AM P-51A "Jackie" Build

Thanks for the kind words, bvallot and BrandonK. The grass is a grass mat from Busch (a model railroad manufacturer) and the sky is part of the backdrop for my model railroad.

That turned out stellar. I really like the end result. Great work, Sir!!

Nice job Izdaily. That kit builds up real nice! =]  I'm especially fond of your grass and blue sky.  Well done there.

Jackie's all done. I'm off to work on my F-6A for the Mustang Group Build.

Larry

Thanks to all for the feedback. ajd3530 - I know that the props in the AM kits aren't great. I've already spent more on each one for aftermarket parts than I spent on the actual kits, so I decided to draw the line at the prop. Not sure why I drew the line there, except that the prop isn't as noticeable to me as some other things.

Since my last post, I’ve added the external fuel tanks and plumbed them with wire from an HO scale locomotive (I’m a model railroader mainly). I’ve also added the antenna mast (I'll rig it after the canopy is on). Now, though, I’m stuck. It turns out that the Eduard canopy masks intended for the AM P-51A don’t include masking for the small window in the left windscreen that was a characteristic of the P-51A Mustang. The set that does — set EX-171 — is intended for the P-51B. It is also — apparently — somewhat rare. The only one I could find was in Great Britain, so the project is on hold until it arrives.

Very well done..

Love the subtile weathering, very realistic to my eye.

Here are a few shots of my progress over the last few days. I've installed the Scale Aircraft Conversions landing gear. Given that the SAC gear was meant for the Tamiya kit, I used 5-minute epoxy to get a firm bond. I've also added the UltraCast exhausts. Pretty much all that's left is to paint and add the canopy (I'm waiting for the Future dip to cure), add the antenna mast and antenna, and mount the drop tanks. I understand that the tanks were either silver or gray; I'm trying to decide which one. I've also been Googling like mad to find decent photos of the plumbing for the drop tanks - I'm thinking about adding some.

I also think I found the group build. I'd like to join with my next build: either an AM F-6A or an AM P-51B.

Looks fantastic! The paint and weathering are top-notch

Your knowledge and build in Mustangs is superb.  To get in the GB, just scroll down from the aircraft all the way to GB.  Click that and you'll find several GB.

Coming along nicely. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Just gottqa ask - what is "ACC"? The Mustang is looking great!

Thanks for the positive comments everyone. I'm hoping to wrap up this build in the next few days. Next up is an AM F-6A.

Looking good so far! I've got several of these in my stash - they're great kits.

Very nicely done!

Your AM P-51A is excellent. Really sweet paint and weathering. Also, you did a fine piece of creativity to get that resin sidewall in correctly. I regret that I caught your WIP late as I believe I could have accommodated your "Jackie" decal. Certainly looking forward to the finished product.

I'm still learning how to use the forum. How do I find the group build?

You ought to stop by the Mustang Group Build going on right now.  Lots to see in there.  I know we'd all appreciate you stopping by and sharing.  =]

Work took me away from the workbench for a bit, plus I was trying to source a second Jackie and the squadron emblem for Jackie's right side. I finally worked that out (I ended up buying an ICM P-51A kit on eBay just for the decals). Here are a couple of shots after a first pass at weathering.

Any thoughts on what I could do with the ICM kit? I understand that it has some significant problems; as I recall the carb intake is the narrow version and there are issues with the wings (they're a lter version?). Could it be kitbashed into a model of NA-73X?

Larry

This ones lookng real good so far.

Good idea on the locator piece.  I love the innovation and cleverness and I'll mentaly file that tip.  TY for posting.

In this shot I had applied most of the decals. According to Fernando Rolandelli's build of this plane on the Modelling Madness site, the Accurate Miniatures decals are missing a second Jackie and the emblem of the 530th for the right side of the aircraft. I found a set of the decals that he recommended for the emblem, but have come up short for the second Jackie. Anyone got a spare that they'd be willing to sell?