Sorry guys! I've been a long time away from this baby. I'd be working away except that the next part that needs to be done is the alclad, and that stuff is toxic. My paint setup is only really okay for acrylic work, since the ventilation isn't the best. It's also very cold outside these days...I have to sort out something for how I'm going to proceed.
Also, alclad is rather expensive. I have two shades in my collection currently (a light aluminum and a dark steel), which I might try to mix together in different proportions to achieve the paneled look on the tail section...but I'm not sure how well that will work. The other option I'm considering is pre-painting the panels in different shades of acryl from black to white and some in between, and then just give it a single go-over with a mix of alclad I'm satisfied with. That will minimize the time I have to spend shooting the toxic stuff.
As always, input is very welcome!