Thanks very much indeed chaps, your comments make it all worthwhile!
I've now got the underside 'Night' colour painted, again sprayed in a patchy manner, although a little more uniform this time. Rather than a straight black, a little matt white was added, to give a very slightly faded look, and also to add emphasis to some of the panel work, which will be done in solid black later. The basic work has also been done on creating a more faded, worn and patchy appearance to the uppersurfaces, although this is yet to be toned-down a little.
PIC 1 shows the underside, which will have some panels darkened, and panel lines, general wear and some paint erosion added later. The two lighter rectangles on the fuselage underside visible in the pic are the masked-off entrance hatches.
PICS 2 and 3 General views of the uppersurfaces, showing the contrast between the 'black' and the desert camouflage, as well as the early stages of the sun-bleached paintwork and dirt.
The model will now be left for at least 24 hours, in order to let the paint fully 'cure' before any more weathering is added, and then the clear gloss coat will be sprayed, followed by further additions in the way of chipping and staining. This time, as the model is so big, and still has some raised panel detail, I'll be using gloss enamel varnish, to ensure an overall smooth, even finish. The decals will be a mix of some of the kit decals, some from the spare decals files, and some home- made code letters, serial numbers and stencils.
There's still a lot to do yet, as the entrance hatches need to be scratch-built, as well as some other small detail parts such as control surface actuators and antennas, plus the landing gear and props still need to be assembled, detailed and painted.
Thanks again guys, and I should have some more pics in a couple of days.