I think it is important that we not only celebrate our successes but also talk about mistakes and failures so that we can learn from them. This is the cockpit from an Eduard 1/48 Tempest V Series 1, and whilst it superficially looks alright, it's not. In fact, it is so irretrievably messed up that I've ordered a set of overtrees so I can do the whole thing over again.

What is wrong with it? Well...

Parts were painted on the sprue meaning the overall coverage and finish is poor once they're removed.

One of the PE rudder pedals and a number of other small parts have been eaten by the carpet monster.

Weathering was not done before assembly making it hard to achieve now.

The control column isn't straight.

Assembling the cockpit frame before inserting the lefthand control panel means it is very difficult, if not impossible, to now get that part into place.

The crossbar forward of the control column is the wrong way round, meaning the side control panels have nothing to rest against and the main control panel will be too far to the rear of the cockpit.

All it all this has been a sobering experience and I've learned a number of lessons from it. Primarily these are to remove pieces before painting and for a complex sub-assembly such as this to weather them before assembly. I've also realised that I need to think more carefully about the sequencing of assembly and how things go together. Crucially this sequence may not be how the instructions say, or at least imply, the various elements should come together.