Official Natural Metal Finish Group Build

Julez72, Great progress on the P-51. Using two different types of silver paint really set off the gun bay panels. Guess your next step is decals and then the 'fiddly bits' IE landing gear and other various breakable details. Couldn't help but notice the Lego tractor parked in front, it gives the plane a sense of scale. 1/48 I am guessing?

Hate to double reply but the forum is slow this early in the day!

Besides I have new motivation to build once the work bench is cleared! IE kitchen table LOL. I found the build was in a rut and had to complete.. something? So I chose the hood which will be displayed off the model to feature the engine. Used aluminum foil for...the aluminum finish. Dry sanded with 1500 grit to flatten any  surface imperfections, also added a 'scuffed + cold worked' look. Most of the fasteners were re-worked with a tool I made, the olive drab went on a bit thick so I touched the details with the tool which 'chipped' them to stand out, also dry sanded it with 1500 grit.. The yellow is Krylon enamel 'Sunbeam' sprayed OOC (out of can) over Testor's flat white. Intend to 'chip' the fasteners in the yellow and wash with Tamiya 'smoke' arcylic to further accent the detail. The panel over the exaust will be darkened with a thicker wash of this, decals are on and all will be sealed with Testor's 'semi-gloss' clear OOC.

The spinner cap ready for yellow paint. Base again of Testor's flat white OOC followed by Krylon 'Sunbeam' Took a educated guess that it needed fasteners as well, added two on either side of the prop openings for a total of 8. Is this accurate? Didn't think it was glued on, intend to scratch build the housing around the propeller.

GREAT WORK GUYS!!!!

At the last day of this NMF GB's term i just wanted to drop by and say to everyone who participated in the group that i had the greatest time with you guys this year and am looking forward to doing it all again for a next term with new and interesting planes being built, tips and tricks being shared and having a blast with it in general Three cheers to Randy for being an outstanding and very competent host!

Randy, will you start another thread for the next GB or just keep this one going? Just wondering...

Thanks to all of you again.

Richard

Randy wrote on page 1: This will be a 1 year long build starting May 1 2009 and ending May 1 2010. So build 1 or 2 or more. And feel free to take a badge when you sign up, gotta give it back if you don't finish though.

kermit : At the last day of this NMF GB's term...

Unless my calender is missing a month, or kermit is playing a April fool's joke I believe there is still a month left to 'Git R' done' Anyhow more exciting WIP's soon of the completed hood and prop spinner cap...hopefully that will be motivation to complete by May 1st!

But...but...but....

I am thinking that NMFII will more than likely start on April 2nd and run another year. I figured if I started it on April 1st well it might just jynx the group LOL. So let me know what you guys think of a rerun and the start date.

Randyyyyyyyy! Im seriously confused now....LOL

Please accept my sincere apologies if i misunderstood a thing or two here

Richard

Julez72 I would say those gun bay panels and ailerons came out great ! You must tell us how you did it, did you use gloss black underneath then over coat with the aluminum ? Well done

SupressionFire WOW!!!!!! your engine cowl looks fantastic. I love the chipped paint around the fasteners and panel lines. I have to comment on your fasteners on the spinner, they look great, but I do believe they are inaccurate. I know there was a bolt on the tip of the spinner but am not sure of how it was attached. Anyway heres is a close up picture of "The Gun Fighter's" spinner. looks to be an inspection panel near the base. between the prop blades.

Hope this helps you out.

Ok guys I guess the competent host complement is blown ( thanks for the complement Kermit ) I did mention a while back that the NMFII would start on April 2nd. Dont know what the  I was thinking. Anyway I will start round 2 on May 2nd and the build will go for a year as the last one did. So my apologies to all and to Kermit for the confusion. To answer Richards question I will be starting a new thread for round II a couple of weeks before the start date. Also any ideas for group badges are very welcomed so help me out guys.

As for my build for the new group I am planning to do a NMF P-61 that was flown in the south pacific. Just cant stay away from those old Monogram kits ya know. More particulars on that later , but I will be blaming Hans von Hammer for this one.

vetteman42, would a 49% complete P-51 qualify for NMF II? Just wondering as I have a contest next weekend and want to get one more Ultracast figure done along with bases for him and two others. Hate to rush work as  I have a lot into the Mustang. Somehow one month won't be enough i'm afraid As you may have noticed I never scooped up the badge... it wasn't meant to be...now NMF II and a year to 'git R' done' is more like it! Sign me up! If not my next NMF is planned to be a post war Spitfire that flew around Canada for PR visits. It will be OOB with guns removed.

