Always nice to see the early Mustangs built.  Good luck!

BrandonD

Hi all,

I didn't mean to start on this one, as I was planning on a Rafale and I'm halfway to paint on an F4, but it kind of just happened. Does anyone else do that?

 

 

Does anyone else NOT do that??

Great start on the Apache!

As always, a great start to a even bigger surprise.

Toshi

BrandonD your build is coming out nicely. any idea where in time your going to place it. I know some stayed state side for training. some was in Africa and the Burma India area I believe.

I have always heard that accurate miniature kits when they  where being made where some of the best kits of the day.

last summer I found this same kit that had already been open I a hobby shop. looked all the sprue where in there bags everything was there. when I got home and looked closer 1 half of the left wing was bent up to around 30 or so dg. I put weights on it in the sun and tried hot water but only  got it down half way. anyone know of a way to contact accurate miniature? im thinking of trying to learn to cast a tamyia p-51 B wing.

jerry

blackdog62

BrandonD your build is coming out nicely. any idea where in time your going to place it. I know some stayed state side for training. some was in Africa and the Burma India area I believe.

I have always heard that accurate miniature kits when they  where being made where some of the best kits of the day.

last summer I found this same kit that had already been open I a hobby shop. looked all the sprue where in there bags everything was there. when I got home and looked closer 1 half of the left wing was bent up to around 30 or so dg. I put weights on it in the sun and tried hot water but only  got it down half way. anyone know of a way to contact accurate miniature? im thinking of trying to learn to cast a tamyia p-51 B wing.

jerry

 

Unless you can resurrect the dead, you won't get ahold of Accurate Miniatures. If I can remember correctly, Italeri got some of their molds. Might be worth a shot to contact them. Also, the early Mustangs had a different wing from the B-D models, so keep that in mind.

Brandon, I have a ton of the early Mustangs in my stash. I don't know what it is about that particular plane, but I love them! You're right about Accurate Miniatures producing cracking kits, especially considering the age. Yours looks great so far.

Really nice work on that pit, this is off to a very good start.

Brengun have just released a couple of these in 72nd and SH are due to bring one out in 32nd, so might see a few more of these around.

BrandonD

I didn't mean to start on this one, as I was planning on a Rafale and I'm halfway to paint on an F4, but it kind of just happened. Does anyone else do that?

Brandon, I have a planned sequence to build while I still can.; but  what I actually build just happens!

Just last week I was holding skin wrapped AM A-36 in my hands, wondering if I will ever get to build it. Watching your build may be as close as I come! Anyway I am looking forward to your build.

tempest thats cool i have always heard nice things about there kits.there hard to find. when you go to there website its just a page asking in any body wants to buy the site or at least it did. i may try and save it lots of cutting and filler then scrybing cant bring mayselsf to trash such a nice kit. i have a AM TBF/TBM avenger that italeri has molded its a nice kit. i have the pit and motor done.

Brandon,

Your pit is looking sharp! Wonderful start.

Love the cockpit, the scuffed paint looks great! 

Are these kits uncommon though? I picked up a couple on a 'clean-the-warehouse' sale from HobbyLink Japan a few years ago. Probably lost what I saved on shipping but what the hey, I can't resist a good sale. 

Picked up some cool Tuskeegee airmen decals for them and looking forward to seeing how yours goes to see what sort of rough spots I'll encounter building mine. 

Those AM Mustangs are around. After they closed shop, I managed to pick up a P-51B, A-36, P-51A, F-6A, P-51, and to arm that corral of Mustangs, their box of WWII armament. Recently, I picked up a SBD-3 for an USS Hornet project. The supply is also starting to dry up!

blackdog62

BrandonD your build is coming out nicely. any idea where in time your going to place it. I know some stayed state side for training. some was in Africa and the Burma India area I believe.

I have always heard that accurate miniature kits when they  where being made where some of the best kits of the day.

last summer I found this same kit that had already been open I a hobby shop. looked all the sprue where in there bags everything was there. when I got home and looked closer 1 half of the left wing was bent up to around 30 or so dg. I put weights on it in the sun and tried hot water but only  got it down half way. anyone know of a way to contact accurate miniature? im thinking of trying to learn to cast a tamyia p-51 B wing.

jerry

 

Thanks! Yeah, I'm going to have it in Italy in 1944 (markings included in the kit).

I'm going to try to tear this one up a bit, given how long its service life was. We will see how that goes.

-BD-

Thanks, all!

Bish - I am hopeful that Eduard will bring one out following its upcoming P-51D. They're pretty good at filling in versions, like they are with their Bf-109, Fw-190 and MiG-21. Though they haven't done early Spitfires, much to your chagrin, I'm sure ;)

Gamera - there are a lot of these around still, but they'll probably go up in price eventually. I got this one on eBay within the last year, and I think I spent something like $25 with shipping.

-BD-

Lookin ' good, BrandonD! Hopefully, you haven't closed up the fuselage yet. If I remember correctly, all A-36s & P-51s A through C had wooden floors. Once the P-51D arrived, the floors were made with metal. But, you might want to check on that - I could be wrong (my wife says that I'm wrong on pretty much everything......).

