Tamiya 1/32 P51 D s/n44-14237 "Moonbeam McSwine"

[pte1643]

Oh my!

This is a proper head turner.

[Zdenek Splitek]

This is great work.... really beatiful pit...

[Canuck63]

Wow guys,

thank you so very much for your appreciation...hope to find a few minutes to post more in the next few days!

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

Bl@@dy Photobuckle!Let's try again!!!

At this point I think that I can declare the radio/battery/rear gas tank assembly officially finished,apart from a little dry-brushing a few washes here and there and some dusting!I've tried to add as much detail as I possibly could avoiding burn-out...after all it'll sure be more detailed than OOB,won't it?

The fuel vent hose as fitted to "Happy Jack's Go Buggy" is a perfect replica of the one used on the WW2 P-51,therefore I tried to replicate the two red lines and the Goodyear logo....taken from a Tally Ho stencils decal sheet for Czech MiG 21s !! !!!Placards have been added as per period pictures,even where they won't show,read under the radio rack!I've added a fictitious serial # on the gas tank and the metal,YZC painted flange...it may not be "kosher" but I like it and hey...this in MY Mustang !!!

Now it's time to watch a re-run of "Band of Brothers" and tomorrow I'll move to the IP...stay tuned....same P-51 Time...same P-51 Channel!

Cheers

Lou

A few more...sorry if they look identical!

Thanks for looking and commenting guys!

Cheers

Lou

A few more...sorry if they look identical!

Thanks for looking and commenting guys!

Cheers

Lou

The Barracuda IP is just about complete...it only needs a little Future to simulate the glass of the instruments and a dusting of matt varnish.The yellow decal strip is a real PITA but it resists Micro Sol very well and can be moved around for a very long time...like I did!.I think I'll redo it though,because I don't like it the least but it's the best I could do!

The IP looks much better in the flesh,so please excuse my cr#ppy pictures that don't do it any justice!

Cheers

Lou

[Dads203]

Top work .. This is one hell of a build, loving it .

Regards

Dan

[Canuck63]

I've put aside the cockpit for a few days (it's 99% finished tough!) to start working on the Wheel Wells.I've opted for YZC rear spar,front sloping walls,central front wall,stringers and ribs and NMF ceiling/wings skin.This is only the start and I've used Humbrol 154 for the ceiling stringers and MM Insigna Yellow for the rest of the pieces.The yellows look identical but they're not.The ribs will be painted Humbrol 154 while a few details on the spar will be IG.A lot has still to be added,along with washes,oil stains,aluminum showing thru in some places (especially rivets),general wear and tear but I think you've got the idea of what it will eventually look like!

Yes...the ejection pin marks are just about all there,but since I'll build my model with the UC doors in the "up" position I've filled only what will remain visible,and add only the wires and piping that will be seen!

all in all I think that it's a tad more pleasing to the eye than an overall YZC.The masking has taken the best part of the afternoon and a little overspray has been wiped off with a stiff brush moistened with MM thinner where visible but I havenìt bothered to remask/respray the stringers where the yellow isn't 100% covering them,since dirt and oil washes in the recesses will take care of that!

Cheers

Lou

Work on the Wheel Wells goes on.....I've added a little wash on the stringers and the front wall and will soon do the same with the rear spar,the front sloping walls and the central one.

A few gussets on the rear spar have been painted IG to add more contrast...I've dry-fitted the ribs and front wall to the ceiling and things start to look interesting,and will be even more interesting once the pipes and wires will be added,along with more weathering!The rubber junctions and clamps are very convincing and getting such a neat result is very easy;I've masked the clamps with 0,4mm Aizu masking tape and the pipes with 2,5mm tape,then I've sprayed a little Alclad black primer (the matt one!) and after 15 minutes or so masked the whole pipes with Maskol.Airbrushed a little Humbrol 154 thinned with Gunze Mr. Leveling Thinner and pronto....neat pipes!

Cheers

Lou

Edited September 23, 2012 by Canuck63

[Canuck63]

I've secured together the lower and the upper port wing and the central piece to show you all what can be seen with the UC doors in the up position or,rather,what will remain visible.The mod for the "up" doors is easy...cut off the lowered doors (for the life of me I can't understand why Tamiya hasn't given the modeler an option here!),sand a millimeter off the dividing wall at the doors hinges,shave off the three pips inside the closed door,not forgetting to add the inner parts to the latter and you're done!

