As you might well imagine, I could not agree with you more. For all of its problems, Heller does manage to get quite a number of things right. The kit is, after all, a very close copy of the Tanneron model.
Contrast that with the brand new Artesania Latina SR:
There is no comparison. At least with the Heller kit, you have a jumping off point from which you can make something really good. I do think you can make a better version from this new AL kit, but it would be a significant effort at reverse engineering.
If I were to do it over - spoiler alert: I won’t - I would definitely do what you did with the lighter blue and the darker oil. You have managed to capture this effect, which I like so much:
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