Hi Daywalker,
Good to see your production line moving along!
I got a start on my Tamiya -1D today, masking for the first round of pre-assembly painting, I'm hoping to shoot the green tomorrow. I did some minor assembly on the cockpit, the rearward four parts that can all go into IG as one. I'll spray the forward cockpit unit individually and take a shot at some dirt on those slats, though not too much as the aircraft I'm building had been overhauled quite recently (I think, I'll have to verify that). I know for certain the camo was very fresh, perhaps between about two and about six weeks old, and as the plane went down on the third of four days of action (July 17th 1969) she didn't have time to fade or generally wear. Chips and dust, yes, and carbon staining, the FAS planes were flown hard, but the paint was barely dry before they were in combat. All the same, the paint was said to be of poor quality, so it may have failed quickly.
It's a fairly complex kit, not a difficult one but there are things to think about, orders to do things. She should be a delight to build.
One thing I'm curious about. I was going to use the open cooling vanes to depict her on the ground between sorties, after re-arming. The area behind the engine mounting plate will be just visible. Are those exhaust pipes molded on the back? Should the section be painted black for a dark recess or should the pipes be a burnt-metal shade, like the external outlet stubs? This is one of the details that would never occur to you before you actually see the parts!
Cheers,
Mike/TB379