Mighty 8th GB 1-Nov-2010 - 31-Oct-2011

re: cockpit sidewalls - the 1/32 Eduard Bf-109E-7 I started last night has the same "sidewall plate" thing going on. Interesting concept. The only other experience I have with separate sidewalls is the many cockpits that build up as a "box" and then install into the cockpit (Tamiya P-47, Academy P-38...).

Bish

The two sets of decals i have show aircraft both with and without painted rudders. I think i am correct in saying each Sqn had its own colour, Blue, Red or Yellow.  It might be that the rudders were painted later. I am guessing some time after D-day, the sheets i have don't give dates for all aircrfat. Does the photo you have show kill markings, and if so is it more than those on the decal sheet.

Yeah, pretty sure it's a date thing. Meyer's Petie 2nd had a bare rudder, but Petie 3rd had a red rudder...

The two sets of decals i have show aircraft both with and without painted rudders. I think i am correct in saying each Sqn had its own colour, Blue, Red or Yellow.  It might be that the rudders were painted later. I am guessing some time after D-day, the sheets i have don't give dates for all aircrfat. Does the photo you have show kill markings, and if so is it more than those on the decal sheet.

I have a question I hope you guys can shed some light on. I have found some images online that show Lambie II with a blue rudder, but the decal sheet and other images show Lambie with a silver rudder. Which is correct?

OWL

OWL I don't recall that as part of a kit before. The only cockpits i have done like that are resin AM ones.  Those Eagle Strike decals certainly seem popular. Doogs also has the 48th set and i have a couple of 72nd ones with 352nd markings.

Doogs Thats it, that will be why i didn't change it. I will put a question mark against it as a reminder for myself.

Bish

Doogs Those invasion stripes do look a bit awkward. You can see from the way they are divided that the surfice isn't going to be easy to mask.

I have just noticed i still have you down for a 352nd P-51D. The Hun Hunter is the one that replaced that, is that correct.

And the Jug is looking really really nice.

Thanks Bish. I'm not sure which P-51D I'm going to do. Probably Hun Hunter, but I've got the Aires engine set coming and was thinking to use that with the 352nd. So who knows! I'll probably make up my mind when I pull the -D off the shelf.

And yeah, the invasion stripes are going to be a nightmare. I'm not particularly worried about them up where they hit the lettering and national insignias, it's where they wrap around the fuselage and travel over the exhaust bulge, etc. If you look at the reference pics, you can actually see the real invasion stripes were even a bit off, something I know was common, but don't see as so obviously "off" in many pictures.

I decided to give the Future some extra time to cure last night and played with the Eduard 109 instead (awesome, but not as good as I'd hoped so far...). Will get back to it either tonight or tomorrow.

Bish

OWL Sorry bud, seems i missed your post yeasterday. Sure, you are more than welcome. I know i and i am sure a few others would like to see this. I think a few are not to sure about how to do the Blue nose's and these birds. Is this 72nd scale. And yes, crossovers are fine.

Thanks for letting me join bish. The Revell kit is in 1/48, sorry about forgetting that detail. 

here is the customary box shot with the decals I will be using.

The cockpit in this kit came with an assembly I hadn't seen before: the sidewall details were separate pieces that you have to glue to the fuselage halves. a hose and a couple of other levers were separate as well.  I added seat belts from masking tape.

OWL

Doogs Those invasion stripes do look a bit awkward. You can see from the way they are divided that the surfice isn't going to be easy to mask.

I have just noticed i still have you down for a 352nd P-51D. The Hun Hunter is the one that replaced that, is that correct.

And the Jug is looking really really nice.

OWL Sorry bud, seems i missed your post yeasterday. Sure, you are more than welcome. I know i and i am sure a few others would like to see this. I think a few are not to sure about how to do the Blue nose's and these birds. Is this 72nd scale. And yes, crossovers are fine.

Little J - Photobucket's not that bad once you figure it out.

First - upload your photos to Photobucket. Arrange as you like by album, sub-album, etc. I use a Photobucket uploader tied into iPhoto, but whatever works for you.

Second - once your pics are on Photobucket, click on one's thumbnail to bring it up larger. You'll see a box off to the left with a couple different URLs. One for E-mail and IM, a direct link, HTML code, and IMG code. Click in the IMG code URL area and it should automatically copy the URL for you.

Third - on the forums, hit CTRL+V or Edit-->Paste to paste the IMG code into the text area. 

Third pt. 2 - another way of doing things - copy the Direct Link from Photobucket, then paste that into the URL box that comes up when you click the green film icon in the forum toolbar.

Fourth - post. Once you post, your image will show up.

 on photobucket, hold the mouse over the pic you want until a menu box surrounds it and click on the image url thing. It should say "copied" ,Go to your thread, hit return for a new line, right click and hit paste .  it should be there when you submit teh post.

OWL

Little J

How do I post the photo bucket pics ?  

On the photobucket page bring up the photo to its full size. Right click and select properties then copy the link to the photo.  Where you write your post, theres an image that looks like a film strip with a + in a green circle. Select that and paiste the link, then hit insert.

