I started further work on the N1K2 after it being neglected due to the finishing of the Sanger Ki-67.
I debated to alter/sand the panneling I did, after my initial mistake with it, but I decided to leave things as they are and get on with the build. I'm building it together with the Tamiya Bufallo for Group Build No. 25.
So, here is where the model stands now. I polished the surface with some 3M car polish to get a smooth surface for the Matt Aluminum paint.
My goal is to try out the salt/hairspray technique and te get some natural aluminum undersurfaces.
And a close up of the pit. I used kit parts only, just some careful painting to bring out some of the kits nice details.
Gun sight is not installed up to this point.
The kit went together rather good. There were some gaps at the wing roots. These were filled using Vallejo's acrylic putty and sanded/polished smooth. The nice thing about this putty is that it is liquid (like thick paint) and there is a fine nozzle at the tube to allow you to spread the putty really thin.
And after a layer of polishble Matt Aluminum of the Humbrol range. I'm glad all the added rivetting is still visible as well as the rescribed pannel lines. Polishing the kit prior to painting it seams to have helped to get a smooth layer of paint on. I did not use any primer. I was a bit afraid I might loose to much of the fine detail of the rivets. I laid on three thin layers of the Aluminum paint. We'll have to see how it turns out once the surface is polished...