Thanks all for the comments.
I'm going to leave the tail as is mainly because I really like the shape of plane tails from the Golden Age ie 1930's.
As to comments about the Rocketeer frying his bum, are you certain it was a he?
From a wonderful post about her;
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=50062.0
The painting is slowly progressing, mainly because I really don't want to screw this up.
Riddle is an awesome gal - met her a bunch of times at shows in Atlanta. She is a tiny thing, smart as a whip and a scary-fast creative imagination.