Thanks everyone for their comments. Not sure what happened, but I had this pile of painted parts, started rigging, and all of a sudden, the model was done. I didn’t take pictures along the way. It looked terrible with loose rigging all over the place, and the stabilizer and ailerons knocked off.
Finished pictures at:
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=9143.0I’m very appreciative to everyone for their help, advice, and encouragement. I went way outside of my comfort zone - lots of first for me on this: wiring the engine, lozenge decals, silhouette stencil cutter (only made the mask for the plate on the front of the propeller, but had to start someplace), filling, masking the laminated propeller, using RG-3 airbrush, stripping paint, heat stretched sprue – can’t even list them all.
Lots of lessons learned as well. Will be paying much better attention to dust control when painting, and one of my first steps will be inserting reinforcing brass rods where the rudder, stabilizer, and aileron’s attach.
Next up – DH-9 from the WNW damaged merchandise sale. The $29.99 purchase price means the chance to try more drooling bulldog paint, HGW photoetch, and gaspatch guns.

I’m going to do the “Lobster:”
http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/v16B75742/www/products/model_kitsets/32035/colour_schemes/DH.9%20D2989%20Lobster,%2049%20TDS,%20February%201919.jpgPlan is to scan the decals and use the silhouette cutter to make masks so I can paint the stripes instead of decal.
Best wishes for the coming New Year.
Dave