Great choice Glenn, and a type I've always liked - big, chunky and purposeful looking.
Coincidentally, I've been looking at available kits for the 'standard' fighter-bomber version, to do as a UK-based bird, in the 1950s. The Heller and Monogram (currently released by Revell) come out best, as the Italeri/Kinetic kits are apparently quite inaccurate, especially around the nose intake.
I'll be interested to see what you think of the kit for general fit etc., as the build progresses.