Mustang Mk. 1 430 Squadron, Operation Bodenplatte, New Year's Day 1945

[Prenton]

My entry to the Group Build is the Special Hobby kit of the Mustang Mark 1, in 1/72nd scale. It is from 430 Squadron, one of a number of RCAF squadrons tasked with low level reconnaissance during this period.

I will be using the DPCasper decals for Operation Bodenplatte, which includes one of these aircraft, listed as being at Eindhoven when the Luftwaffe attack occurred.

Here is the box top:-

The kit is a little unusual, as it contains two major sprues, each with a full set of fuselages, wings and tailplanes. To get the Mk. 1, you have to "cross kit" the fuselages from one sprue with the wings and tailplanes from the other. You also have to cut out the cannon from the wings and replace them with resin inserts, as the Mk. 1 had six machine guns in the wings, instead of the mark 1A's four cannon (as well as two in the fuselage, on either side of the nose).

Here are the sprues:-

The kit also has a nice bit of resin, not just for the wings, but also to dress up the cockpit, and replacement resin wheels (with "CMK" marked on the base).

Thanks for looking!

Philip

[Lightningboy2000]

Looks interesting! This I'm sure will look very fine when finished. I was considering getting one of these to create one that flew from Bottisham as part of an early RAF Mustang line up. I ended up using the Italeri kit instead & scratch building some bits on it.

Very nice looking version of the Mustang I think.

Martin

[Adam Maas]

It's an interesting build and a neat little kit. Looking forward too see how you progress.

The resin is CMK, as CMK is part of the same corporate family as Special Hobby (all are MPM brands).

I'm particularly interested in the decal sheet though, I'd love to see a picture of it.

[Prenton]

It's an interesting build and a neat little kit. Looking forward too see how you progress.

I'm particularly interested in the decal sheet though, I'd love to see a picture of it.

No problem, Adam. Here it is:-

As you can see, my little Mustang 1 is in fairly standard colours, with invasion stripes under wing and fuselage. So far as I can find out, the aircraft concerned

lasted right through from D-Day until the end of 1944, at which time 430 Squadron had made it as far as Eindhoven, They were converting to Spitfires around

that time, so this one would have been well weathered by then (which is what I hope to capture, with evidence of the invasion stripes peeling etc).

The Me 262 colours are rather attractive - that one will probably go into the "to do" pile during the coming year.

Cheers,

Philip

[Maxidad]

Interesting looking-kit. Looking forward to seeing this get underway.

[Prenton]

So, contrary to the tradition that you see in all those reviews, I didn't start with the cockpit, but decided to start with the wings.

As mentioned earlier, to get an accurate Mustang Mk. 1, you have to take the MPM Mk 1A wings, with the four cannon,

remove the cannon and put in the resin inserts for the six machine guns instead.

The wings come in three bits - two uppers and one combined lower. Out with the razor saw!

Here is the first wing, before the cut, and after it had been done, and the resultant gap tidied up with a straight file.

Here is the other upper wing, in the process of being cut:-

And here is the lower wing, with one side cut and the other with the cut half-done:-

And to prove that it does work, here are the resin inserts placed temporarily in the new holes (I will glue then in once the wings are

together, later in the build).

Thanks for looking!

Philip

[Prenton]

Further progress (due to SWMBO being away this weekend, so I had the house to myself.....)

After a LOT of scraping (I was a bit nervous about using a Dremel on such a small kit), I thinned the inner fuselage sides and put in the resin inserts. They

are very nice indeed, and much better than I could hope to do with scratchbuilding. In my opinion, the resin is a lot easier to manage, and gives more convincing

results, than much of the PE that you get with some of these Eastern European kits.

After a couple of hours modelling, the cockpit has been painted up, with a pin wash to give some shadows, and detail painting of switches, cables etc.

The radios etc at the rear of the cockpit have been given a dark grey colour, highlighted with a lighter grey dry brush to bring out details. The seat (which is very true to

scale in resin, but VERY fragile) has been put in, and also weathered and highlighted with a dry brush of a lightened green. I was in two minds about whether to use US

bronze interior green or RAF interior green, but in the end went for the US colour, but painted the armoured back plate a darker green (as per ColFord's posting on the

subject here on Britmodeller).

All that is left now is to put in seatbelts and the rather nifty assemblage behind the seat that contains the camera, and then I can close her up.

Thanks for looking!

Philip

[AnonymousDFB1]

Very nice work Philip

[Adam Maas]

Very nice build, you're further along than I am already on the Mk.1.

I'm definitely going to need to get a copy of that sheet, there's several must-haves on their for me, including that PR.XI

[Prenton]

Some progress...

I put the fuselage together, without too much trouble - just a bit of filling needed to the rear near the tailplane on one side.

The cockpit seat, floor and IP assembly was placed in from below, with the aid of a little bit of plasticard to hold it in place (as the resin bits are not

wide enough to sit equally between the two sides...)

One thing that really showed the quality of the resin bits that come with this kit is the little camera assembly - some very fragile resin bars, on top

of which goes the finely moulded camera. I managed to get the resin bars in without breakages (amazingly) and then superglued the camera on

top. The camera was painted in dark grey, with light grey dry-brushing, and a dab of Future on the actual lens of the camera.

This is what it looks like (this is the max magnification I can manage with my own camera, but you can see, I hope, the quality of the resin....).

I am well pleased, as I dry fitted the canopy, and the little assemblage is clearly visible through it.

Then the wings went on, and the canopy was masked with an Eduard Mask designed for the Italeri kit. (The bits of mask needed a little trim, but

they were still easier than doing it from scratch, using masking tape.)

I quickly realised that I didn't need a primer coat to see how many seams and gaps required filling. Out with the Games Workshop green

stuff (my filler of choice these days). When thinned with a bit of water, it has gone onto all of the seams and gaps. I will let it all dry for a

day, and start on the sanding tomorrow night...

Incidentally, I sprayed the wheel wells using Tamiya Chrome Silver - works very well, and looks almost as good as Alclad for airframe silver.

(Has anyone any experience of this, as a potential alternative to Alclad for a natural metal finish ?.)

Thanks for looking.

Phllip

[AnonymousDFB1]

Coming along nicely Philip

[robw_uk]

good progress - neat work with that fiddly resin.....

[Deacon]

Great work so far mate.

[oldhouse]

Great Progress so far !! Peter

[Adam Maas]

Incidentally, I sprayed the wheel wells using Tamiya Chrome Silver - works very well, and looks almost as good as Alclad for airframe silver.

(Has anyone any experience of this, as a potential alternative to Alclad for a natural metal finish ?.)

Thanks for looking.

Phllip

I use a 50-50 mix of Tamiya Chrome Silver and Flat Aluminum for my NMF's (which is what Tamiya recommends in their P-51D kits), the Chrome Silver is just too Chrome for an NMF. I'm not setup to do Alclad (apartment living, whee!) so that's my alternative.

[Prenton]

Thanks, Adam - very useful information.

I must (like yourself with your 1A in 1/48) put up some more progress shots so as to finish this on time!

Philip

[smuts]

Great work & a nice build so far..

Andy.