Mustang Build

That is looking amazing GH!!!

Thank you kind sir.  There were a couple of those star set decals that wanted to fold under themselves as they came off the sheet.  If you were a bug in the corner, you would have thought I was an old Master Chief in the Navy rather than an old USAF Buck Sgt.  Air was about as blue as the model.  But all good.  Time for some Jack tonight in celebration.

I hate it when that happens, especially when they tear right after that.

GH, nice save on the paintjob. Miss America is looking good just in time for tomorrow. It looks like you're just about done.

Steve, thanks again...I feel like I've seen that before now that you spell it out.

Lewbud, I'm happy to hear the lagniappe. I'll be ready for when I get around to it! =D

Everybody stateside have a safe and happy 4th of July. =]

Just in time for her date on the country's recognized birthday, Miss America is fully dressed with all her jewelry and new shoes.  Is OOB, done with MM acrylic paint.

This is the first model I have completed in over 40 years, and the best one as far as paint and assembly.  Thanks to the folks here on FSM forum for pushing me upwards with the work they do and show.  Hope it is worthy of your approval.  Critique welcome.

Thanks to MC for being the host, and PM me a shipping addy and I'll get her boxed up and sent as per my discussion awhile back.  You are going to have to find a figure to paint and sit on the wing to match the photo you have.

GH,

I just showed my daughter your build and she flipped out before I told her you wanted to give it to her, then her jaw dropped. She thanks you profusely and has the perfect place for it at her work, where my two grandsons can't get a hold of it.

She looks fantastic and what a perfect time to complete her. 

Great job  I know that Paint job had to be difficult.

Thanks for joining the build and I'm happy you were encouragedwere encouraged you to compete it. It was fun to watch.

Steve

I never made the finished gallery so heres a couple more:

http://s120.photobucket.com/user/rowie63/media/P1020479_2.jpg.html

http://s120.photobucket.com/user/rowie63/media/P1020474_1.jpg.html

http://s120.photobucket.com/user/rowie63/media/P1020469_1.jpg.html

Wirraway,

Sorry about that, I send a note to Cody to get you up.

Great job Goldhammer. Stellar paint job! Nicely built. =] And just in time for the 4th...I got on and peeked. For a build that brought you 40 years out of retirement, you should definitely pat yourself on the back.

One piece of advice I can pay forward would be to trim up your decals when they become oddly shaped and/or long. This will help you gain control over how you'll set them up on your surface. For instance, a star shape can easily just be cut out and placed wherever it goes without all the extra film that goes along with it. This will also help you with fighting the silvering that goes along with extra decal film. I try to paint everything I can paint nowadays, but when I do use decals I will trim them up as clean as possible to limit any silvering. Goes a long way to improving your build. =]

Great finish GH! Love the scheme and you nailed it.  I dont think I would have had the courage to even try that scheme.  Amazing build, thanks for sharing!

<Matt

bvallot

Great job Goldhammer. Stellar paint job! Nicely built. =] And just in time for the 4th...I got on and peeked. For a build that brought you 40 years out of retirement, you should definitely pat yourself on the back.

One piece of advice I can pay forward would be to trim up your decals when they become oddly shaped and/or long. This will help you gain control over how you'll set them up on your surface. For instance, a star shape can easily just be cut out and placed wherever it goes without all the extra film that goes along with it. This will also help you with fighting the silvering that goes along with extra decal film. I try to paint everything I can paint nowadays, but when I do use decals I will trim them up as clean as possible to limit any silvering. Goes a long way to improving your build. =]

Thanks,  I thought  about cutting the stars out when I was looking it over after paint and then she sat for a few weeks and I forgot about it.  They are a little thick and the film shows under the clear, but at least none of them silvered on me.  I will keep it in mind for the next time, if I can remember-----got huge case of short term CRS after being brought back from the other side.

blkhwkmatt

Great finish GH! Love the scheme and you nailed it.  I dont think I would have had the courage to even try that scheme.  Amazing build, thanks for sharing!

 

<Matt

 

The paint scheme was not too bad.  I had copies of the decal callout sheet made, scaled up to actual model size, and trimmed them out allowing for the fine line tape.  Stuck them down and did the fine line and left them in place and finished masking over them.  Did the white first where needed without masking except for the canopy, then the red and finally the blue.  Getting the decal callout blown up was the best thought of the entire build, sure made life easier. 

Thanks for all the gracious comments, much appreciated.

