Thank you again for the comments.
A small update - I made the wing struts out of coffee stirring sticks I found at work. They were pretty even colored and have a tight wood grain that doesn't look too out of scale. I laminated two together with superglue, which made them suitably stiff and then sanded to shape. I drilled holes in the ends and glued soft wire into the ends.
A cherry wood stain brought out the grain nicely and a coating of Tamiya clear yellow will finish them off. Since this picture, I have reshaped the trailing edges to a curve as they should be.
Weathered floats - I used pastel chalks which were easy to use and remove if I don't like the look. I do like the amount of control this technique affords.
I hope they're not overdone. The front access ports will be installed later, after everything is put together and I can determine the amount of weight to be added so the plane is not tailheavy.
Before I put the top wings on, I will finish the fuse details - a headrest pad and the covers that go on the sides of the guns.
Till next time...
