1/48 Eduard P-51D-5 Mustang, 357 FG, Maj. Richard Peterson (Complete!)

"Hurry Home Honey" is now complete. Since the last update, Mr. Color Dark Green was applied to the upper surfaces, followed by clear coats, decals, washes and other weathering. 

Post-shading and fading on the dark green as well as general weathering was kept subtle since the plane was still relatively new in July 1944. 

The Bullseye decals were spectacular and I highly recommend them if you're interested in this or a similar scheme. I used the decal for the nose checkers and it worked well. The decals include markings for 5 complete nose checkers with the yellow-red pattern offset on different markings to match the placement on different subjects. I used Mr. Color Insignia Red and Insignia Yellow for the spinner -- the red was a perfect match for the decal, but the yellow was too light and needed to be adjusted. 

A "dark dirt" Flory wash was applied to the panel lines only, and not to the rivets since IMO they didn't need more emphasis. Various stains and streaks were applied in key areas and some oil streaks were added underneath. 

The final finish was a couple of light coats of Model Master Flat Clear Lacquer, which in my experience, results in the nice satin finish I was targeting. Photos show a relatively clean machine with soft reflections. 

Overall, I'm happy with the project. The issues I encountered were unexpected but relatively minor. Going into the project, I was a little unsure how the metal paints would work, but I think they turned out well. 

Enjoy the photos and thanks for looking!

The main build is now complete and the painting has started. I ran into a few issues during the build.

First, the panels for the MG barrels at leading edges of the wings are separate pieces that did not fit well. They didn't conform to both the top and bottom of the wing surfaces at the same time, so I prioritized the top surface and used filler and scribing to fair in the bottom surface. I struggled to get a smooth interface and clean panel lines due to the geometry but hope it will look OK in the end. 

Second, the windscreen front edge was not flush with the fuselage when I went to glue it on. The instrument panel assembly mounts from the top and interfered with the windscreen. I should have test fitted this. In any event, there was some extra sanding, scribing and rivet detail addition. It will look OK I think. 

Third, the flaps are configured in the down position but getting them to align properly to the trailing edge of the wings required some surgery, shims and extra gluing and clamping. The trailing edges weren't straight for me after gluing the wing root so I had to tweak them. They'll look fine but I recommend checking this carefully during assembly. 

One other item -- the rivet and panel line surface detail is fantastic on this model. So there's quite a bit of rivet detail recovery required on the hood, around the nose air scoop, undersides, wing roots, near the edges of the mold and anywhere sanding is required. Major fasteners and minor rivets were added all over the place to keep everything consistent. 

Sorry for the lack of photos of the above items as I was in problem solving mode. Here are photos of the next phase. The model really looks great when the build is completed. 

Mr. Color Finishing surfacer was used as primer and then GX 2 Ueno black was used as a thin gloss layer for the metal areas. 

Mr. Color SM201 Fine Silver and SM203 Super Iron were used for the NMF areas on the underside and fuselage. Mr Color C-8 Silver was used for the painted areas under the wings. 

Invasion stripes were next with a masked area on the fuselage sides where the stars and bars decals will go, with white underneath. I'm trying to prevent the black and white stripes from showing through the decal white areas and hope I can line them up OK. 

The dark green upper surfaces are next. Thanks for looking. 

M. Brindos

Absolutely gorgeous work as always, Hoss!

 

Thanks Mike! Much appreciated. 

Jay Jay

Fabulous work Mate. Looking forward to the rest of your build for sure

 

Thanks Jay Jay. 

echolmberg

Holy smokes!  That's looking fantastic!  I see cockpits like this and it really gives me the drive to improve my skills.  Can't wait to see how the rest of your build goes.

Of all the Mustangs I've built, I've worked on the Monogram, Tamiya, Hasegawa and Meng.  I've got an Airfix in the stash that I'm hoping to get to before the end of the year.  I was wondering how the Eduard Mustang compared to them.

Eric

PS:  I wanted to see if Maj. Peterson actually did make it home and I'm so glad to see that he did.  I also saw that, after the war, he attended the U of MN to become an architect.  Of all the coincidences, my daughter will be starting at the U of MN in the fall in their architecture program!  I might have to build Peterson's Mustang for her to take with her!  LOL!

 

Thanks Eric. The only other Mustang I've built recently is the Tamiya 1/32, which is a great kit, so I can't comment on the others. Thanks for the backstory also. Good stuff. 

rooster513

Lovely looking pit Hoss! Looks like some really nice detail in there.

 

Thanks rooster. Yep - Eduard did a nice job with the cockpit detail. 

Absolutely gorgeous work as always, Hoss!

Holy smokes!  That's looking fantastic!  I see cockpits like this and it really gives me the drive to improve my skills.  Can't wait to see how the rest of your build goes.

Of all the Mustangs I've built, I've worked on the Monogram, Tamiya, Hasegawa and Meng.  I've got an Airfix in the stash that I'm hoping to get to before the end of the year.  I was wondering how the Eduard Mustang compared to them.

Eric

PS:  I wanted to see if Maj. Peterson actually did make it home and I'm so glad to see that he did.  I also saw that, after the war, he attended the U of MN to become an architect.  Of all the coincidences, my daughter will be starting at the U of MN in the fall in their architecture program!  I might have to build Peterson's Mustang for her to take with her!  LOL!

Lovely looking pit Hoss! Looks like some really nice detail in there.