No, it's in the up position as provided with the kit and, as stated above, in keeping with the OOB judging rules used by local contests, should not be modified for this category. (Mind you, it does bug me!)
No, not really. It's all to do with context since if I were to lower the landing gear lever, then I'd have to justify in my mind why there's no wiring in the pit, nor light bulb rack. So either detail it or leave it alone is the way I see it.
So here's where I'm at. Cockpit is done and seatbelts were added. The cockpit door opening was sawn out (technically, this is still OOB as Tamiya provided cut lines and an optional open door part). Fuselage has been glued together and the pics show a bit of seam work in progress. Nothing major, just some minor pitting and and a slight hollow in the nose seam, easily fixed with some brushed on primer.
Looks good Andy, I should have looked through this thread before asking about the seat color in mine, yours looks good and I'll use your suggestion. I was trying to stick to the OOB rules but there are a few things that would always drive me crazy if I didn't make a change. I admire your determination to stick the the contest rules for OOB builds.
Nice work Andy. We take it for granted today, but it just shows how far such detail, as 'standard' kit parts, has come in relatively few years. Not too long ago, such detail would only have been found on 1/32nd scale kits, and then possibly not as good.