Nikola Topalov

Thank you very much for sharing your amazing work and experience with us! We all learned from your mistakes, but we will not truly learn until we screw up ourselves. Best, Nikola

Lost for words! This is simply amazing work! I was easily tricked into thinking that it was a real aircraft in a few photos. NMF is superb! And in 1/72! Great modelling! Best, Nikola

What a shame! Your work is superb. Paint work, details, weathering... - the whole lot. Maybe you can use pieces for a diorama with a crashed aircraft or something. Best, Nikola

He also says: ''As part of the cost- and time-savings measures, all other non-cockpit interior areas were left in unpainted aluminum finish. Since there were several grades of aluminum present, this led to corrosion issues on the Mustang, and at some point (I've not been able to pin down a date or place in production) wheel wells began to appear in overall yellow zinc chromate. I know for sure that this happened late in P-51D production. The problems had certainly been identified during B and C production, and fixes were ordered, I just can't find proof that these earlier models ac

I found this (an excerpt from a much longer text by Dana Bell): ''By 1944, the AAF was receiving complaints about corrosion in a number of aircraft, including the Mustang. Some unspecified action was required, particularly to reduce dissimilar metal corrosion between structural members and skin panels. Some manufacturers gave the structure a coat of yellow zinc chromate before adding the skin. Some left the structure unprimed and gave the inner surface of the skin a coat of yellow zinc chromate. It's not clear how North American handled the problem, but there is one undated color shot of

Question guys - did early D's have the entire wheel well in YZC or just the structural elements? Thanks in advance. Best, Nikola

Brilliant and inspiring work! Amazing paint work and very well balanced weathering. Well done! Best, Nikola

So far so good

Hi gents, Fuselage buttoned up. The fit is very good and it all went together without any fuss, except that the top part of the fuselage required some extra pressure. Good engineering by Radu Brinzan. Best, Nikola

You sir.... ARE INSANE! In the best possible way! This is going to be a treat for all of us. Thank you for sharing. Best, Nikola

Thanks Fuad! Much appreciated. Best, Nikola

Thanks Fuad. Do you cover the entire area with the wash and then clean after certain time or do you go rivet by rivet? How long do you wait for the wash to settle before cleaning? Thanks, Nikola

Beautiful work Fuad! Well done! What is your method when you apply washes to the rivets? Best, Nikola

Very nice model! Weathering, especially chipping, is superb. Well done! The only thing that bothers me is the intensity of panel line shading on the top of the engine cowl as well as the strong contrast of panel line washes in the front of the fuselage. Somehow it turned a bit too strong, or maybe it's the lighting. Just my opinion and taste though, and does not diminish the beauty of the model in any way. Again, great work. Best, Nikola

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Appreciated. I'll see if I'll dare to drill further since the plastic is kind of on the softer side and I am afraid that I'll mess it up. Best, Nikola