Hard to believe I've missed this thread.
PJ, My sympathy for your and your family's loss.
On a lighter note, This thread is an example of how one can stumble upon invaluable information in our model building world. Your kit is coming along very well indeed and I agree with all the others who've praised the Italian design hegemony. They're top dogs in that department AFAIC.
I now, thanks to Mike Brindos, have upped my knowledge on painting figures from 0% to what I hope will be a healthy start when I get around to the figures in my TBM-3 diorama WIP. Great stuff in this relatively short thread!
Following your build now PJ with great interest.