CheshireGap Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 So here is my second finished kit after 25 years out, Tamiya's 1/48th P-51B dressed as Don Gentile's "Shangri-La"; there are PE seatbelts in there plus replacement exhausts again, and another Eagle Cal set for the markings as the Tammy ones disintegrated into a zillion pieces - probably just as well as their red was too dark and the chequerboard was inverted - red squares where there should be white, and vice versa. There are a couple of other issues if you are building this kit: the propeller should be the paddle-bladed type, not the cuffed as supplied (and used, I wasn't too bothered!), and the drop-tanks are also wrong, all pictures of Shangri-La show her with the tear-drop type. Pictures also show the main undercarriage doors firmly closed on the ground, so I followed suit here. Curiously she appears to have worn both exhaust styles at various times. A few more techniques learnt along the way, including using a pencil for panel lines, and Tamiya weathering powders. 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Lovely Mustang and a great result for your second kit after such a long rest! I have this kit in the pile, so appreciate the tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Very nice build of one of my favourite kits. Welcome back to modelling! Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane39 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Great work on an iconic bird. Welcome back in a grand way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Beautiful build and finish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1550nm Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'm in the same modelling mode as you! I stopped in 1987' I finally started a year and a half ago with the same model. A lot had changed since my last model. One problem I had was the decals looked great. They were from Invisaclear.for some reason Tamiya farmed them out to a specialty manufacture. Once in water they stuck to the paper backing. When they finally released they totally disintegrated! Fortunately I had a second kit and I spayed those decals with Testor's Decal varnish. It worked but I still had problems separating the decals from the backing. Any problems with yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stesca Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 This is a great Mustang, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Excellent, smart looking model, with the kind of restrained weathering that makes for a realistic impression. Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knikki Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Did not you also drill out the hole in the middle of the prop hub as it was not there in the kit yet shows it on the photos you were looking at? Nice kit looks even nicer on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireGap Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'm in the same modelling mode as you! I stopped in 1987' I finally started a year and a half ago with the same model. A lot had changed since my last model. One problem I had was the decals looked great. They were from Invisaclear.for some reason Tamiya farmed them out to a specialty manufacture. Once in water they stuck to the paper backing. When they finally released they totally disintegrated! Fortunately I had a second kit and I spayed those decals with Testor's Decal varnish. It worked but I still had problems separating the decals from the backing. Any problems with yours? Yes I had to give up on the decals from the kit, I have never seen anything fall apart so spectacularly into so many pieces, completely unuseable. It was then straight on to the Hannants site to pick up some replacements, and fortunately someone else was doing Shangri-La as well to save the day. Very brave of you to persevere with the kit decals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireGap Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Did not you also drill out the hole in the middle of the prop hub as it was not there in the kit yet shows it on the photos you were looking at? Nice kit looks even nicer on here. Well spotted Knikki, yes the colour photos of Shangri-La show the hole in the spinner very clearly, but there is nothing there on the kit part, so it was out with the pin vice and for a change I put a hole in the right place. I should emphasis that overall I have to say this is a great kit, I know it looks as if I am saying there are inaccuracies but really there aren't: the propellor, spinner & drop tanks provided are probably all perfectly accurate for some P-51B's, just not Shangri-La. There was a lot of variation out there, so as always check your references, and if then if you are like me, whatever seems too much bother - ignore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Looks very nice...... cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonl Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nicely done.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG DESTEC Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Very nice job on your P-51B, you haven't lost the knack after such a long absence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marek Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I like Mustangs, and I enjoy your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doozer1974 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 A lovely job - you've not lost your touch at all in the time you've been out of the game by the looks of it. Look forward to seeing more of your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyhunter66 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Yes that's a very nice build and I am nearly finished on the same kit and scheme. I also had the problem of the disintegrating decals and replaced them with the SuperScale ones. I love the look of the P51b in olive drab Excellent Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Wonderful looking Mustang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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