Anyways, great job so far!

Gary

nice score there shipwreck.

yep that's the same box I have. I'm even thinking about making a crash landing because of the bent up wing. I have heard about the wood floor also and have seen builds in the forums with the wood floors.

Devil Dawg

Lookin ' good, BrandonD! Hopefully, you haven't closed up the fuselage yet. If I remember correctly, all A-36s & P-51s A through C had wooden floors. Once the P-51D arrived, the floors were made with metal. But, you might want to check on that - I could be wrong (my wife says that I'm wrong on pretty much everything......).

Anyways, great job so far!

Gary

 

 

Thanks, Devli Dawg!

As for the cockpit floor, that's true of Merlin-powered Mustangs, according to my research.

Allison-powered variants (such as the A-36), were built with the top of the wing as the cockpit floor, which was metal (and that's why it's curved along with the profile of the wing).

Merlin-powered Mustangs had a different cockpit depth, so the plywood flat floor was added, as the wing was about six inches too low to serve as the cockpit floor (and the plywood was usually coated in a black finish that would wear to bare wood over time).

-BD-

BrandonD, 

This seems like a great kit and am looking forward to this thread. I built an accurate miniatures IL2 and it was great... the details, molding and pretty much everything else. Nice work on the cockpit so far, and if you do the wooden cockpit floor, I recommend oil paints to get a good effect for the wood grain. Tamiya wooden deck tan base, then blend a little burnt umber oil paint and it'll look great. 

Kien

Kien - yeah oils are good for wood grain. I've usually done Tamiya desert yellow and brushed it with raw sienna or burnt umber. But the A-36 had a metal floor, so fortunately I'm done with that part.

Now just dealing with a few seams on the fuselage. I can never seem to get them perfect on the first try.

Or usually the second, either.

-BD-

Looking good!  I built that kit some time ago and yours is looking better.  I do like the AM kits. 

BrandonD

Thanks, all!

Bish - I am hopeful that Eduard will bring one out following its upcoming P-51D. They're pretty good at filling in versions, like they are with their Bf-109, Fw-190 and MiG-21. Though they haven't done early Spitfires, much to your chagrin, I'm sure ;)

Gamera - there are a lot of these around still, but they'll probably go up in price eventually. I got this one on eBay within the last year, and I think I spent something like $25 with shipping.

-BD-

 

Yes indeed, i don't know how i cope with a decent early Spitfire.

Would be nice to see a company like Eduard do some ealy 109's. There are kits out there, but from the smaller companies. But the pre warstuff does seem to be overlooked.

Bish

 

 

BrandonD

Thanks, all!

Bish - I am hopeful that Eduard will bring one out following its upcoming P-51D. They're pretty good at filling in versions, like they are with their Bf-109, Fw-190 and MiG-21. Though they haven't done early Spitfires, much to your chagrin, I'm sure ;)

Gamera - there are a lot of these around still, but they'll probably go up in price eventually. I got this one on eBay within the last year, and I think I spent something like $25 with shipping.

-BD-

 

 

 

 

Yes indeed, i don't know how i cope with a decent early Spitfire.

Would be nice to see a company like Eduard do some ealy 109's. There are kits out there, but from the smaller companies. But the pre warstuff does seem to be overlooked.

 

Yeah, I agree that it would be awesome to see Eduard fill out the pre-E 109s. When they announced the Legion Condor kit, I was hoping we'd get a Bf-109D, but they stuck with their E-1/3 kit.

-BD-

lawdog114

Nice start Brandon. Cockpit is Stellar.

 

Thanks, Joe!

I've got the fuselage together on this now, and am just dealing with some small seam work around the carburetor intake up top. I have some Mr. Paint Olive Drab on the way I want to try out, so I can't wait to get it ready to go.

-BD-

Well, I got the thing together, and then hit the underside with Mr. Paint Neutral Gray after painting the yellow theater bands and white tail flash.

I tried some shading/texturing I haven't done before and hated it, so I reshot the Neutral Gray and will attack it with oils later.

After that, I went to the topside with the Mr. Paint Olive Drab (the "up to 1943" color, as even though this plane is depicted in '44, it was built earlier and therefore carried the earlier paint scheme.

I then mixed the MRP with Tamiya Desert Yellow for lighter tones, and then mixed the MRP with Tamiya RAF Dark Green and Black for darker patches before blending with another coat of MRP Olive Drab.

Next step will be to vary a few panels, then add decals and attack it with oils.

-BD-

Looking Good BD. I love how you paint and would like to someday pull off your shading. Ill just have to keep at it.

BK

I’m impressed. It seems like the finish of a kit is much more of an art form now than when I was last building avidly. Preshading, panel washes, and maybe an oil filter (if you were wild and crazy) were all normal, as was some paint lightening in the panels. Now there’s black basing, people are masking insignias, and filters galore. For example, the first OD pic looks a little odd to my eye, but when you tied it in with the top coat? Phenomenal!

Cant wait for more progress.

Great looking paint finish you've achieved there. My so far unattainable, constant quest