Doogs, before you start the stripes I found a color photo of Hairless Joe that clearly shows no invasion stripes on the bottom wings.  The only stripes are on the bottom half of the fuselage.  

How do I post the photo bucket pics ?  

Decals are on. Hoping to get a start on the invasion stripes tonight.

DoogsATX: I tend ot overcomplicate things. Now I'm worried about how far from the wing root the stripe was laid down.

jbrady

Beginning to think I was never meant to complete a P-51 B. I tried to use the ID stripe decals included in the kit. Now I'm sanding them off... The delay means repainting the wings (glad I saved the OD I mixed up) then masking and painting the ID stripes... Anyone know if the the 4th group used 24 or 18 inch stripes?

I believe they were 18". When I did mine I just copied the width of the decals.

Masking the ID stripes is actually really easy - certainly easier than the invasion stripes I'm about to try on the Jug!

Just lay the tape down on the top side - including the flap...since you're going straight it's hard to mess up.

Next, do the same on the bottom. 

Pinch the tape together at the leading edges of the wings, slice though with an exacto is you want to paint the flaps separate, and viola!

Doogs,  it is the P-51B  serial # 42-106950 with the call letters WR * P.   The normal pilot was Lt. Robert E. Hulderman  and she was lost on 11 September 1944 with Capt. Kevin G. Rafferty  flying her.   The plane has a Malcolm canopy, green top sides,  sides and tail are aluminum  and the bottom looks to be sea gray.  It also has ten kill marks on her.  I will try to take a picture of it . I just have to figure out that photo bucket.

Hey doogs, I found where I read that and I mixed the two up. The diecast model is light green instead of NMF, but that card that came with it does say it is NFM.

Beginning to think I was never meant to complete a P-51 B. I tried to use the ID stripe decals included in the kit. Now I'm sanding them off... The delay means repainting the wings (glad I saved the OD I mixed up) then masking and painting the ID stripes... Anyone know if the the 4th group used 24 or 18 inch stripes?

redraider56

Random question- I was just thinking ahead and was wondering what's the decalling process for NMF?  I'm guessing the decals just go right on the finish?  And if so how do you flat coat the decals?

It might depend on what you are useing. I use Alclad and the decals are just fine going straight on. And they looked just fine after wards. But i think it would be better if they were sealed in, but i haven't yet found a way to do it with spoiling the NMF finish.

Got the decals on tonight. They look pretty good so far...we'll see come morning.

Alas, the Tamiya invasion stripes totally failed, so I'm going to have to mask. NOT looking forward to it, but it'll be good practice I guess. 

Little J - which 354th craft was it? I'm planning to build Brown's -51B as well as his -51D, and it's scheme was RAF dark green up top and bare metal beneath:

Hey guys, I was looking through one of my old P-51 books that is fortunate to have a color  photo of a P 51B from the 354th FS (call letters WR) .  The top side color is a dark green with a hint of olive drab to it and it looks like the bottom was painted sea grey. On the tail the trim tab is a yellowish orange. I do not know if this is a unit marking or just a personal touch.  There is a color photo of  "LOU IV" fling lead and the camouflage pattern and color seem to be correct in your photos, but it was a early D model that did not have a fin fillet.  The book is called P-51 Mustang by William Newby Grant  from Gallery Books.  I hope this helps.

Random question- I was just thinking ahead and was wondering what's the decalling process for NMF?  I'm guessing the decals just go right on the finish?  And if so how do you flat coat the decals?

Bish

Are theinvasion stripes individual decals or one big decal. Is it possable to mask and then paint the white and then just use the black decals. I sometimes find white decals often show the colour underneath through them.

They're neither and both! All are black/white stripes, but cut up in various ways...

ww2psycho

I'm planning on doing the green (his was RAF Dark Green, not OD, but same idea) on the fuselage after I do the NMF and decals. I think. I've also considered scanning the decals and a 1/48 profile view and creating a masking template...

 

 

Id check the NMF of that plane. I heard or read somewhere that the bottom might have been a light green instead of natural metal. I got my nephew a diecast model of it and its light green and dark green.

Interesting...though I guess with the blue/green debate over LOU IV and NMF/medium sea gray underside debate with Hairless Joe, anything's possible.

I have two wartime photos I'm using as reference, one of WR-Z and one of squadron mate WR-A. Both appear to be Dark Green over metal, with the characteristic darker metal band aft of the exhaust manifolds. Of course, with black and white it's impossible to be 100% sure...

DoogsATX

ww2psycho:

Im trying to figure out how to paint it. Apply the aluminum then decal then mask and paint the OD? or apply the OD before decaling? It seems that it might be hard to mask the green before decaling becuase of how it goes around the star, so Im thinking after the decal is applied it will be easier to mask over the decal.

 

I've got a similar-ish build planned with Hank Brown's Hun Hunter ~ Texas P-51D:

I'm planning on doing the green (his was RAF Dark Green, not OD, but same idea) on the fuselage after I do the NMF and decals. I think. I've also considered scanning the decals and a 1/48 profile view and creating a masking template...

Id check the NMF of that plane. I heard or read somewhere that the bottom might have been a light green instead of natural metal. I got my nephew a diecast model of it and its light green and dark green.