I bought this Monogram kit on a whim as it was cheap. I was surprised by how nice it was, but of course it has been superceded by the more recent Academy and Hasegawa offerings. It has raised panel lines, which I left, but I added a Reheat photo-etch detail set which provided a new seat, cockpit parts and airbrakes. This was a very worthwhile aftermarket set in my opinion. The model was finished in Gunze Sangyo acrylics and then Johnson's Klear. It would be some time before I discovered more matt or satin clear finishes, so it looks 'blotchy'. The overall look is not improved by the kit decals which are a bit yellow and had some error with the printing of the blue shades, hence the odd effects on the roundels and fin flash. The kit instructions were also unclear regarding the markings near the tip of the nose, and this area looks a mess on the finished model. I forgot to add noseweight and ended up having to stuff thin slivers of lead down the gun holes, which is why there's an ugly scratch on the port side of the nose. This kit was built in the Winter of 1996.
