I probably won't complete three builds this month, but this is the first of two. Nothing much to say about the build itself, although it did not seem as trouble-free as many other Tamiya kits. I don't remember any great difficulties though.

I primed with Tamiya Grey Primer in a rattle can. I've had a couple of cans for a long time, and never got around to using them. The surface was very smooth - I don't think I've used a primer that left so smooth a surface before. The camouflage was all AMMO colors - Medium Sea Grey on the bottom and Ocean Grey and FS34086 on the top. I realized after I had painted it that the FS34086 was incorrect - it should have been FS34079, but it was quite close.

The decals came from the kit. I was going to use decals for the yellow on the wing leading edges, but the first one I tried to apply broke, so I ended up painting them. I had to be careful - when I did this once before, I inadvertently lifted the insignia decals with masking tape. This time I avoided that.

I had the Montex mask for this kit (SM48178), which I used for the windscreen and rear section of the canopy. I masked the main canopy by hand, as the mask was vinyl and I didn't think it would handle the curved surface well. I really struggled with the main canopy, as it was not obvious to me which side was the front. The front edge did not seem to match the windscreen, and there is a notch on the rear section that I have not noticed in any of the online builds on this kit that I found.

Page last updated August 24, 2026.