Lovely work and a very satisfying creation.
I know what you mean about scratching something. I used to do a lot of scratchbuilds, vacfoms and conversions, but now tend to shake WNW and CSM kits out of the box. While still great fun, you don't get that thrill of having created something from nothing. And of course, with a scratchbuild there is no limit on what you can aim for.
Splendid model. Congrats.
Sandy