Aidan, got your email thanks.
I sometimes wonder where manufacturers get their references from. The Neomega cockpit I've used doesn't match the photos I've seen of the hawk cockpit. Some of the instruments are in the wrong places.
What matters to me is that it appears right when fitted. It all depends on what lengths you are prepared to go to I suppose.
The fuselage halves are together now on my hawk. The resin tub was a tight fit and I had to trim away some of the molded sidewall detail from the kit parts.
I'm sanding and filling at the moment, trying to get the nose smooth without getting a flat spot.
I really rate the "paint it silver to show the flaws" method that I've adopted. I fill and sand to get a smooth finish to the eye then run a tamiya silver marker over the join and voila any imperfections show up.