Since the days are so short now I started off today by wet sanding the RAM air scoop/hell hole hatch cover outside while I still had daylight.  With it still wet in this pic below it looks like it doesn’t need any more paint and I should call it good.

But alas, I had a number of breakthroughs in the surface so I will be applying at least one more coat of blue paint

In fact, a bit later after it dried I realized I needed to do another round of final detail sanding on the RAM air scoop, which I’ll knock out tomorrow during daylight again.

I then spent well over 4 hours sanding the fuselage white primer “freckle” retouches that filled small depressions and surface speckles in the paint.

It doesn’t look pretty for certain, but the surface is now smooth as silk.  I still need to sand down the inside of the landing brake depression for one more coat of blue paint there, but for the most part the fuselage is ready to go, except . . .

There are still a just handful of small pockmarks (slightly larger than pinholes/only on the surface) and a couple of divots (look more like dings that you’d make with the edge of a coin) that need fill.  Since they are so small, and I don’t want to wait for a full cure on West 410, I will cheat and use Evercoat Metal Glaze to fill them.  I had planned on doing that prior to paint, but with the weather so cold I didn’t want to start painting in the evening to fight the really cold overnight.

Thus I’m kicking back the painting until tomorrow late morning/early afternoon.  I also had a couple of phone calls this evening and spent some time with those.  I guess one more day won’t break the bank, eh?