Well a accurate spinner cap it is not! Dang I should of posted the question before tackling it! Doh Like a few other modifications it does look cool. WIP's on friday I promise!

kermit Well in all the confusion I figured it may be a April fools joke. Sorted now and NMF II is more realistic of a deadline for my current build.

Thanks guys for the kind words, i really do appreciate it

Vetteman, yeah i did put the black underneath the duraluminun, and then dosed it with future again...

I'm still standing in a land i'm unsure of regarding NMF, should i accent the panel lines with a wash, should i put down a light coat of flat clear to blend it all in or leave it shiny, maybe just flat clear the anti glare and wheels...............But still i'm happy with my first effort so far....

Supression, looking forward too seeing more WIP pics, i'm following your build quite closely, you seem to have infinite patience.....

NMF GBII, sign me up....not sure yet maybe another P-51, i like those pacific ones of the USAF with the black stripes on the wings....I'd like to do Hartmans Sabre as well, it would look good on a display base next to his 109G......

Hi Randy and all,

After a frantic month in which my PhD was finally submitted (can we say "stress?") I'm back on the bench and starting to clear some work that's been hanging around since February. I fully intend to get back to the F-84 and finish it, and I'm thinking of fielding a 1:48 ProModeler F-86D for the second go round.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

back Mike!!!! Hope it all went well!!

SupressionFire I for one, and I think most here, want to see your completed build, way too much fine work not to see your P-51 finished.  With that said I am quite sure we can work something out. So not to worry.

Julez72 I am more than likely a bit late on this but I wouldn't recommend using a flat coat on NMF as it seems to create a grainy finish. I have used semi gloss with very good results.

Thunderbolt congratulations on your PhD submission, I know you have worked quite hard on it the past couple months or so. That, however, brings a question to mind, a very touchy one, but I gotta ask it anyway.

Does this mean we will be having to call you " Dr Thunderbolt379" ? Welcome back we been missin you around here.

vetteman42,

Thanks buddy, not asking for extensions just a partial build pass for NMF II. Anyhow its still just under a month off so here is a side tracked two figure display im working on for a contest saturday. I know a bit less than silver for NMF but both figures and the bright yellow spinner cap are going to be included with the Mustang display when complete. No room for the hood! Scratch built the saw horses today and playing around with final positioning, tiny gears ect. are watch parts that won't be included in Mustang display. Just this mock-up for the weekend. Second photo is 'Freddie' with eyes! First time I attempted eyes, Anyhow its another fool-proof new technique I cooked up today so I may save it for FSM's 'Reader's tips'

~BTW~ 'Glue koozie' in 'Reader's tips'  FSM May issue is me LOL...No im not a glue koozie but my tip is

Suppressionfire,

LOVE the scratchwork there buddy; makes me think of the two wooden ship builds i have shelved gathering dust. Great work m8

Wish that it was may already so i can announce new stuff to kermify and make shiny Randy, i already solemnly promise you to attempt a foil finish in the next year

Richard

Suppression..Great work on the figures i'll have to do a couple myself this year, just to add a sense of scale to my models.....

Vetteman. No it's not too late, i decided not to flat clear or wash to accent panel lines, i think the panel lines stand out enough the way it is....I'll probably give it another coat of future as it's final finish, gotta keep reminding myself that i'm modeling an aircraft that is fully restored and in mint condition....

WIP......Pic...

Julez72,

Excellent finish on the Mustang! Are the markings from a Australian squadron? Very cool Also what decal set did you use? For some reason Calgary, Alberta Canada seems to be the mecca of fine AM decals. Mike Grant Decals + Leading Edge Decals are based there.

Suppression.. Thanks for the comments, this build is turning out to be one of those rare ones where everything goes right.....

And yeah it's a Australian, 82nd Squadron based in Japan after the war, part of the occupation force i guess...The decals are from Red Roo Models.com, a company based here in OZ....not bad decals, the carrier film covers the entire sheet which was new to me but they responded well to setting solution and even though you can't see it in the pic they are sitting snug in the panel lines.....

Looking good Julez!!!!!! Beautiful work on the finish and decals!!!

SupressionFire your figures look great !!! I really like Freddie's eyes very well done. Cant wait to read how you did that. Are these figures going into your P-51 dio ? Oh and congrads on your Glue Cozy tip , fun to have a tip in print isnt it.

PM inbound SupressionFire.

Kermit WOW!!!!!!!!!!! really ??? you are gonna finally try a foil NMF ?? I cant wait to see that kermified foil finish. Now I guess I will have to try a painted NMF huh Gotta admit I am getting really excited about round II.

