I thought of another option. If you don't want to bother with AM parts but are willing to have something in-canon from the movie/show, you could always have the cockpit part covered in sheet styrene to show a Viper from the scene where they were minesweeping in the Nova of Madagon. It would also be an excuse to weather the heck out of it.
The kit doesn't go to waste or get sent to storage til you need spare parts, it's a low-cost solution, and you get a chance to familiarize yourself with the quirks of the kit to prepare you for the really nice one you'd want to build later.