Thanks guys - yes, I've got Max's VF-1A on the bench. That's the one that really moved me to do this, as I think it seems bland in comparison to the out-of-the-box VF-1J.
The small details you aren't really seeing in these pics (the landing gear wells, cockpit, airbrake, etc.) took more "skill" than the most obvious improvement - which is a wash to bring out the panel lines and add a layer of grime. Anyone can do this...check this out: (I highly recommend this company as well - try a mix of 2/3 Dark Dirt and 1/3 Black - and make sure to mask the cockpit:
https://www.florymodels.org/washes
As an aside - if anyone knows how to remove the cockpit glass - I'm all ears. I took every screw out of the thing, and was able to remove the nose/cockpit, but wasn't able to figure out how to get the glass loose. I pulled it just hard enough to make me really uncomfortable before giving up and masking it off.