Tamiya P51-D

andy.t

Here it is finished.

 

Is that decal (star emblem) on the wing upside down?

Here it is finished.

You’re a brave one using Krylon paints. They’re garbage. I’ve had enough kits ruined because of that garbage paint.

Here she is painted and with a coat of future applied.

Enjoying watching your progress. You are doing well.

On your coordinating the Eduard instructions with the kit instructions, I guess I always considered that part of the fun. Takes a little bit of studying. As the Drifter mentioned, it'll come easier.

Here it is after a light wash of flat black over the panel lines and buffed.

The spray went on grainy but buffed smooth with a cotton swab.

Nice work so far Andy! I really like the fuel tanks. It's that kind of detail that really makes a difference with the finished model. Looking forward to seeing how the Metal Cote comes out buffed!

OK that's it for the PE. Next step is Metal Cote Spray which I have never used.

More lessons learned on the PE.

1) Having the right tools is critical. I lacked micro tweezers and this caused me no small amount of crawiling around on the floor looking for dropped parts. I have a set on order now.

2) Of all the ways I tried cutting the PE the Tamiya PE scissors was by far the easiest and best.

All in all the PE looks great, however it is expensive and time consuming. I will use it in the future but only on selected kits.

On to the Metal Cote.

Here is the fuselage primed with Krylon colormaster.

Here is the model with the metal cote applied and dried overnight. Next is the buffing stage.

Fuel tanks:

Here is the wheel well. I initially missed these pieces.

andy.t

Here is the second landing gear. It only took an hour :)

...

Yikes  

That looks great.  I'd be tearing my hair out if I ever tried something so detailed.

Can't wait to see more of your build.

PF

Here is the second landing gear. It only took an hour :)

I also brush the PE with some vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes then rinse it off. It creates a fine "etching" of the metal so the paint will adhere better.

Great idea. Thanks for the tip.

Finished landing gear. Only took about 3 hours.

Before cutting tiny PE parts off the sheet, I put a piece of Tamiya masking tape under them, and press them down.  Then I cut them from the little attachment points, and remove the tape with the part(s) stuck on it.  It is then easy to lift each part from the tape with a fine point tweezer.  No more launched tiny bits!

Definately not holding by hand. Trying wax pencil, tweezers and jewelry pickups.

Here is the landing gear I am currently working on.

andy.t

So a couple of lessons learned so far.

1) PE parts are small and difficult to hold on to. I've dropped more than a few.

2) The EDUARD instruction sheets are not the easiest to read, and I need to spend more time studing them and identifying where the PE goes. I initially did the wheel well backwards. It would be helpful if the added the model instruction step where to apply.

 

Instead of holding the PE parts in your hand and trying to form them (if that's what your doing), lay them on your bench and use standard razor blades to bend the PE part(s) into position. Eduard IMHO is one of the best in PE parts, and with time you will come to understand their instruction sheets and their placement. Don't let these discourage you from future PE builds.

So a couple of lessons learned so far.

1) PE parts are small and difficult to hold on to. I've dropped more than a few.

2) The EDUARD instruction sheets are not the easiest to read, and I need to spend more time studing them and identifying where the PE goes. I initially did the wheel well backwards. It would be helpful if the added the model instruction step where to apply.

Yep.