Needless to say....the fit is exceptional but beware...it's so tight,especially when assemblying the various parts such as ribs,spar,front wall etc that the paint could render the task quite difficult.I airbrushed several layers on the ribs to get rid of a minimum gap and found difficult to insert the ribs' mounting pegs into their holes!Gonna scrape off the paint from the pegs and everything will be allright!

The recesses on the front sloping walls should be lightening holes but I'll drill them in my next build....ditto for the two round recesses on both sides,shoulders height,of the upper cockpit walls....next build will see a few more corrections!

Cheers

Lou

The IP in nearly finished.The ones wishing to use Roy's decals beware; they're stunning but for the sake of your own mental sanity CUT THE BIGGER ONES TO PIECES AND APPLY THEM ONE BY ONE...THAT'S MANDATORY AND THERE'S NO DESTERITY OR LACK THEREOF THAT CAN BROUGHT INTO PLAY HERE ; they will fold onto themselves like a sheet of nylon thrown into a bonfire and you'll go berserk trying to unfold that mess!

They look great oncev they're on!

Cheers

Lou

Luckies and Chesterfields.....let's hear it for the finished IP!

Now the IP is finished for good...only a decal missing from the red release lever but I'll apply it when I'll finish the cockpit.

Seldom,if ever, does happen that I'd be willing do a lenghty,boring job more than once and this is no exception...for the next three days at least...I've had so much fun I can't wait to start a second P-51...and make it better learning from my mistakes!

Thanks for all the comments and support so far guys...hope that my humble work will be helpful to the ones who are going to tackle this gorgeous kit and Roy's and Jerry's beautiful detailing sets!

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

The IP "at home"!Hope to post the complete,finished cockpit this Tuesday or Wednesday coming.Dunno if I'll use Jan Bobek's or Fine Molds Seatbelts yet...the HWG are done,just waiting for the Fine Molds ones I've bought off eBay last week to decide!

Cheers

Lou

Here I've taped together the fuselage and the wings...I think she's coming along quite nicely!The fit is unbelievable and Roy's cockpit parts,which are a tight fit with the cockpit floor act as a mini-wedge that will mantain the gap between wings and fuselage virtually non-existent in spit of all the handling!The Gunze Supermetallics are still there...scratch-free and as bright as a thousand suns...I HIGHLY recommend them to the Alclad-shy types...and to the ones who have only used Alclads and Metalizers!

And now,for something completely different,this lot will go straight into her hangar and I'll start working on one of the gun bays;no Eduard PE here (IMHO this set's a total waste of money in that a few very important details that would have benefitted from being made out of PE brass have been omitted while others are there...not to be used,since the kit's part will perfectly look the part!),only scratchbuilding Dodgem-style and the beautiful 0.50s and solenoids from Aires.These guns are really interesting in that they can be assembled with the breech covers open...and that will sure add further interest!

Ciao by now

Manu

The work on the wheel wells goes on.I've started adding a few details and piping and a little washes here and there.They're neither 100% detailed nor 100% accurate but they're at least better than the kit's parts.

Cheers

Lou

Next step will be one of the gun bays...and your build has been very inspirational here,even if I'll make use of a set of beautiful 050s made by Aires and scratchbuild the rest of the missing details.These Aires 0.50s come with solenoids,early and late heaters and can even be assembled with the receiver covers flipped up as during manteinance,even if that will be possible only on the inner gun,since the ammo chutes ride over the other 2.

Cheers

Lou

Here's a few pictures of this set in detail:

Inner sides of the receiver covers:

Outer sides of the same:

Detail of the firing mechanism

Detail of the rear part/butt

Overall detail:

Solenoids

Barrels

PE fret with late(part#3) and early (part#2) heaters

Edited September 23, 2012 by Canuck63

[Canuck63]

And now a few tiny details added while I was studying the gun bays donning my favourite thinking cap.I've added a little plumbing to the retraction piston,added a few touches of color on the plumbing itself (unpainted solder) and while I was at it I've added the riveted gussets that hold the internal ribs in place!I made them by rolling Samantha-the-Hot-Riveter on a piece of very thin aluminum,carefully scored the aluminum with a new Swann & Morton 11P surgical blade in order to obtain a line of rivets,cut the "riveted" line into shorter section and I've had my gussets/reinforcing strips...with proud rivets and saving on the Eduard PE fret,which can be easily left to the shop!

