Buildup of the kit is very simple, but I reviewed the plans, and dry fitted the parts several ways. I found that if the fuselage is built first, then the lower wing and insert plug glued in place, the top wing will sit down with a tight fit to the fuselage. Many additional gluing spots will exist if the construction goes like that. Following the directions may have a difficult time forcing the wing into place to allow the insert plug to drop into place. Another tricky spot that has been stated in the magazines / Internet is the separate wing tips. Glue the top half to the wing, then glue in the under side part. Some minor sanding of this part will be required to reduce the step between the wing / tip. Also with the wing assembly, a small gap between the upper wing half and the rear of the separate engine will require a touch of liquid putty.

Sanding is very minimal with this kit. Several light passes with 600 grit took off the excess glue. I only had 2 spots of liquid putty on the topside, while the bottom required a pass along the entire seam. Again a light sanding took care of the imperfections. Attention should be paid with the interlocking joint at the nose entrance hatch to avoid a step. I left this joint to be glued last. A toothpick wedged between the fuse and interior floor held the parts for a touch of glue.

The gears, bomb bay and gear doors are best left off until the undersides painting has been done. I broke the parts off a couple times just handling the kit. Several small antennas should also be left until the end. The fighter version has a one part canopy and fits into place very well. The Bombers canopy however is made up of three parts. The basic frame, and two bubble side windows. These proved to be problematic. I spent almost two hours fiddling with them before adding glue. I finally cut the small pin on the back corner and sanded a minimal amount of material from the forward edge. The results were not very good though. The top corner either sticks out noticeably, or the bottom does not meet flush with the fuse. You may consider cutting the top hatch out, then glue the side windows in their proper alignment. The top hatch could be left open or sanded down slightly to fit into place.

I painted my kit up like GB-F from 109 RAF Squadron. Not the one portrayed on the decal sheet, but rather the one that crashed on VE day here in Calgary. That particular machine had 213 operational mission over Germany during the war. The most for any allied aircraft. A lot of information and pictures are available on the Aero Space Museums web page. Other than the nose art, markings are obtainable from the Tamiya sheet. Since this aircraft was a MK IX it had the two stage engines for higher altitudes. I blended in the lower intake from a previous resin add on for the Monogram kit. A little work, but results in a satisfactory new look. Although many conversions exist for the Airfix kit, I am sure with time the Tamiya versions will receive the same attention. I am sure that several more will be added into my collection, as it was a very fun and fast build.