Thank you, everyone, for the great replies and helpful information.
With the majority of the struts in place, and the kit finally up on a jig, I feel like I'm getting somewhere, finally.
I never was really happy with the 5-layer props I painted earlier. It seems like every D.VII I looked at had a 7-layer prop. So, finally after about 6 attempts I got one I can live with. A can of oven cleaner was helpful in erasing the baddies.
Doing the decals has been a challenge. Despite wearing rubber gloves, I've had to fix a few frayed areas by patching them.
I hope when I put the wheels on, it sits levelly. I used a bit of armor modelling technique to try to raise details on the louvered cowl.
And I think I need to drybrush the Spandaus.
I tried some new acrylic paints by Vallejo to do the leather effects. The cockpit combing came out a bit darker than desired... but I'm not redoing it.
I used a misting of gray and then a second misting of brown-gray to tone down the lozenge. I went a bit thicker on the fuselage, on purpose.
Thank you for looking!
Gaz
