The P-51"mustang" Group Build. 2008

Well heres what I could find.

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=AN72226

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=AN48799

not co. davis but still tuskegee also did you want to join

Question:

Are we allowed to use the GB badge in our signature or do we have to wait till we have completed the build? I was not sure of the rules as people do it differently.  

Everyone's builds are moving along quite nicely.  I am suprised
at myself for keeping up.  I usually lag behind in most GBs.

Here are some pictures I thought would be interesting.  The first
shows my P-51A kit mostly assembled.  I still have lots of work to
do on the seams.  All of the control surfaces were cut away, since
this model will be displayed 'in-flight', it will be necessary to rebond
all of them with some deflection.

Since someone was asking about cutting away control surfaces,
I wanted to show something that helps alot.  If you can sand /
trim away some of the material inside the wing, it is easier to
install the control surface such that the LE looks more recessed
in the wing.

Lastly, I used some hypodermic needles to make more realistic
50-cal gun barrels in the wings.  This is the first time I've tried
this and I was pleased with the results.  It was tricky trying to
cut the hollow cylinder without collapsing it.

Jason and Fred - nice progress! And that harness looks just fine!

IL2windhawk - Good idea on the use of needles, I will get some from work and give it a try.

Just a little update.

She's painted with Talon paints and SnJ buffing powders for the NMF and MM dark sea blue on the nose

Next up is decals and then add on all the little fiddly bits that usually get broken off 2 or 3 times by now

-Fred

great looking stang fred.

keep it up.

That Mustang looks really great, Fred!!  Right out of the factory - you're not going to spoil that beautiful finish with weathering are you? 

Ken 

hey guys,

ordered up the squadron canopy last thurs.

should be here tomorrow.

i was looking at the wing tonight and i noticed i had broken

off one of the gun barrels,so i decided to fix the situation.

with the other 3.

first time i had ever tried this.

what do you guys think?

jason

no,i used aluminum tubing from k&s.

i measured the dia of the kit barrels and they measured just

about 1/16" dia. so i used some 1/16" aluminum tubing.

jason.

Looking good, Jason!

Been busy with maybe too many GBs but here is how far I've come.

I was thinking of maybe adding some more colors to the details.

Cheers,

Azgaron

kbuzz01 wrote:

That Mustang looks really great, Fred!!  Right out of the factory - you're not going to spoil that beautiful finish with weathering are you?  Ken

Thanks, Ken.  It's a question I've been going over and over in my head.  Normally, I like to do some weathering, like it's seen some service, but I think this one I may actually keep clean.

So last night, I added the steel barrels and drilled out the exhaust ports.  Tonight, I may start on some of the decals, but I have no idea how they'll behave with the finish I put on.

Has anybody here used the Talon paints and SnJ buffing powders successfully?  While I think I did ok, I can't seem to get anywhere near the finish Hawkeye shows on his site.  I tried using the felt buffing wheel, but all I do is end up burning through the plastic.  So, my method has been to apply 3 light coats, waiting 15 minutes between each coat.  After the 3rd coat, I wait 5 minutes then apply the powder with a q-tip.  I buff it lightly with the q-tip and then switch to a cotton cloth.  But I never really seem to get that highly reflective finish.  The first time I tried it, I ended up with a dull silver finish.  This at least looks like aluminium, but nothing like like you see on the restored planes.

Anyway, I'll do a few decals tonight and post some more pics.  I really have to find a way to take better pictures.

-Fred

great start azgaron.

keep it up.

jason

Thanks Andrew and Jason!

I hope I can get some more done soon!

Cheers,

Azgaron

JMart wrote:

Butz - Looks goods! Interesting combination on the tires... pardon the (yet again) newbie question but, what is the advantage over flat black? I mean, tires looks REAL good, I may try it on mine Invertman - great looking pit! I keep saving pics from this WIP for reference :)

Hey JM,

 First off, thank you very much, I am glad that you like the build so far..!!.

 Secondly, MMmm leme see here... Why do I use flat black as a base coat? When I go to dry brush, essentially I build up the interior colour and as I move along, the base coat still has a presence!! In all this allows the natural shadows to come out and also gives the paint some depth.. 

