Grizly

While it will require a slight change to the nose forward of the cockpit, how about....

One last minute addition - the letter "A" on the forward wheel pants.

Some old kits were (are?) pretty good. Indeed, some are even better than their modern equivalent. Take for example the Airfix 1/24 Ju-87B-2 kit. It came out about 45 years ago and, despite its age, can be transformed into an impressive model straight out of the box. Add a few extras such as the Airscale instrument panel, Eduard coloured seat belts, aftermarket or custom decals and a little extra detail between the engine and firewall, and you can build an even nicer model. How about a little icing on that proverbial cake? Add the Series 77 pilot, which just happens to be of similar vintage, an

Further to my previous, while a replacement engine for the Airfix Spit 1a would be ideal, in the absense of such a product, the Airfix Hurricane engine, which is very nice, can be made to fit. The down side of the latter suggestion being that you have to have/buy a Hurricane kit.

In the Airfix 1/24 series, the Spitfire Mk.1a really needs a replacement engine and wheel wells, the Bf-109e needs wheel wells, the P-51D could use an engine compartment upgrade (as previously mentioned, a replacement wheel well is already available) and the 190 enhanced engine compartment detail and wheel wells. Both the Hurricane and Ju-87 are OK as is.

Looks really good but...... no bomb bay?

I used Model Master enamel Dark Sea Blue with a touch of grey added to give it a slightly faded look and a bit more contrast with the Model Master enamel Insignia Blue in the roundel.

The model is of Lieutenant Bill Atkinson's aircraft that he flew the night he shot down three Aichi B7A “Grace” torpedo planes making him the second Canadian “Naval Ace” of the Pacific war. As indicated it's the Airfix kit with Eduard and Airscale aftermarket detail parts added to the cockpit.

I’ll pass. Maybe in 1/48 scale. The model I’d really like to see emerge is that of the P2 Neptune but once again in 1/48 scale. While neither fit into the definition of ‘large scale’ kits, both would most certainly be large models.

Other after market products that you might want to consider include: - Eduard’s Brassin 632 047 F-104 C2 ejection seat, - CMK’s 5099 F-104G/S Main Undercarriage set, - CMK’s 5101 F-104 Nose Gear Bay - CMK's 5056 F-104 Engine bay Regarding the latter engine bay by CMK, as depicted in your photo of a CF-104 line, it was common for the engine bay to be open. So it is worth considering that option. My model, as shown below, includes it.....

While I am a 1/24 enthusiast, I feel that smaller subjects might be more appropriate than the likes of the Hellcat, Typhoon and Mosquito. I also feel that subjects where there are lots of innards that can be exposed and have wide global appeal should be chosen. One example of such an aircraft is the P-39. It was operated by the US, UK, Russia, Italy, Australia, Portugal, Poland and has a large nose gun bay as well as wing guns, a readily viewable cockpit and the Allison engine behind the cockpit. Plus it's smaller than a Spitfire. I know, I'd buy/build one.

Here's my CF-5A build based on the Hasegawa E and the masters for the Belchers Bits conversion. It may not be perfect but I think it represents a CF-5A reasonably well. The build was featured in IPMS Canada's RT magazine.+

If you are concerned about the pilot being already painted, the figure is metal so it can easily be stripped and repainted.

Series 77 give you figures that are approximately 77 millimeters tall. That's close to 6 feet in 24th scale. Here's my Series 77 pilot beside my 1/24 Spitfire Mk.1a

Further to my last, there is a Series 77 USAAF pilot in EBay for sale. See https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Series-77-US-Army-064-American-Pilot-North-Africa-1943-Figurine-Made-in-England/223532257469?hash=item340b8f90bd:g:oC8AAOSw5Wdc7IIY