Guys, thanks for the kind words.
Trouble maker 66, I airbrush on Model Master paints generally. I enjoy weathering the crap out of my warbirds, so they tend to look a little rough. And I still don't approach how bad the real aircraft look in photographs.
Satch_ip, I happened to do the Otaki Razorback several years ago in a NMF. It is a very good kit, just a little less detail than the Tamiya or Hasegawa.
Butz, I carefully cut out the elevators and rudder. The rudder hinges survived, but the elevator hinges were so thin and there was a gap between the upper and lower halves. I chose to cut hinges from sheet styrene and shape them to fit. I connected the two elevators with a brass rod. The rod extends about halfway out into the leading edge of each elevator. I made a collar that attached to the center of the brass rod and then inserted into the very rear of the fuselage where the elevators cables passed through. It is not an exercise that I normally perform, but I wanted to do a little more on Gentile's aircraft.
Hans, I had a tough time minimizing some silvering all over this bird. I removed some with Micro Set. I was able to drybrush some spots away, and weathering hid some more. The crystal clear clarity of digital photography highlighted several more spots that I may touch up a little more. I too love the look of these 4th FG Jugs. There is a load of cool nose art gems in the 4th. I've done Gentile's Spitfire, P-51, and now his P-47. The Mustang is 10 or 12 years old, and I intend to build a new P-51 in the near future. Rick.