Accurate Miniatures 1:48 P-51A Mustang

Really fantastic work, especially on the inside of the canopy!  I used the vac canopy on an A-36 and getting the rear butt joint to close was the hardest part of the build.  I think I'll make the cut short and bevel the edge for support next time. 

One note, the radiator exit door is actually the rectantular panel in front of the hole.  Good news is, if you open it you'll really be able to show off more of your great looking radiator.  

Looks awesome Britt!  Incredible detail  in the pit. 

GreenStyrene48

One note, the radiator exit door is actually the rectantular panel in front of the hole.  Good news is, if you open it you'll really be able to show off more of your great looking radiator.  

 

 

Thanks. That was actually one of the hardest things to reference. I never really found much talk or any photos of this area of the plane. The kit instructions were quite crude and unhelpful to say the least. My Squadron book on the P-51A/A-36 was  THE only saving grace on an early mustang radiator. 

lawdog114

Looks awesome Britt!  Incredible detail  in the pit. 

 

Thanks Joe! I’ll be able to post the rest of my shoot later tonight. I was trying to sort out whatever troubles Flickr had going on and didn’t have time enough to fool with the rest. 

That's a fabulous build. Definitely getting saved as a favourite for future reference

Kind of you to say Chris. I've got more than a few myself marked as "go to."

And here's the rest. =] 

I suppose there's plenty I can say about all the things happening here. I guess I can recap. Quickboost exhausts (if I recall correctly), Squadron canopy, and plenty of scratchbuilding as you saw above. I sanded the boat oars that are supposed to be props. Thinned out the intake walls on top the cowl. Opened up the vents on the starboard side cowling. Scratched out a new landing light with a piece of scotch tape that worked beautifully as glass. Montex masks for the insignia and numbers. Plenty of other knick-knacks in between but of the usual suspect variety. 

I did put a good bit of effort into the Olive Drab color scheme. For such a seemingly "drab and boring" color camo scheme, it's actually quite busy as it begins to fade and weather. I recall this first being pointed out by Lawdog some years back. It made me pay more attention to a color scheme I had paid little to no mind at that point in time. I poured through pages of books and pics online of how the Olive Drab faded to browns and had patches of dark greens especially where greasy and slicked up with oil and fuel stains. So I wanted to make that a main staple during this build as these aircraft out in the PTO were quite abused by the sun and salty sea air. 

So, here we are with a little walkaround.

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Thanks for watching. =]

Looks outstanding, Britt! I've never tried to make a base for any of my builds. Might hafta give it a try now. You're looks great!

Gary Mason

Devil Dawg

Looks outstanding, Britt! I've never tried to make a base for any of my builds. Might hafta give it a try now. You're looks great!

Gary Mason

 

 

Thanks Gary. Some of that thinking comes from schooling. How big to make a block like this has been an on going idea for several years now. This is what I’ve come up with for anything 1:48 scale and up. It's about 2 3/4" tall and 7" square for this size airplane...varys with wheelbase but most single engine fighters I do will be right at 7". The Jug I've got planned a few builds from now might need to be tweeked. ;) The wood is a piece of sinker cypress sourced from around Pontchatoula, Louisiana near where I live. I found a large piece from an old tree that I've been using for the bases on these past couple of builds. I keep the left over parts for little odds and ends projects. Nothing goes to waste. =] It's a fun way to marry two different worlds. 

Thanks Jay. I often feel the same way when I see some of these pretty builds here on the forum. 

Excellent! Thank you for sharing.

You were lucky to have that Accurate Miniatures kit to build. They are pretty hard to come by, aren't they?

Excellent work. I didn't realize this kit needed this much attention. I'll have to bookmark this one for future reference. 

BK

Great detail and thanks for posting all those pictures, there does appear to be a hick up Imgur is giving me Jip. 

Greg : the 51A has been reboxed by Italeri, the B by Academy ;-) 

Awesome build, an overlooked version of a famous plane, your pit and weathering work are gorgeous!

Britt, I’ve just started the photo recon version, and I’ve either got a lot of work ahead of me, or maybe I should just put it back in the box. The extra details you’ve added are excellent, it looks as if someone could hop in and fire it up. 

I’m just going to try to improver one step at a time... could you elaborate on your technique for using scotch tape for the landing light please? I feel like that’s a solid tip for all future builds.

Phenominal job. Thanks for sharing!

Greg

Excellent! Thank you for sharing.

