WIP is here
http://spamodeler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=849
The actual plane is hanging in the Smithsonian. I'm happy enough with this build. Probably better than the last one and hopefully not as good as the next one!
In this picture, notice the piece on the boarding door. That is a kit provided decal - white is quite evident.
Nose decals screwed up. Had to scab the kit decal for this one because of the white lettering. It did break and when I got it "in place as much as I could. I left it.
The large rudder pieces went on without a hitch.
The "home made" decals worked ok, I guess. Not as thick as the kit decals, so they did not mix together very well. I tried to use the original kit sheet a few times and they just disintegrated, even after a couple coats of bonder. The other sheet I used to scan, worked ok, but was so yellow and silvered so much I gave up and used the ones I made. The lack of a white is noticeable, but I can live with it. they laid down very nicely and are quite clear where they need to be.
This stuff is pretty nice. I like your story about the door, too. I'll go with that. Now to figure out how to make something like white print from a laser. 
