1/32 Revell (new tool) P-51D-5 Mustang

[Mattlow]

14 minutes ago, Plasto said:

I reckon you you could make a bit of cash selling those Alclad decals... Especially while the kit is still in its ‘rapture’ phase...

 

My printer isn't really good enough. It needs a proper decal maker to do them justice. I have emailed Peter at Airscale suggesting a set for the Mustang with some placards and the alu stamps. I also haven't got the font and spacing totally right. I just wanted to add something to make the build a bit more interesting..

 

Matt

[Mattlow]

 I said I'd take a closer look at the canopy fit, before everyone runs off and buys Tamiya parts...

 

Here are my observations:

 

P-51D-5 50by Matt Low, on Flickr

 

A: The Tamiya windscreen has a slightly shallower radius than the Revell forward fuselage. Shimming for B (below) won't totally get rid of this and some sanding of the Revell fuselage will be necessary.

B: Tamiya windscreen slightly narrower, will need a little shim on mine.

C: Tamiya windscreen may at its apex (where meeting forward fuselage) sit a fraction taller than fuselage - slight pressure will bring the parts level - shim mentioned at B may help with this matter.

D: Tamiya canopy a smidgen narrower than Revell sill. Not sure if the reinforcing brace could assist with pushing canopy a little wider. Not an issue if the canopy is open.

E: good fit between canopy and windscreen after adjustments made to get Tamiya windscreen to sit correctly.

 

So, not perfect, but not bad (as it is from a different kit).

 

P-51D-5 51by Matt Low, on Flickr

 

P-51D-5 52by Matt Low, on Flickr

 

P-51D-5 49by Matt Low, on Flickr

 

One other thing is that your results may vary as there's been so much variation in apparent fit when using the kit parts.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Matt

 

[Plasto]

Good info... 

I have just grabbed some spare Tamiya clear parts for this very job. 

 

I’m adding the split line on the cowl top on the Revell fuselage so a bit of reshaping is in order any how..

[John Terrell]

Love those Alcoa aluminum watermark decals, Matt! I'm glad the photos could be put to such good use! I've never gotten into scale modeling much, but seeing what else has been on the market for 1/32 scale kits and addons in the past several years, I've thought from time to time too that I'm sure a 1/32 scale supply of full-page sheets of the Alcoa (and perhaps Reynolds) aluminum watermarks, of the various types, would be well received. Thinking of the 1/32 scale B-25, B-17 and AT-6 kits too, where there are areas on those that could use those watermarks too.

 

When Mustangs were originally manufactured, NAA usually tried to keep the side with the watermarks facing inside, but that was not always the case. The main reason for this was that, for instance, for any of the fuselage skins that could be cut the exact same for the left side of the fuselage as for the right side, they just cut both sides out the same way without making a reverse-direction cut for the opposite side - meaning that while a skin on the left side might have the Alcoa watermarks facing in, the exact same cut skin on the right side would have the Alcoa watermarks facing out, and vice-versa (cut the same and pulled from the same stack).

 

When AirCorps Aviation restored the P-51D "Sierra Sue II", they were able to note for every skin, as they disassembled the airframe, whether it had the Alcoa (or Reynolds) aluminum watermarks present on the interior-facing surface or not. If it didn't, they could then conclude that the skin had the watermarks on the outer-facing side, and that is how the aircraft was restored - each skin with the watermarks either on the outside or the inside, depending on what was found to have been originally. The factory methodology, as I've described in my previous paragraph, was discovered while doing this research of the airframe and factory photos, and reproducing those details in the restoration. AirCorps also found that on a number of the access panels, sometimes the Alcoa watermarks ended up on the outside-facing surface as well.

 

With a bit of cleaning, or especially any polishing, the watermarks will come off the skins, and by the time the aircraft was in theatre, having been thoroughly scrubbed down (and the standard was either with kerosene or aviation fuel) there wouldn't be much if any left showing on the outside of the aircraft, as compared to when factory-fresh. Of course they would remain on the inside where the surfaces were not touched. With the restored "Sierra Sue II", there was a lot of Alcoa watermarks on the exterior skins when the restoration was initially completed (this detail being as per how the airframe would have been when new from the factory in Nov. '44), but now most of those marks are gone, having been erased more and more every time the aircraft is wiped down after a flight.

Edited March 11, 2018 by John Terrell

[Mattlow]

OK, put some of the decals into one of the gear bays last night.

 

Conclusion they're too big, too bold and I should have put them in at an angle to the stringers, not parallel to them.  That said, they look quite good (and a lot better in real life than in macro). The decals were printed on basic clear decal film, with a generic inkjet cartridge in a Canon Pixma iP4000. Left to dry for a day and then given several (say 5) light coats of Games Workshop 'Purity Seal'. They behaved quite well no runs (even with application of Mr Mark Softener).

 

I see a couple still need a bit of attention, but the experiment seems a success. They really do, however, need a proper decal company to do a set...

 

P-51D-5 53 by Matt Low, on Flickr

 

Need to finish wing and get it joined to body now...

 

Matt

[Totally Mad Olivier]

On 11/03/2018 at 04:30, John Terrell said:

Love those Alcoa aluminum watermark decals, Matt! I'm glad the photos could be put to such good use! I've never gotten into scale modeling much, but seeing what else has been on the market for 1/32 scale kits and addons in the past several years, I've thought from time to time too that I'm sure a 1/32 scale supply of full-page sheets of the Alcoa (and perhaps Reynolds) aluminum watermarks, of the various types, would be well received. Thinking of the 1/32 scale B-25, B-17 and AT-6 kits too, where there are areas on those that could use those watermarks too.

Me too, and I would like to apply this technique on my 1/48 Missouri Armada, if possible, but I am not familiar with clear decal films and I suppose a painstaking process is necessary to get such a nice result. Matt, what clear decal film brand did you use? 

The few previous trials I made with Microscale Liquid Decal Film were unsuccessful, maybe the Games Workshop 'Purity Seal' works better...

John, could you help me as you did with Matt, by sending me (if possible at 1/48) the Alcoa Alclad  watermarks photo, please?

I agree with you to say such decals (at 1/32 and why not 1/48) should be very well received by modelers...

[Mattlow]

Hi Olivier

 

Drop me your email address and I'll happily email you the MS Word document that i printed from.

 

Issue is that I feel these are too big for 1/32, so in 1/48 they're going to have to be over 33% smaller. I suspect that in 1/48 you'll be fine with what they call 'Greek text' that is shapes/pattern that looks like text but isn't actually anything legible.  I'll see what printing my Word document 33% smaller looks like.

 

Matt