You were lucky to have that Accurate Miniatures kit to build. They are pretty hard to come by, aren't they?

 

I usually keep an eye out on ebay for the next series of planes I'm looking to take on to see when I can get a deal and I usually see a good handful of them that are reasonably priced. I was just looking the other day as well for a detailed -A I plan to do with the engine and gun bays opened up. Won't be for a little while though. I saw at least a dozen or so. Give ebay a look see. =]

And thank you. =]

BrandonK

Excellent work. I didn't realize this kit needed this much attention. I'll have to bookmark this one for future reference. 

BK

 

 

 

Thanks Brandon! No, it's not too bad. The cockpit is decent enough compared to other OOB cockpits. I was just getting really excited about my -A after reading so much about what other pilots liked about flying it compared to the heavier -D. I wanted to do it right and I felt it was a good opportunity to stretch my scratchbuilding legs so to speak to see what I could come up with. So I went at it. The AccuMin kit is a really good kit all in it's own and if you want to do more then it's a really good start. Looking back I see things I could've pushed a little further. The props could be a little thinner. Same for the trailing edge of the wings, ailerons, and elevators and rudder. Stuff like that. But I find AccuMin usually has a solid build. 

Thanks again. =]

Hobbie

Greg : the 51A has been reboxed by Italeri, the B by Academy ;-)

Good info. Thank you, Hobbie. Most thoughtful of you.

bvallot

 

 

Greg

Excellent! Thank you for sharing.

You were lucky to have that Accurate Miniatures kit to build. They are pretty hard to come by, aren't they?

 

 

 

 

I usually keep an eye out on ebay for the next series of planes I'm looking to take on to see when I can get a deal and I usually see a good handful of them that are reasonably priced. I was just looking the other day as well for a detailed -A I plan to do with the engine and gun bays opened up. Won't be for a little while though. I saw at least a dozen or so. Give ebay a look see. =]

And thank you. =]

 

bv, I never seem to think of ebay. Thanks for the ideas!

'61 and Hobbie, many thanks. Very kind to say. =] Happy to share.

RadMax8

Britt, I’ve just started the photo recon version, and I’ve either got a lot of work ahead of me, or maybe I should just put it back in the box. The extra details you’ve added are excellent, it looks as if someone could hop in and fire it up. 

I’m just going to try to improver one step at a time... could you elaborate on your technique for using scotch tape for the landing light please? I feel like that’s a solid tip for all future builds.

Phenominal job. Thanks for sharing!

 

RM8, I remember looking at the F-6 and recall thinking how awesome it'd be to build up that one with the camera and all. Instead I came across William Shomo's F-6D and figured I could easily convert Tamiya's P-51D into an F-6D. Wasn't too bad at all. A little scratchbuilding and some Milliput went a long way. 

All these extras aren't so bad really. Just take it one step at a time. Before you know it, voila, you've got a radio, then an IP, and so on. You just can't be in a rush. As long as you know what you're going to do, it doesn't take quite as long as you think. Of course I say that but nowadays it takes me about 6-7 months to complete a build LOL. But basically it's not too hard to add some extra life. Just be whole-assed and go all in. =]

As for the scotch tape...absolutely! Great question. I saw this trick on a P-51B or C with DDay stripes when I was building this. My solution was to take the kit glass piece and with a new No. 11 blade cut out some tamiya masking tape that was placed on top of it. Carefully. You could also trace it out with a pen or pencil and cut it on a mat or what have you. When you're ready to handle the tape use a gloved hand to prevent finger prints. Use your masking tape pattern to cut the shape of the "glass" by placing a strip of clear scotch tape onto the (clean) masking tape. What I did was to cut a little bit of extra along the sides (left to right as it would fit onto the wing) so it has enough to bite on once you apply it. When you have it cut out, a good pair of tweezers will help to place it and the bottom end of a paint brush will aide in laying down. I started on top first to get it set and pulled it around as I laid it down on the surface. It really wasn't too bad. And honestly, if you mess one up...you've likely still got plenty of scotch tape right?! I think I got mine on the first try. I even recall my hands shaking badly as I probably had to much coffee...with each heartbeat my hands bounced crazily. I had to steady my arms on the table surface to keep my hands still. I actually finished the build just after Christmas of 2016 and two years later I haven't seen any dust or anything collect and stick to it. 

Hope that's of some use. Let me know when you try it. Especially if you come up with any better tweeks to that. ;)