I'll add a few more plumbing and wires,a little wash,chips and oil leaks and move to the other well,before diving into the gun bay!

Cheers

Lou

That's what I meant in my previous post when I mentioned those "stirrups" that need to be added;

Here's how the kit's part look like:

And here's the detailed part.More could be done but it couldn't be seen,hence...wasted time...and eyesight (I don't use optivisors!).

The portside wheel well is finished.I've added the odd pipe and apart from the added tiny stirrups that (I think) kept the doors closed that will be all.

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

To whomever may think that building the P 51 with the wheel wells doors in the "up" position is a "shirker's thing"...think again!

For starters you have to plan everything before you even start working,in order to have the doors fitting tightly to the contours of the openings and since many details can be "guessed" thru the openings working on them and adding what you think that may be visible in the end could and would prove itself useful,albeit quite boring at times!The port wheel bay is 90% finished and I've extimated that had I built the wells with the doors down I'd have saved a lot timewise,even adding the whole mass of pipes,hoses,linkages and cables ..but IMHO the P 51 looks much better with the doors up!Tomorrow I'll add the two very prominent pulleys on the ceiling,a connecting rod going from the latter to the dividing wall,a couple of minor details,a touch of copper here and there at the pipes junctions and cakll it a day for good.The other well will be (sort of ) a breeze,since I've got all that I need painted and handy and it'll be a matter of a mirror monkey-see-monkey-do..apart from a few minor details differing between the two sells.

Anyway...I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Domo arigato goazimasu for stopping and watching

Aufwiederciao!

Lou....who's been sniffing too much glues and solvents lately

[nick]

better and better, keep it up.

Nick

[Tedfellows]

Bejesus! This looks proper nice youth!

Adam

Edited September 23, 2012 by Tedfellows

[Canuck63]

Nick and Adam,

Thank you so very much for your comments guys!

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

good work. how did you do the scuffing on the cockpit floor?

First I've painted the floorboards with Humbrol 83,followed by a light coat of burn humber diluted in Windsor & Newton Liquin.After a hour or so I've lifted the oil color with tape leaving a reddish hue to the ochre color and airbrushed Alclad Black Primer (the MATT one) on the floor leaving two spots of "bare wood" which I have further scratched with a wet glass fiber pen to reveal the Humbrol 83 and simulate scuffs.

HTH

Lou

Edited September 23, 2012 by Canuck63

[Canuck63]

Man O Man! That is some crazy sheeeeeet!

Give that man a cigar!

Superb modelling.

Von Buckle

You're too kind Von Buckle...I'd rathjer have a pint of "Special" if you don't mind!

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

Very, very splendid! Great attention to detail and particualrly like (not sure why I singling that out) the faded decal on the seat cushion - just looks great!

Thanks Nick....I like that faded decal too....and it's been a great fun playing with it!

Cheers

Lou

[Canuck63]

Lou,

This is a beautiful build.

Are you aware of a decal set for the "Little Girl" scheme? I might like to try that one someday.

MT

MT,

"Little Girl" is one of the decal options found in Kagero's Top Colors #6 "Fighters Over Japan Part II".At first I wanted to do that then settled for "Miss Bonnie" from the LifeLike 32-014A decal sheet which is made for the new Tamiya kit.The Kagero's decals/masks came out BEFORE the Tamiya P-51 and the tail decal and the mask for the nose won't 100% fit this kit.

Thank ytou for stopping and watching!

Lou

[Canuck63]

@ Tank,Chaotic Mike,Nick32,Radleigh,Dads203,Phil,Joergen,Nick,TheClay,Bobs_Buckles,NichR,Mach Turtle,PTC1643,Zdenek,Ted Fellows and the other friends who have followed this thread....an obnoxious bug of uncertain origin and name forced me to delete these pictures on another place and that resuilted into them disappesaring here as well.I've advised the Admin and I'm telling you now because this would have looked like some form of desrespect towards you all.

Photobucket isn't to be blamed....gonna repost the pictures soon!Thank you for following and commenting so far fellas!

Cheers

Lou

Edited November 16, 2012 by Canuck63

[nick32]

No worries mate, hope to see the pics back soon!

Nick