Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) My build for this GB will be the new Airfix 1/72 P-51D. Yep... I know it's only small, but apparently size doesn't matter. The kit comes with decals for a red tailed Tuskegee Airmen aircraft, presumably to tie in with the film Red Tails, but I'm not going to build the aircraft depicted in the kit. Instead it will be a P-51D-15-NA, 44-15569 "Bunnie / Miss Kentucky State" flown by Capt. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr of the 100FS, 332 FG based at Ramitelli, Italy in March 1945. In this aircraft, Lt Brown (as he was at the time) became one of the few Allied fighter pilots to shoot down an Me262 in open combat. Rather than recount the story here, I will direct you to this page --> Linky which has an interesting article on Brown's exploits. I'll be using most of the kit decals, with the individual markings coming from the fündekals sheet. I haven't received the decal sheet yet, but I've started the build. I'll put some photos up soon. Edited July 9, 2012 by Enzo Matrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Look forward to your Red Tailed P51 ,a nice choice Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I know it's only small, but apparently size doesn't matter. I believe you are right. My ex used to say that it was the degree of difficulty that made the difference. Actually she said 'the hardness' but I knew what she meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 I said in my first post that I was still waiting for the decal sheet from fündekals:) I got home this afternoon to find it waiting for me. That was my second order from fündekals:) and it was dispatched just as quickly as the first. Good service especially considering it had to find its way to me from the other side of the planet... Anyway, here is the (empty) kit box and the decal sheet. And here's what you get in the box. I have shown both sides of each sprue so you can see the detail. As you can see, there are a number of ejection pin marks, but they aren't in prominent places. There is one in each wheel bay, it it can hardly be seen. It's not worth the work required to fill and sand. So I've started with the interior sections. In the interests of a quick, fun build, I have abandoned the airbrush for the interior and gone back to the good old hairy stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 I have painted up the cockpit, using the kit instrument panel decal. Seatbelts added from Tamiya masking tape and some struts on the side of the seats from stretched sprue. I have glued the wings together as well. There was an odd issue with the wings. The wingtips and ailerons are moulded as part of the uppersurfaces just like they are on many kits. The Airfix Spitfire XII has a similar setup. With that kit, the wing undersurfaces are slightly too thick, leaving a step between the wingtip and the undersurface. This needs to be sorted by reducing the thickness of the lower wing part before gluing the wing halves together. The P-51D has the opposite problem. The wing undersurface parts are nice and thin. It's the wingtip which is slightly too thick. On balance, I would prefer it to be the way the P-51D has them. That - very minor - issue took me thirty seconds per wingrip to sort out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttoncup Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 looking good, just picked up my airfix p51 today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 just picked up my airfix p51 today. Enjoy! It's a cracking kit! I ordered another three last night. If all goes well - and quickly - with this one, I may well chuck in another. The next one will be Lou IV, so I will have to do some surgery on the fin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 The cockpit assembled. And the airframe assembled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Nice stuff Enzo - looks a cracker of a little kit too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 looks a cracker of a little kit too! It's tiny! I had forgotten just how small single-engined fighters are in 1/72. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Very nice Enzo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 A bit more work done on this one. Everything masked off and the whole thing is primed with Alclad2 black primer. I don't have any of the gloss black primer, so this is the black microfiller primer with a gloss coat of Klear over the top. Here is the model sprayed with Alclad2 Aluminium. Various panels have been masked off and will be sprayed with alclad2 Dark Aluminium, and Alclad2 Steel around the exhausts. Finally, all masking removed. The wings have been sprayed with Lifecolor LC74 Gloss Silver Metal to represent the silver lacquer finish. The anti-glare panel is Gunze H52 Olive Drab. Once again, my lack of photography skills are apparent but I'm really rather pleased with the way this has turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruudster Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Looks like a great little kit. Nice job on the build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 You know how you get bonus tracks with some CDs? Well, you get a bonus build with this thread This is another Airfix kit, built as the famous (or infamous depening on your point of view) Lou IV. I have cut down the fin fillet. Everything else has been built exactly the same as Bunnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Looking good Enzo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 Looking good Enzo Thanks, Mish. It's actually scary how much fun I'm having building this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 I've just been looking at all the AM decals that are available, tempting, very tempting to have a few of these. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 I've just been looking at all the AM decals that are available, tempting, very tempting to have a few of these. You know you want to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I picked one up last week. May get a few more. As you point out, it's a great one with which to use all those decal sheets up. Yours are looking great, Enzo. Lovely job so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttoncup Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Its looking great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arniec Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Good job sofar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hi Enzo that looks great going have to go shopping wellzy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 looking good Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted September 30, 2012 Author Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) Finished! I've also finished Lou IV which I was building in parallel. Don't know if I should put this in the Gallery as I didn't declare it from the start. What do you think? And both models together, with a quid to show the size. These are not big models! Edit: This makes nine models completed this year - which is more than the previous two years put together! Edited September 30, 2012 by Enzo Matrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Nice pair, LOU IV needs a weight loss program judging by the landing gear buckling though! Seriously though, good looking pair, LOU IV looks superb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts