If it's any consolation Patrick I have to resort to using magnifiers for some jobs on my 1/3 scale tiddler.
Your build looks great, I can't pass judgement on the colour of yours(or anyone elses for that matter) as I like many others are "visually challenged" in the colour department. Many years ago I made a model of a railway level crossing and I thought it came out alright until a friend asked why I'd painted the sleepers green, so PC10 & PC12 are a complete mystery! My plan therefore is to go and speak to my friends at the Shuttleworth collection, find out what paint they use and then get some. Although that's probably not a viable option for the smaller scales!
Anyway, keep up the good work and the research, WW1 aviation is fascinating subject and building models is a great way to get a better understanding and can take you down some really unexpected paths.
For example, even though I say it myself, I think I've become a bit of an expert on that small but important device on most British WW1 aeroplanes; the Rotherham pump. This is, as the name suggests, an air pump (used to pressurize the fuel system) and not an electric generator as many believe. I only started delving into it because I had to make one. Similarly, a friend building a 1/3 scale Bristol Scout has just got into basket weaving. He had to make the seat!
Alan