Thanks very much for the kind words Max and Barbara!
Yes, scribing is great fun - cleaning up afterwards is not so good though!
I made a few 'slips' in the scribing, as already mentioned, but these have now been rectified and just need cleaning and polishing, which will be evident in the photos.
PIC 1 Shows the holes drilled in the nose for the generator vents, which will have their 'tubes' fitted later, and also the hole for the port side starter hand-crank. Further aft, the removable panels have been engraved and the fasteners counter-sunk, and the hand hold has been opened, ready to fit the folding flap. Not visible here is the hole in the lower rear fuselage for the lifting/jacking point. Once the engraving has been tidied and polished, the cockpit ventilation louvres will be made from stretched sprue.
PIC 2 Similar work on the starboard side, again awaiting clean-up.
PIC 3. The cannon hatches are engraved, and again await clean-up, with the feed blisters made from scraps of sprue, yet to have the final sanding to shape completed.
PIC 4. The wing underside, with the locating holes for the stores blanked off internally, ready for filling, and the spent shell and links ejector slots cut into the surface. Also shown, near the trailing edge, is the hole drilled for the downward recognition lamp.
PIC 5. The wheel bay under construction, with details and the 'roof' yet to be added. The method of construction calls for the main gear legs to be fitted at this stage, so the extreme outer sections of the bays will not be 100% accurate, due to the fact the gear legs are designed to be retractable, although they'll be cemented in the 'down' position. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid this step, so I'll have to play it by ear.
I hope to have this stage finished in the next day or so, and then continue with the main wing, cutting out the locations for the landing lamps and nav lights, before moving on to the cockpit area.
Thanks for your interest to date.