So, weapons and colour issues aside, I've done some more, and the basis of the model is now well advanced.
Those nasty gaps in the lower centre section and at the forward starboard wing root have been sorted. The gaps were first given a small bead of Superglue and, when this had set, some stretched sprue was laid in, and secured with liquid cement. The remaining small joints were then filled with a mix of talcum powder and varnish. This is shown, partly sanded and polished, in PICS 1 and 2.
PICS 3 and 4 show the nose in place, with the shell deflector, and the supercharger intake on the starboard engine cowling. The radiators are in place, and, just visible on the underside of the rear fuselage, are the holes I drilled, ready for the beam antenna mounts. These were originally moulded onto the fuselage, although there is no mention of the antenna in the instructions. Of course, whilst sanding the fuselage joint and re-scribing the panel lines, they got knocked off! Only a small job to scratch-build the lot though.
The next step was to assemble and fit the tailplane and fins, and I had a bit of a surprise, when I found the Revell-Monogram logo etc, moulded onto the OUTSIDE of the lower tailplane half! What, for a relatively recently produced kit(1997)?!! This was easily removed with the edge of a scalpel blade, and quickly polished smooth, as shown in :-
PICS 5 and 6.
With the empennage in place, and the joints filled, again with the talc/varnish mix, any small gaps around the wing roots and engines were given a similar treatment, as shown in :-
PICS 7 and 8.
The final two pics show the model assembled as far as can be done for now. After a little more sanding and polishing, and a general clean-up, it will be time to mask, and apply a thin coat of primer, ready for the overall base coat of RLM 76.
It's now starting to look like a '110 nightfighter, with that shark-like nose and twin cannon muzzles, and, although I know the paint scheme is going to be tricky to apply, I'm looking forward to making a start. Hopefully, I should soon be taking delivery of a new, double-action, gravity fed, fine-line airbrush, so there should be no excuses for making a b*lls up!
Heck, what have I said?!!!