Bengalensis Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Thanks a lot guys, I'm glad you like her. Yes Rich, it was sad indeed, I think there was potential for much more. So, today I started by cutting up a big gaping hole in the beautifully newly shaped belly... And soon my prefabricated part was glued in place. I cut down the side walls and found a suitable detail in one of my photo etch scrap boxes that I glued to the back wall. It's already looking less hopeless. I painted and washed what will be almost impossible to reach later. And then the bottom, also painted black on the inside, was cut to fit and glued in place, cleaned up and sanded smooth. I think the underside is pretty much done now. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 great work so far. love those Mustang racers. crazy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks! I'm spellbound by these P-51 based speed birds... I applied 2-part filler to the top surface wing roots. While the filler cured I begun drilling out the tail planes to fit some dowels for added strength. The filler was then sanded smooth with less trouble than expected. Then I drilled each fuselage half to accept the tail planes according to their recesses. The first dry fit looked horrible. I don't think I was surprised though. The left side was almost OK, but the right side was way off. I had never seen it, but the two fuselage halves didn't match very well around the tail plane joint. I first corrected the left side which only needed to be lowered very slightly at the trailing edge. Then I rectified the right side fuselage to match the left side, and adjusted the tail plane mounting holes to match the left side. That took some work and measuring, but in the end I got this. This makes me much more satisfied. There is indeed some filling work needed around both tail planes. More 2-part filler. I just had to tack on the spinner for a look in the mean time. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Lovely work Jorgen, you are turning this old dog of a kit into something that will no doubt be stunning. Its just nice to watch you work. What was the two part filler you used on the wing roots? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks a lot Nigel, means a great deal to hear that. I use PP 100 as my 2-part filler, partly as I come from the world of resin, and 1/1 scale automotive. http://www.henkel.co.uk/2838_UKE_HTML.htm?countryCode=uke&BU=industrial&parentredDotUID=productfinder&redDotUID=1000000J632571360673 There is no way I can use 1-part fillers in these cases, they are much too prone to shrinkage. The PP 100 needs a well prepared and clean surface to mate to styrene though. I think it's available also in UK in reasonably sized tubes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks for the filler information, I will add this to my modelling shopping list. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Amazing modelling Jörgen, and the pilot is something else. Perhaps I could send mine to you for detail painting? Sean 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Amazing modelling Jörgen, and the pilot is something else. Perhaps I could send mine to you for detail painting? Sean Thanks Sean. If she looks like the one standing in your avatar I'll be more than happy to paint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Ah Jörgen, I'm afraid she's a one man woman, and never leaves my side. You'll just have to find your own, Sean 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lascar Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 i love your build !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great work like always ......................;; 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Thanks a lot for the kind words. I've made some more progress today. 2-part filler was applied around tail plane joints, but only to fill the fuselage sides. Here it is sanded smooth. Then I saw no turning back from having to glue the canopy. It was a bit scary but worked fine with no drama. I used CA that I know will not fog when used correctly. The fit seemed very good so the work done before paid off I think. And again I had to tack the spinner on for some more speed bird looking... The I filled the joint with 2-part filler and sanded all the painted vac form sections smooth with the fuselage, more scary work. I also scribed the joint around the sliding part, but I'm sure I will have to revisit that after the first primer coat. It's probably not the only scribing that will need later attention either... It's now time for a first primer coat, after masking the canopy of course. There are also a few tiny antennas to be scratched and fitted, but I will leave that work until the primed surfaces are sanded and ready for the top coat, as I'm quite sure there is a good deal of work remaining. I will wait a few days with the primer though, so I can bring my racing vanship to the primer stage and do them both in the same session. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyB Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Wow, really incredible work Jorgen! This is going to look great with paint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thanks for the kind praise. With the vanship finally ready for primer I masked off the canopy. There's nothing more than the shape to guide the cutting, but I think this will be ok. The radiator was also masked. From the other side I put a tiny sponge in the bottom of the intake. Welcome to the 1 sqm small spray boot room. I you have a predisposition for claustrophobia this is not the place to be... I used Alclad white primer. It's good to see those blue colours starting to disappear. As expected a couple of areas need attention, mostly ghost marks around joints. I'll leave it to properly cure, then some light sanding and a thin second layer of primer should hopefully be enough. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Stunning work Jorgen. The real machine is quite a feat of engineering and your model no less so 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerbannog Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Sleeeeeeeek! Rene 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 Thanks a lot guys. This one have been resting a few days after the first primer while I finished off my racing vanship. As expected there were a number of areas that needed attention, including some scribings. All has now been sanded and rectified and here she is today just before a second primer session. And after. This time I think there are only some minor sanding issues left to take care of before I can add some shark fin antennas, pitot and some other small surface details. I might also have to clean out some scribings again, if I need to spot prime an area where they shouldn't have more. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolwe82 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Very nice shapes, cannt wait to see it finished 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 She is looking sweet ,very nice work Les 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Thanks a lot guys, she's a clean smooth miss indeed. I have now sanded the second primer coat and cleaned a few scribings and luckily I found nothing more to bother with before painting. So I fabricated and attached the small details that need to go on before paint but would have been a misery to work around earlier. The pitot tube is actually from the Airfix kit. And here we are after touching up the primer. Some fine sanding on this and the white colour can go on. Somehow I am now supposed not to damage that rear antenna during the rest of the build... I'm not sure how that will be possible. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Best of luck with that antenna, is it metal (should be OK) or plastic (you have almost no chance)? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 The antenna is 0,3 mm steel, securely attached, with a 0,25 styrene fin blended in at the rear. So it won't come off and can probably be straightened, but what the paint will handle may be a different matter. Time will tell... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I am relieved to hear this, like all your builds I am sure it will come good in the finished product. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 This morning I sanded the primer spots smooth and gave the whole bird a final look over. Time for paint. I start with the white and made a rough masking of the wings and underside to avoid work with unnecessary dry/over spray. I'm using MCW lacquer paint and I think these two will be a reasonable match. Sprayed straight from the jar it dries fast and should then be polished to shine. However I'm usually mixing it with some Dupont Lucite retarder to slow the drying somewhat and I can then spray it smooth and glossy without being too glossy. Depending on the result I want I may or may not use a clear coat. And here the white is on, luckily without any drama. I unmasked the cockpit now, which may seem dumb at this point before decals and if I need some clear coat. But I was nervous how it looked under the mask and if I can get away without additional clear coating I will. I also want to sort out any edge before eventual clear, so I prefer to then re mask if I must. Luckily the cockpit looks fine and the edge as well, might need some very fine trimming with a sharp knife tip. I'm surprised how much of all the cockpit detail is actually seen under the small canopy, I didn't expect that. It will again rest a day or two before masking and spraying the red. The tail antenna is still alive and well... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Its good to hear that so much of the cockpit is still visible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 A day later the paint had cured more than enough, so why not get over with the main painting? I started masking off the white areas. I didn't want to take any chances ripping off white paint around the canopy when unmasking, so I taped a piece of paper over it first. And it's finally time to get the red paint on. Best get it over with... I almost forgot the radiator outlet flap, but that was the only problem. The red - I have never sprayed that exact red mix before - was more sensitive to the amount of retarder mixed in, so I had to play a little with the ratio on a scrap body shell, but then it worked as usual. Masking off, always very nervous. But all seems fine. Now she's showing her true colours. This is so much nicer to look at than that two tone blue plastic. Need to decide about some panel line treatments, which I need to hold back a lot on. Then decals, another somewhat nervous step. How will the supplied decals work, and not least will the white ones cover the red? Or will I have to get double sheets or print my own? I must also start working on the exhausts and preparing the spinner for the photo etched prop blurs. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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