GStreet

I’m torn to be honest. I really like the drab and invasion stripes, BUT I plan to do one in NMF in the Pacific with some really great looking decals I got. I’m hoping to make this a more polished NMF. Higher reflective surface. We shall see.

Thanks @Zephyr91. I think with a solid base, you should be fine. I used Mr Color Ueno Black right onto the plastic. It's a super strong lacquer paint and dries quick. Not as glossy as maybe Tamiya X-1 gloss black, but that is also a great base and go right onto the plastic. Keep it simple I think is the key. Glad you liked it. I really like the NMF challenge. It's not as scary as I thought it would be.

Yah, this one is more my fault than the kit probably. I test fit, several times and figured I had made a mistake on the cockpit inset, not the tabs on the fuselage. Tamiya is really still my goto for many kits when I want a more stress free environment. Went Tamiya for the P-47 I'm getting ready to start. I heard it's really a great kit.

Tanks @georgeusa. Yah I was surprised with the fit issues. But it was my mistake for not doing more homework beforehand. Seems this is a common issue with many of the Eduard P-51 kits. Simple to remedy as long as you know it's there. Lesson learned. I have their 109F in the stash and may give it a crack sometime as well. Nervous about the decals though. I'm fine leaving the film on, but the margins are so wide that the smaller stencils create an issue even with perfect application. Will figure it out at some point. Thanks for the comment, G

Thanks @Rando. The NMF is really a fun and rewarding challenge. There are so many ways to go about it, that it gets a little overwhelming. Best thing is for us to just pick something and give it a go and learn through trying. My problem is the patience needed. With armor I can usually jump from one step to another quickly. I can paint and weather many in just one session. Aircraft is definitely a different challenge. But it makes for a better modeler, so I'll keep at it. Much thanks for the comment. Means a lot. G

Thanks @kelly9mm. They are nice decals. I just got some microsol and gonna try the tamiya Mark Fit Strong for some future attempts and see if that helps.

Hey Everyone. My attempt at the Eduard 1/48 Mustang Mk. IV and my first NMF project and first ever Mustang. It was definitely a challenge and learning experience. Build Log is Here (sorry so short, I'm not a good logger) and Ready for Inspection is Here. Hope you enjoy it! G

Hey all. Well, My Mustang is completed and placed in Ready for Inspection and getting ready to post in the gallery. Not sure if this is how I'm supposed to do it, but...there it is. Enjoy and please feel free to comment, critique and or smash if needed. Cheers, Graeme COMPLETED WORK HERE:

Hey Everyone. As you may recall, I have been trying to challenge myself with attempting more model airplanes and getting myself out of my armored comfort zone. Yes, the guy that "Hates Building Airplanes" has stuck to it and is trying to fall in love. I'm getting closer. I started with the 190A Wurger, then onto the F4U-1 Corsair and now I've tried riding my first Mustang. Again, I know this is probably the most modeled airplane there is and I did my best to achieve two things; 1. to do my first ever NMF and 2. Attempt to do the Mustang the justice it deserves with an appealing to the eye portrayal of this machine. Not sure I achieved either in my first attempt, but it's a good starting off place to learn from moving forward. I chose to try Eduard's Mustang Mk IV, stationed in Italy at the end of the war and part of the "Shark Squadron". I've always liked the shark mouth's on WW2 planes and although I was worried about using a decal for it, it turned out to be the best decal of the bunch. (More on this below). Truth be told, I am not a die hard fan of the Mustang. I think it's beautiful and I understand the significance of it's role in WW2, but as a subject it's not my first pic. (I like the P-47 better...that's next.) But, I decided to enter into a STGB here on Britmodeller (also a first group build for me) for the stang and this is it. We'll see how it goes. I think it's important as a modeler to sometimes do models that are not your first pic, and use them as a learning experience and to challenge your skills in a new way. It's so easy to do the same thing over and over again...kinda like me with Tigers... Anyway, Tiger addictions aside, I gave it a go with this Mustang and it was actually a good experience overall. The Build Not only was this my first stang and NMF, but also my first time doing an Eduard kit. I'd love to say it went well, but alas, it really didn't. I had some monster fit issues with with the fuselage. I guess there are two guide pins near the cockpit that really need to be removed. I didn't know that (why would I) and had to use some serious muscle strength to get it to go. It created quite the warp around the cockpit which of course caused a chain reaction of problems down the line. I was able to get it to work, but it wasn't pretty. Everything else in general went together well. I wasn't looking to do anything crazy, at least not on this build. I'm taking it slow as I ooze into planes. The Eduard details are great and aside from the fit issue, I enjoyed it. The NMF I did the best I could. I've never done one before, so this was a new experience. I'm so used to painting in yellows, greens, and browns. All FLAT. I knew this would be a whole new experience. You can read more about that process below if interested... Then came the DECALS! Oh my word. These of course are the new Eduard "peel film" decals and at first I was both excited and petrified at the process. I watched several tutorials before attempting. I did everything to the letter BUT ran into problems. First, I am a microset, microsol dude. I was out of both. I had decided to try something stronger with Mr Mark Setter and Softer. I was excited as I like Mr anything usually. Yah, they both caused monster issues with the paint. This was of course AFTER I sealed my work with MRP clear as well as FUTURE, which I thought would guarantee no issues. Wrong, even after 24 hours of cure time, when I would apply Mr Mr, I would get paint issues. Blotches of residue. No problem, just use some water and wipe away. Yah, no go. I had to sand back, repaint with the decals in place. Only thing that saved me was some good AB skills. Very frustrating. After I got that resolved, I let the decals dry 24 hrs. OK, so just peel and remove yah? WRONG. Although I could get the film to give way, it of course came with the decals in tow. I had to make a decision, try to finesse my way through or kill the removal and make do with the film on. So, I kept the film on. I knew proceeding forward with all the decals would guarantee ongoing issues. I even had a test subject with a spare decal, large marking. Still had the same issue. So, I had to go back to Mr softer and work the film back on. Again, now causing paint issues, again. UUUUUUGGGGHHHHH. I did finally get to some middle ground I guess. BUT, I had to forgo using all the stencils. It was just too many opportunities for problems. I used vital ones, and had to leave the rest off. I'm OK with it really. I know some modelers will scoff at the idea, but to me, perfection with a model is not mandatory if you can enjoy the final result regardless of faults. That's just me. This is a hobby. In any case, this is my Mustang. Mistakes and all. I have fallen in love with trying NMF and am already preparing to do a Tamiya P-47D in NMF next. I have already bought decals for it as I know Tamiya is really not the best. Hope you enjoy the pics and please feel free to comment, critique, and smash if needed. Cheers, Graeme

Thanks Marcin. I like the big ones.

Much thanks Enzo. I assume I can post my finish in the gallery as well as on my build page and Ready for Inspection? Great job on managing everything. Thanks for all you do. G

Hello my friends. Just wondering about posting our finished planes for the STGB for the Mustangs. I see the gallery is ready and some have already posted. Everyone has done such a great job! Now, I'm gonna ask a question and I don't know the response and I'm sure there will be some cheeky answers, but I'll ask anyway... If done early, is it better to post right away or as the end draws nearer? It seems peoples work will keep piling in over time and it will be tough to filter through and keep track. I'm still a newbie and dolt to this whole thing, but... @Enzo the Magnificent had mentioned a check? 🤑 I wanted to make sure I qualified. Hope everyone is having fun. G

Oh yah, I like this.

Thanks @Nenad Ilijic. I was watching Fury of course when I was working on it and I really liked that most of the US tanks had names and this is the only name that coming out in my mind. Glad you like the model. I'm really pleased that Andy has grown to the point where he is in control of his own models. Fun to work in this scale. Challenging, but fun.

Superb work MD. Superb.