I recently was asked to build this kit from Academy by my nephew. He served with the Red Devils when he was in the Marines. He bought the kit in 2015 and was trying to find someone to build it for him. Now that he has moved to the town where I live, I was volunteered basically to be the builder. He wanted a gloss finish and all the proper markings for his VMFA group. He was an avionics specialist for the F18. SO I did the build and took it to him last week and he was blown away. He was very impressed. Probably more so than I was after the build. Of course I know all the little things that I wasn't super happy with, but as long as he liked it, I am good. Here are some pics of the build.
Oh, and this is also my fabulous workstation. About 1/4 of the dining table.
Oh, and this is also my fabulous workstation. About 1/4 of the dining table.