Thanks Jim. Yes, I think I can live without the bit of extra detail for the stress it might have caused lol.
After a flat coat on everything but the nose it was time for final assembly. I'm really liking the new AK flat varnish now I've had a few goes with it. An extra coat would have made it even more flat, but I settled on a very slight sheen that would reflect light back here & there.
First off were the wheels, which have very flat bottoms OOB so I wanted to make sure they were all straight, true, and touching the ground. After much head scratching I found a thin glass plate from a picture frame I'd repurposed for a diorama. It worked great as I could check their alignment whilst making sure they were all touching it.
Then the props and extra tanks went on. I think I've got plenty of noseweight given that I had to add a big chunk in the back to balance it while fitting these.
Rear loading ramp. Now this is either excellent engineering, or just plain great luck, but all 6 wheels and the ramp touch the glass perfectly! I was expecting to have to play around with the hydraulic stays that hold the ramp in place, to get the height right, but it all just slotted together
And a couple of shots of it on the base. I'm going to attempt some EZ line antenna wires, which I've had mixed success with in the past, so either there'll be a completed topic with more pictures, or this will be the last you see of it