Julez72 oh but I cant wait to see your finished build, I am truely liking ot a lot ! Glad you decided against the flat finish too, scared me with that. The only place I have used a flat finish on a NMF build was over the exhaust stains to make them flat because the gloss or future over them made it look funny, gloss stains dont work for me.

vetteman42,

Sounds like NMF II is going to be another great success!

I personally can't wait for it to start and was wondering when you are going to post the sign-up thread? Anyhow thanks for allowing me to cross-over the NMF Mustang, another year should allow time to finish it! Hopefully my Spitfire in NMF (tin foil) can get done in that time as well... now just need a 1/32 or 1/24 scale kit of a Spitfire Mk Ia... Airfix has a older offering in 1/24...I recall one in Nanton, Alberta at the air museum where the Western Canadian Regional model contest was held last year.

BTW~ Thanks again for a excellent group build!

Thanks guys for the comments i should have it done in a week or so.....

NMF II......I'm a definate, after this Pony i just have to do another oneVetteman, Sign me up for another Tam 1/48 P-51D.......44-63702, 355th FS 9AAF Grim Reaper.......

Heh fellas,

Took some outdoor pictures that never turned out very well, here are some better ones for NMF. I know its a bit side tracked from the theme, yet I wanted to share a few with you!

Even posted a new thread yet nobody replied... Oh well im sure the great people here will appreciate my efforts.

'Freddie & the Fonz' The bucket is scratch build out of lead foil (wine bottle type) I plan on doing another as a article for FSM, just need a more accurate master bucket. The saw horses are scratch built out of... wood. Small gears on the bench are watch components.

Anyhow off to a contest tomorrow, sounds like the site is going to be down for a while so.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Suppression, very nice figures and base, excellent work i'm gonna send my figures to you to paint i think.....

Well gents i'm finished.........

Vetteman, Thanks for hosting this GB and allowing me to jump in late...

i'll still be hanging around in here and i'm a definate for NMF11

Cheers Jules....

Actually the figures are the 'lazy' way to paint. 3 rules:

#1 Color has to be correct! Nothing worse than yellow skin tones. (jaundice?)

#2 Enamel for base colors and thinned for highlights, even dry brushed on nose.

#3 Acrylic wash for deeper shadows like eyes, creases in face and around nose. Hull red works well. Avoid black even to darken hues,

Oh and you really don`t need `Flesh`color, white + red = pink, darken with red-brown or flat military brown.

Easy breezy, I came up with new kung-foo for eyes and will see if FSM is interested in that!

Last but not least to get skin `shine` after clear flat is sprayed to flatten clothes, brush your forehead a few times. Apply that natural `grease`to your figures skin! Also works great for shiny belts ect. Pencil crayons and lead pencils work great for adding highlights to uniforms, badges and zippers.

Jules, good looking Stang!  Excellent work!!

SupressionFire your lil dio looks great ! Is it going to be part of your P-51 dio ? I was thinking that because of the P-51 spinner there on the ground. I like the watch parts on the bench nice touch.

Julez72 thanks for your complements on the group, it is my first time hosting and all the guys here made it easy. I hope round II will be as good as this one was. I also wish to thank you for joining us.

Congratulations on a fine build Julez. The paint is great ! Especially since I can see a decal reflection on the wing in the second picture. She is a sweet looking Mustang. Your picture is on the front page where it belongs. LOL we do have quite a herd of ponies there ya know.

Guys there are a few with build start pages missing I will be correcting that in the next few days. I will also be starting the thread for round II the first of next week. I am thinking I will be trying Talon paints in round II as I have only used foil in the past, gotta try something new for the new group ya know.

PS I will be needing ideas for Group Badges for NMF II so any suggestions are more than welcome.

Hey Vetteman,

Please remove my P-51D from the GB. I don't see how I will finish by the May 1 deadline. I've had a number of setbacks with this build plus some time constraint issues. I promise to attempt an NMF build at some point in the future. Thanks for leading us. You've done a fine job!

NiceFit, if I may speak for Randy, I think that a carryover to the 'II' will be in order!!!! SOOOOOOOO  not taking you off the register just 'transferring' hehehe sounds better anyways!! LOL Sorry Randy!!

Randy, your very welcome...this was a most enjoyable build, and as for page one, well i was just surfing the site saw all the awesome builds and just had to do one.....I'm looking forward to round 2, i get more mustangs and i get to see you guys in action.............

NiceFit

Hey Vetteman,

Please remove my P-51D from the GB. I don't see how I will finish by the May 1 deadline. I've had a number of setbacks with this build plus some time constraint issues. I promise to attempt an NMF build at some point in the future. Thanks for leading us. You've done a fine job!

 

Nicefit I would be more than happy to carry your build over to the second round if you wish. Would hate to lose your build ya know.