Mustang Build

What a difference the base coat and prep make. I favor the left wing. 

Hey Larry,

Don't ask me, I'm scared of NMFs, still geting over my last one.

Matt, top result with your D there, I like it a lot. I have the Tamiya 1/48 B kit, hope it's as nice.

GH, Looking forward to seeing Miss A in full colour.

I have got Thunderbird to the decal stage. I bought a set of 'digital silk' decals from Draw Decal. They describe them well - strong, but they will fold over on themselves given a chance. So with a few setbacks and much cursing, I have finally finished the application. The decals in 1/72 do show the limitations of the digital printing in the detail imaging, but on the whole the decals were great. The set down well and wrinkles dissapear if the decals are left ot set on their own. Setting solution got them sitting snugly around the curves of the tail.

Next weekend it all gets a gloss seal.

Looking good Piers, I’m anxious to see the finished products from Larry and yourself.

Here are a few pics of Miss "A" getting dressed for the dance.  Wrapped for her red skirt and the red unmasked, and topless.  Then wrapped up for the blue blouse,  All that will be left is her makeup (decals) and shoes (gear).

She is looking sweet GH!!!

Agreed! It's nice seeing a different kind of paint scheme on a mustang once in a while.

Looking great, goldhammer!

Thanks folks, got the blue on her over the w/e.  As can be seen by the last pic of the underside at the right wheelwell, I managed to screw it up as promised.  Got to do some repaire to all three colors.  But at least most of her dancing clothes came out alright for this amatuer.

You have some mad masking skills GH. I had a hard time with the blue nose on a 1/32 scale bird.

GH,

Miss A is looking very sweet, can't wait to see her done.

Sorry to be absent for a month folks.  Long trip to Asia, now I'm changing jobs.  Planning on finishing up my Mustang this weekend (masked the canopy last night, hopefully will paint today or tomorrow, then a dull coat and some weathering - but then again, seeing the fantastic work here, maybe I'll shuffle off for a while!).

I bow to you guys who model in 1/72nd.  I just cannot see that small!!

Goldhammer:  Really looking amazing and cannot wait to see what the next step is.  Esp in 1/72 what you are doing is above and beyond. WOW!  Really appreciate you showing how you masked the plane too - very helpful to see how other people do things.  A red/white/blue Mustang is a thing of beauty.  Thanks!

Piers:  I am very envious of the finish.  I think it is hard to get a smooth and consistent color over the entire aircraft and that blue looks terrific.  I have to say, having done Big Beautiful Doll in 1/32, your tail checkers looks great.  NOT easy to cover that large an area and get it all right - well done.  My father was a Mobil Oil owner/dealer so seeing the red winged horse brings back fond memories.  What set are the decals from?

TJ: I finally tried out a Mustang D in OD and love the way it looks.  Yours are better and the combination of the blue nose and the 357 make a really nice pair.  Nice job.  Did you have any issues with either set of decals?  I think I have the blue nose set in 1/48.

Britt:  that is an amazing cockpit.  Really hard to focus on just one thing, but that seat is amazing as is the overall cockpit.  The extra wiring bits really add to the detail.  

Matt: You did the Tamiya 1/32, right?  Super job, especially on the wings and that open engine.  But I really like the base as well.  How did you do that?  I have not tried that yet and really want to but don't even know where to start.

Chris

CN-  Thanks, but my fingers won't work in 1/72, except for a kit of a USN Gato submarine....she is in 1/48, and that is about as small as I will go.  Got the white fixed today and will get the red on Friday.

CNicoll

 

Matt: You did the Tamiya 1/32, right?  Super job, especially on the wings and that open engine.  But I really like the base as well.  How did you do that?  I have not tried that yet and really want to but don't even know where to start.

Chris

 

Yep it was the Tamiya 1/32, great kit.  For the base, it is a precut wooden base from a craft store that I stained.  For the gravel/sand, i just mix a bit of white glue with water and then brush it on, sprinkle on the gravel/sand and then add the greens.  I use products that the model railroad guys use.  Makes it easier.

Finally did some work last night, got the canopy and side glass masked.  Funny thing when you've been gone for a while.  I was doing a GREAT job masking the canopy.  Just fantastic.  Perfect even.  Then I realised I had masked the FRAME, not the glass. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself, you know?  LOL

So letting the canopy dry now and for some reason didn't take any pictures of that.  Next step!  Here I've applied the topside panel line wash.  I'm using Flory and MIG washes - yes, I know one is acrylic and the other thinner based.  For the panel lines, works ok actually.

and here is the after:

I've noticed that these planes were heavily used, but didn't seem to have an abundance of chipping so after I the washes dry I'll hit it with a clear flat and see how it looks.  May do a gentle overspray with a highly diluted white wash overall - but will see how it goes.  Yes, the wing roundals are heavily weathered - my interpretation - hope it is not overdone in the end.

Cheers!  Chris

Very nicely done Chris. =] I was just about to offer sending you a replacement canopy but I see your tags show this to be a Tamiya kit...womp womp. I like where you're taking the weathering so far. It's an easy thing to overdo. Thumbs up!

Nothing major, but I did want to show the beginning of what is shaping up around the camera bay. Referenced photos of the F-6D and measured twice, cut once, and sanded a lot. I may still refine the thickness of the larger bay. There will be a larger rounder sleeve that acted as some type of cover/fairing. That'll come next. Then, I'll build up the interior of the camera bay since it'll be more visible. =]

camports by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Chris,

She's looking great. I really like the British schemes. 

Britt,

I was wondering how your were going to make the camera hole. 

modelcrazy

 

Britt,

I was wondering how your were going to make the camera hole. 

 

Actually, once I established the circle to cut, I took out the majority of it with a 1/4in drill bit. =D Then, refined the rest with my no. 11 blade and sanded to my measured circle.

The smaller circle was done in a similar fashion but I think it was a 1/8in or just smaller. Saved me a lot of time. =]

Alrighty....I'm in with a quicky build - Revell's 1/25 2015 Mustang GT in police markings.

Cool! Glad to have you greg. I'll find the box art and put you on the roster.

Well, got the bottom paint fixed before I went on a 4 day metal detector hunt over in central Oregon Found a keg worth of nails and the best find for me was the wick holder and adjustment screw from an old oil lamp. These were old homesteads from the 1870's to 1880's  On private ranches we were lucky enough to get permission to go on. 

Have started repainting the wheelwell and will brush paint the gear, start getting decals on, then install the gear, take pics and then she will find a home with MC. 

If he thinks her worthy (the model, not the daughter ), hoping it will go to the daughter along with a picture of her sitting on the wing in earlier days.

modelcrazy

Cool! Glad to have you greg. I'll find the box art and put you on the roster.

Thank you for the add.  Here's the box art:

I got the bagged kit from a local model club that's doing a group build of it....each kit had to be painted in the color written on the instructions, otherwise it can be built any way the builder likes.

Great, I couldn't find the right box art for you. I got you up now.

Guys I started building my 1/32 Tam p-51 last year but soon lost steam on it deu to the high intencity and work load of the kit.

Recently I got some "steam" back and it is going nicely, even if I do not complete it by the deadline I will share what I have done sofar.

The basic cockpit, I just added better belts and some copper wire to the radio stack.

Radiator 

As it is going to be a Korean SAAF F-51d I decided to give it a well weatherd look. The wheel wells I painted yellow primer and then used salt with sliver sprayed over it to simulate the chippiung these areas took from tools and hydrolic fluids. I also added copper wire to look like hydrolic lines.

Fuelage ready to be closed up.

Agreed. Very nice Theuns. =] Glad to see you picking it back up. I'd like to try the Tamiya 1:32 version...only I don't know where I'd ever put it. =D

I managed to finally finish up the exterior conversions for the F-6D. Still needs to be tidied up a bit, but this is the gest of it. I had to be a little tricky trying to navigate this conical nature of this faring over the lense. Even after measuring out a pattern to cut it was still too tiny to work into shape like I needed. So I settled for cutting it into fourths and trimming a little off the end of my last piece as per my pattern. I bent them into a curve and glued them in place with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. This helps to soften them as well and I can better tease them into shape. Not too bad. The last part is a disc I cut and glued on top with the Tamiya ETC again. This will settle overnight before I fool with it again. I want it to harden before I go over it with putty. 

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Here is a dry fitting of this section all together.

Untitled by Britt Vallot, on Flickr

Once this gets cleaned up, I'll be able to throw the interior together. With the exception of the camera, the rest ought to build up quickly and I'll be able to glue the cockpit in and close her up. =]

That is really looking sharp Britt!

update...