PJ,
I had a hard enough time drilling out the stacks on my 1/32 scale.... nice.
I'm going to try a new method for me. Check out this other thread,
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/164113.aspx.
The discussion is regarding stressed skin. I am really bothered by the fact the this kit, while very detailed, is covered by hundreds of micro raised rivets. Once I fill and sand anything I will erase them and I'm not sure how to replace them, so I'm going a different tack. I will sand them all off, do this stressed skin approach, and may try to reapply them as dimples.
I have now idea if this is going to work or not, but I have the time. I also broke down and purchased a PE cockpit, which cost more than I bought the kit for. The office it came with was not as nice as the rest of the kit. Sheesh I hate doing that.