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Two old tool 1/72 P-51D Mustangs


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Kit 1 - 1/72 Hasegawa P-51D Mustang - A12

Kit 2 - 1/72 Airfix P-51D Mustang - A50095

Okay so you're probably wondering why I would "waste" time on these obsolete old tool Mustangs, when there are superb ones available for cheap (Airfix new tool).

Well firstly I had them in the stash. Secondly, I wanted to experiment with NMF paint, and with experiment, I mean more than a few brush strokes on a scrap piece of plastic. And for that I needed two of my less valuable kits.

So what paints did I use?

Kit 1 - Humbrol Metalcote 27002 brushed on

Kit 2 - Humbrol Acrylic 11 brushed over a black base

The rest of the paint was all Humbrol acrylics.

I also varied the fuselage panel colors on kit 2 by adding some drops of black and blue.

And what was the results?

Well, I won't do either option again in the future. Not that it was a failure, but I get much better results with Tamiya AS-12 spray, and Humbrol Acrylic 11 brushed over grey primer. The Metalcote is a nice color, but has a bit of a graininess in the finish. The Humbrol 11 is a very nice color, but over a black base the color changes slightly, and it was impossible not to leave brush marks. It works way better over grey matt primer.

I am satisfied with my experiment's results, and glad I had done it (and didn't waste a new kit on it!). Whilst this isn't my best work by far, these two Mustangs will be welcome on my shelf. Here they are.

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I used the new tool Airfix kit's decals (of which I had two spare sets) on Kit 1, and the Hasegawa's decals on the Airfix old tool Kit 2 (weird to swop I know). I painted the nose checkers on kit 2 by hand, as well as all stripes on kit 1.

You may also notice that I filled the necessary panel lines on kit 2, and sanded of the necessary raised panel lines on kit 1.

And my Mustang collection seems to be growing.

IMG_5582i_zpsbmoaqvhy.jpg

Cheers

Jimmy

Edited by JimmyZ
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Jimmy

For some reason we seem to develop an attachment for some of those old kits in the stash and hate to get rid of them, it's good to see them put to use as nicely as you have. I even think that the old Hasegawa offering still hold up pretty well against the newer kits being simple to build and has that stance that says "Mustang" that is lacking in some of the later efforts. A large part of my Mustang collection is built from this kit.

Trev.

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Very nice collection of Mustangs there.

Have you tried using the spray can version of Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium?

I used it on a recent P-51 build and was very pleased with the results, especially after giving it a bit of a polish.

Ian

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A worthy experiment. Good job on those nose chequers too! Did you mask them or paint freehand?

Nick

Thanks Nick. I masked it off. First I painted the white band, then masked off little blocks, one or two at a time and painted them red. The nose spinner was also tricky, cut tamiya tape in thin strips and masked it for the red. Had to do it a couple of times to line up nicely.

Nice pair... Nothing to be unhappy with there! Did you buff up the Metalcote? I find it gets a bit darker, but noticeably less grainy if you do...

Best,

M.

Thanks! Nope it didn't occur to me to try buffing it. I will have to give it a go!

Jimmy

For some reason we seem to develop an attachment for some of those old kits in the stash and hate to get rid of them, it's good to see them put to use as nicely as you have. I even think that the old Hasegawa offering still hold up pretty well against the newer kits being simple to build and has that stance that says "Mustang" that is lacking in some of the later efforts. A large part of my Mustang collection is built from this kit.

Trev.

That's exactly what I wanted to do, put these old kits to good use.

The Hasegawa did surprise. The fuselage is way to wide though, and I was sure it would be the worst of the two. I was wrong. Looks way better than the old Airfix. It also has more detail. Very nicely detailed wheels, wheel wells, and cockpit not too bad either.

The Hasegawa definitely the better kit of the two.

Nicely done! I'm doing an old tool Airfix Mustang now and it looks pathetic compared to that little gem!

But no RAAF P-51?

I'm afraid not yet. Will do one eventually, but not before I do an RAF one :)

Very nice collection of Mustangs there.

Have you tried using the spray can version of Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium?

I used it on a recent P-51 build and was very pleased with the results, especially after giving it a bit of a polish.

Ian

I have not no, but I will give it a try. Looks like I will have to do another experiment soon (I'm making it sound like a chore, but if's all good fun!)

Cheers

Jimmy

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