A useful view from the rear showing the guide rail extension doing its job. There is still something not quite right with the Hasegawa shape as in real life the canopy slides over the intake quite comfortably. As you can see here, the two parts are just touching on the model.
As I write this, the model has its basic paint coat on and is undergoing the initial stages of weathering. I’m keen to try a few new techniques this time around as the USMC Harriers would have to be close to the dirtiest military aircraft anywhere :)
The Aires cockpit set includes a very nice PE HUD frame. The “glass” was added from clear acetate.
Another angle on the HUD. Because I ended up using the kit glare shield, this resulted in the HUD sitting too high and thus the windscreen would not sit correctly (doh). This required some creative thinking to overcome!
The Aires PE mirrors and grab handles have been added (carefully) to the canopy.
A good shot of the interior of the canopy. The detonation cord decal from TwoBobs is brilliantly thin and has almost no carrier. I sealed it with Future.
The canopy undergoing final masking. Only the exterior was masked due to the Det. Cord decal on the interior.