the bottom both front and back. To make life easier on yourself, I would definitely recommend gluing the wings on and dealing with these seems before gluing on the oil cooler and radiator scoops.
The kit has the wing navigation lights just engraved into the plastic, so using some of the tips I learned on this site I decided to make my own out of clear sprue. First I sawed off the engraved lights on the wings then I rough cut the clear plastic to shape. Once I got it semi-close, I drilled a hole in it where the light bulb would be and added drops of paint into the hole. This is how it looks in its rough shape after being glued in place.
After letting the glue dry, I went back in with a file and sanded the lens to its final shape and followed up with several finer grits of sandpaper and sanding sponges until she looks like this.
An easy upgrade that didn't take much time at all. A coat of future on these and they should really look the part.
The next area I tackled was the landing gear wells. On the real plane the back of the engine and all of its plumbing and wiring is visible here. Hasegawa offers a little bit of detail here but it begs for more. I didn't go too crazy with it but I did add some plumbing and details out of various size wire and plastic rod. All the piping is color coded on the real plane for the various systems (coolant, oxygen, hydraulic, etc..).
The flash in these pics makes the oil wash look way over done, but in normal light it does not show up like this. Here is a pic with the flash off, showing it more naturally.
Thanks for looking in. I hope to get the primer on tomorrow followed quickly by some paint.