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

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-

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

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-

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.

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, 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-

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-

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!

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. 

Brandon,

Your pit is looking sharp! Wonderful start.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Toshi

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!

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