Hi all,
I've been absent for a bit, and while I've been building, I haven't been on the forums too much, but I want to get back on here more.
I actually picked up the 1/72 Airfix P-51D model and decided to build it as part of a group build on Instagram. I figured you guys might want to see a few pics of the finished project here. My only complaints with the kit are the control stick (which I think almost everyone in the other group build broke removing from the sprue, myself included), the radio mast (same issue for me) and the gear legs, which were a little warped. That said, it's a great little kit, and it was a blast to build. And the decals were amazing.
Not bad for a kit under $9 built out of the box (well, except for the scratched radio mast).
This is Lollipoop II flown by Spurgeon Ellington of the 100th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen).
For the paint wonks: After painting the wheel wells Model Master Zinc Chromate Green, I primered the model in Mr Surfacer 1500 black, then sprayed Tamiya X-1 gloss black over the whole thing. Next came Alclad Duraluminum on the wings, and then the stripes were masked and painted with Tamiya flat yellow. The wings were masked, and the fuselage was sprayed with Alclad Airframe Aluminum. Next, I masked that and sprayed Model Master Insignia Red on the tail, nose and wingtips. The kit came with a decal for the nose band, but I cut it out and used it as a template to cut the tape to mask it because I wanted the same red on the spinner and nose. After that, I masked and sprayed the anti-glare panel Tamiya olive drab. Then the whole thing got a coat of Alclad Aqua Gloss, and decals went down. Then another coat of Aqua Gloss, and I masked and painted the exhaust panels Alclad Magnesium, then put a panel line wash (Flory Dark Dirt) on it. After that, I masked and sprayed Tamiya flat clear on the anti-glare strip. I painted the spinner and gear doors with the same process so they would match.
I hope to be back on here more frequently now that a somewhat hectic January is over!
-BD-