 Hopefully this answer you question my friend and if not, please let me know? And just remember this, no question is silly wether your new or not.... In the times that you need help or have question hopefully we can lend a hand and help you to our best abilities...!!

Flaps up,

Mike

Rangers Lead The Way 

Gigatron wrote:

Just a little update. She's painted with Talon paints and SnJ buffing powders for the NMF and MM dark sea blue on the nose Next up is decals and then add on all the little fiddly bits that usually get broken off 2 or 3 times by now -Fred

Howdy Fred,

 Wow is she comin along... What particular markings will she be dressed in? Possibly one of The Blue Nose Bastards out of Bodney by chance?

 I like the blue you used especially the NMF!! This is me though, I would possibly put a dull coat just on the wings to represent the aluminum dope paint that they used for the laminar flow wing...

 Other than that, I am really looking forward to seeing her completed!!

Flaps up,

Mike

Rangers Lead The Way 

Azgaron wrote:

Looking good, Jason! Been busy with maybe too many GBs but here is how far I've come. I was thinking of maybe adding some more colors to the details. Cheers, Azgaron

Hey Azg,

 Who's kit is that?? I am really liking what I see thus far!! What did you use for a wash my friend?

Flaps up,

Mike

Rangers Lead The Way 

raptordriver wrote:

Azgaron, is this a Tamiya kit? also what verson of mustang a "D"?

No, it's an Airfix kit, and I must say I was a bit surprised about the level of detail, that maybe not is commonly thought about when it comes to Airfix kits. It even got engraved panel lines, although a bit on crude side or not so crisp as you might want them to be. I'll see if I can do anything about that. Also the rudders need to be fixed since they where canvas instead of metal, which according to the information came later, and only a few of the Swedish Mustangs would have metal clad rudders. Most of the machines are supposed to be D-20s.

Mike,

I guess the above answered your first question. The wash is oil color thinned with turpentine.

Cheers,

Azgaron

Thanks, Mike!

She's being done up as Petie 2nd.  I just love the markings that that bird carries.  I was considering dulling the wings, but I can't find good enough pictures of the original to show if she definitely had the treatment.

The only good pictures I have are of after the restoration, which shows chrome-like skin on the entire bird.  And to be honest, if I had the skill to pull that off with the Talon and SnJ, I'd probably give that a go just to see how she looks.  But alas, the slightly buffed aluminium is the best I can do - for now.

I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to dress her up yet.  The girlfriend's working this weekend, so that should free up a few hours to get some markings on it.

-Fred

Fred - looks very nice, that is a great paint job! I have never used Talon or SnJ, dont have any suggestions; look forward to the final product!

invertman - I think it works, have thought about doing something similar. Maybe make them come out just a tad more? Sometimes its hard to gauge distances/3D from a static pic

Azgaron - good start!

Butz/Mike - Thanks for the info! I am still learning about the "layering" of various coats and pre-shading. Will try that on my next build, thanks again!

Thanks, JM!

Invertman, I too added steel barrels to my D-ride.  It was one of the few "free" upgrades I wanted to do since the beginning.  I know on the D, they were dual sleeved.  Are they the same on the Bs?  I had to snip off the the plastic barrel, drill out the sleeve, then attach the steel replacement.  All in all, about an hour's worth of work for six guns.  Thankfully, the inboard 50s were recessed into the sleeve, so I didn't need to make barrels for those.  I'll post pics tonight of the mods. 

But, since Lost is on tonight, I most likely won't get any decal work done .  Hopefully, come saturday, I can get some done during the day.

-Fred

Making some progress on the Revell P-51D.  Was surprised to find how well the wing/fuselage fit turned out.  The Revell P-40 I've been working on didn't fit well at all.

Drilled out the exhausts here:

The formed guns on the wing leading edge were terrible, so drilled them out to 1/16 in. and inserted 1/16 styrene rods drilled to a smaller diameter.  They are not glued in yet, so will move further into the wing.

I don't have a nice setup for painting inside and it's too cold here to paint, so guess I'll have to work on something else for awhile. 

Later, Ken 

Seems the Revell kit is going together just fine.    By the way, the mug is rather appropriate.