Thanks guys much appreciated.
I had some issues with this build and the paint finishes were just a little short of my aspirations. I noticed that the horizontal fins on the tail are not straight, which is very disappointing. still I'm glad I built this kit and I will be keeping it for my RAN display.
As far as the kit is concerned, I have only good things to say about the Italeri kit.. the aftermarket PE stuff was useful, though I didn't use all of it. I liked the engine bay stuff, wished I could do better with it.
The RAN decals were generally marvelous, being those provided by Novascale. ive had issues in the past with novascale, they are generally a bit too finicky and easy to tear, but these performed very well apart from my hoofy use of setting agent that ruined one of them, followed by me accidentally lifting one of the "5"s from the side hatch . both recoverable. Even though the paint work came up a bit rougher than I wanted, I'm happy because I was able to get a nice crisp edge along the white seam, something ive struggled with in the past. The simple process of sealing the masking lines with clear varnish before applying the second colour solves this problem.
All in all, this build was a real blast and I would recommend a helo build for anyone, pluse the kit is a marvelous kit at a very reasonable price.
Just so I don't upset anyone, can one of you enlighten me on what I should do next to finish this project?