1:32 Tamiya P51 build

[nick32]

I have decided to throw caution to the wind and do a WIP on my P51 Mustang. I built loads of kits when i was a kid, then girls/motorbikes/guitars put paid to all that...

As a 30 something, married, with kids, i have taken up the hobby again and got suckered into building this beauty.

I hasten to add that i'm learning as i go, my work is nowhere near the standard of the usual work on here but i'm doing my best, and most importantly, having fun!

So, i started with one of these -

The only aftermarket bits i have bought are Barracuda decals cockpit decals and placards set, which while very fiddly to do, has really brought the cockpit to life.

I only have a few (bad quality) photos, but i will take more when i next have a modelling session.

So...

The engine, firewall and oil tank -

Instrument panel (with skewy decals, but hey, it wont really be seen much when built up)

And cockpit sides -

Lastly the cockpit itself -

Im not happy with the belts to be honest, and in hindsight i would probably have left the seat cushion out. But, i'm having fun with it, learning loads and there is no reason why i wont build another at some point.

The kit goes together beautifully, and although its a lot of money, i'm getting good value from it. All the above has taken me a fair while to do.

I dont get much time to build, so updates will be slow.

Any hints and tips would be greatly appreciated, i wouldnt mind trying to add the cables from the radio to busy it up a bit, but not really sure what to use for that.

Anyway, thanks for reading,

Nick

[Ade]

Looking tasty so far.....

[Max Headroom]

Looking forward to this.

Don't worry about 'standards', (and what I've seen so far I like) the only compulsory requirement you need here is FUN!

Trevor

[Alan P]

Nice start!

Cabling in 1/32: nothing works better than lead wire in my experience - you can order this from any fishing supplier, gauges should be around 0.3mm - 0.8mm, that covers everything from electrical cabling to hydraulic pipes

[(ex)Sgtrafman]

She's lookin' good so far mate. Good luck with the rest of the build.

Iain

[KLP]

It looks great so far! I have this bird in my stash waiting for a couple of other projects to be finished, so I can't wait to see more.

And I think your belts look fine!

Kenneth

[nick32]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, its much appreciated!

I dont get much time for modelling, so updates might be a bit thin on the ground.. Hopefully i can get a bit more done this weekend, i will be sure to update the thread accordingly.

I'm planning to use Alclad to paint the Mustang with. I haven't used it before, so i have bought a cheap 72nd scale kit to have a play with.

I have to say though that so far the Mustang has been a dream to build - really really enjoyable.

Thanks,

Nick

[nick32]

Made a bit more progress last night. The cockpit sidewalls are now glued onto the fuselage halfs, along with the magnets. These magnets are incredibly strong for their size, which can make things interesting when trying to fix them in postition.....

The cockpit is now all in one piece too -

And here it is with the engine, firewall and cockpit together -

I'm going to do a touch more weathering in the cockpit, mainly just around the radio and battery area. Last nights job was to build up the radiator assembly - a kit in itself!! I will get some pics of that for next time.

I'm almost ready to button up the fuselage now, but i'm going to have make a start on my 72nd scale P47 to practise with Alclad fairy soon.

Thanks for reading,

Nick