I do the same thing GH. I started making quick notes about what I was modifying or scratching out, because if I didn't I either took twice as long analyzing it all or it might have gotten skipped over. =[

Quick question...Steve...Lewbud...

It would reason that if the inner gear door was drooped down (open) that the flaps should be down as well, correct? I had planned on fixing the gear bay up a little and I don't want to cover it up too much. So, if I leave them down...are the flaps a separate function doing their own thing or do they follow the suite?

bvallot- getting a little OT, but I see your last bench project is Old 666.  Read one account of that flight.....absolutely amazing that she brought the guys back.  Enough metal awarded after that one to put her over gross takeoff weight.

You're absolutely right GH. That was one rag tag team of SOBs right there! I knew if I build only one B-17 ever it's going to be that one. =] PHENOMinal story! I know there's a History Channel clip that does a pretty good CGI account of that MOH flight into Bouganville.  It's definitely worth a watch. 

Great job, goldhammer. Looks really good.

Larry

Britt,

My understanding is that the flaps were operated separately and did not suffer the same issues as the inner doors.

Most pilots would typically lower the flaps after they parked to dismount the aircraft. It was OK to step on the wing root faring but never on the flaps. The pilots would lower them to avoid this damage and raise them as soon as the engine started to avoid damage from the prop wash. Some pilots however would leave them raised.

Steve

modelcrazy

Britt,

My understanding is that the flaps were operated separately and did not suffer the same issues as the inner doors.

 

I gotcha. Thanks! I'm working on trying to figure out what to do with this -A. I've seen largely where the flaps are up and main gear doors are up as well in other models depicting P51-A's. Of course I would never use that as a true reference, but in certain cases where the modeler is in the upper echelon of modeling...it makes me wonder where he's looking for his sources. It's been kind of difficult finding actual service pictures of -A's from '43-'45. So far I've seen a bit both. Some flaps were down with gear doors up, some flaps up with gear doors down, a couple with all of it down...the handful of pics really haven't shown any one kind of practice. So I'm on the fence at the moment. Unless some PTO pro on mustangs has any more to offer about the 311th FBG of the 530 FS...I may just have to wing it. (pardon my pun) =]

Thank you guys, much appreciated.

Thanks TJ. Yeah, that was something I read in this Squadron Walkaround book I picked up, but they were non-specific as to the how's and when's for its operation. So, naturally I'm going to defer to the knowledge and experience from you guys here on the forum and such. From what I'm gathering, it seems like the main gear doors were often left up on the -A's...likely the flaps as well. I do have the left over kit flaps from the F-6D as I'm using a set of UltraCast AM flaps. So, I may yet try my hand at fooling around with that. It looks to be a real nice match to the AccuMinn kit. =] 

And absolutely GH. That's a pretty color scheme and the perfect time of year to see it! And 40 years later...you haven't lost a step I'd bet.

LOL....back then I was tube glue and brushes.  Looked like a 5 year old did them and was in my early to mid 20's and just out of the service.   Just bought the air brushes (Eclipse and NEO) about a year ago or maybe a little longer, but not over a year and a half.  Still learning (and won't ever know it all).  This one is miles above where I was the last time.

Well, I'll never tell. ;)

Goldhammer,

Miss America looks an absolute peach. Anyone would love to receive it as a gift, very generous.

I was amazed that it took you 40 years to complete it - I thought I was slow... and then I read your post properly! That is a great effort for the first one done in 40 years, hats off to you.

Thank you lostagain.

Went out last night, should be in MC's fingers tomorrow.

Thanks again GH,

This is an absolutely generous gift. I promise my daughter will display it proudly at her work where several people will see it daily. She is very excited. I haven’t even build one for her.

I think it is better to have a build seen by others that sitting on a shelf for just me to see.

Steve

goldhammer-Miss America looks great!

Wirraway-You're Mustang IV looks great as well!  A question on the paint, were the British Mustangs painted with a silver lacquer, or were they bare metal?  Or were they bare metal, with the painted laminar flow wings?

Well, I've finished my P-51D. This was the first D I've ever built and my first natural metal finish. Most of my models have at least one flaw somewhere, but usually it's something I can live with. This model exceeds the threshold, so it will sit on the shelf with the rest of my Mustang models only long enough for me to build a replacement. The flaws don't show up so much in the photos, but in person I can see them and they really bug me. Anyway, here are some photos. Cody, I kinda like the first one for the gallery.

Best to all,
Larry

Holy smoke Larry, what does that make, 5?

Nice finish and like you said I can't see the flaws in the photos. 

Thanks for joining in the build with us. Man you earned your badge