Lots to report and getting very close to the finish now.
As stated above, I tried masking for the stripes but the first (and only) attempt did not result in an equal spacing. The exposed bit at the bottom of the rudder in the below pic should have turned out the same width as the stripes, meaning that each mask had to be just slightly wider. Rather than go through this trial and error approach, I though I would give the decal a try instead.
Jumping ahead a bit, here's the rudder, now completed with the decal and reattached, along with some initial decaling on the fuselage. The only issue with the rudder decal was getting it to fit around the actuator horn and the trim tab fairing but a sharp scalpel and matching touch up paint solved that.
Damn, I keep forgetting about the dirty lens. The black spots are not on the model but on the lens. Must remember next time.
Anyhoo, the decals have been placed on the underside and a wash mixture of black and white pastels has been applied. This is resulting in the well worn look that I want to achieve here. I always start on the bottom surfaces since they will typically be dirtier than the top and it's easier to keep adding to the effect rather than overdoing it and having to erase it.
All the decals are now on and just a small amount of wash has been dabbed into the panel lines on the upper wing surfaces, barely enough to see here so I'll gradually add a bit more until I get the effect I want.
The Eduard decals are a bit on the thick side but can be tamed with two applications of Solvaset. My initial concerns that the clear film between the 7 and 9 would show were unfounded as it disappeared nicely after the setting solution did its job.
It's now down to more weathering and addition of the final details. The cockpit is too nice to close up so I'll remove the access door that has been temporarily installed as a mask and install the one provided for the open position. It has a nice PE latch detail that would be a shame to waste.