Roman Schilhart Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) Hello everyone, revisting my chidhood memories of the Matchbox boxtop beauty "Dooleybird". She was the very first Mustang I ever built. 40 years later, I decided to do an up-to-date rendition of that colorful plane, flown by Flt.Lt. A.S. Doley from 19th Sq., Peterhead, April 1945. The kit is Airfix' P-51D converted to Mustang IV using the Freightdog resin set. The decals come from LPS Hobby Brazil (LPM72-09) and are of terrible quality. The roundels would not confirm to the surface structure by any means, not even with setting solution, and when I tried to gently push them into the recessed panel lines they simply broke up. In the end I replaced all roundels and the tail flash with items from an Xtradecal sheet and used only the nose art, squadron codes, serial number and the checkboard. Painted with Alclad II and Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics. Additional refinements by CMK. The Freightdog conversion is easy: just cut off the lower cowling and insert the resin piece. Some interior shots of the CMK cockpit: Thanks for looking! Have a great day! Cheers from Vienna Edited July 6, 2015 by Roman Schilhart 40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Another fine build Roman,great metal finish and delicately detailed cockpit,these marking,s were worn when this aircraft was based not far from me in Acklington Northumberland near the war,s end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 great looking mustang... nmf and very nice finish.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimHead23 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Fantastic Mustang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Wow. I like that a lot Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 MY Favorite Model of yours .. :worthy: I LOVE Mustangs and yours is STUNNING. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Really cool, looks very smart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 A lovely model with a superb NMF! I have a Matchbox kit on display here, that I guess was made in 1979(?) of that same aircraft. Loving your work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 simply awesome model!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Very classy model! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbie Air Services Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I've been meaning to do this one for a while now. I wonder if it's worth getting the old Matchbox for the decals, well the Dooley Bird parts, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Excellent build and paint finish. Could you please provide details about your painting and weathering techniques? Jaime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Model Alliance did a sheet with Dooleybird on it in both major scales. Got mine when I visited big H back in 2007. Leave the Matchbox kits for the collectors and the weirdos who need to revisit their childhoods (ie me. ) Top job Roman. I'm hopefully doing 3 versions of this airframe for the P-51 GB when it starts, and I'll be referring to these photos for inspiration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich G Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Really cool looking mustang, I remember the matchbox kit like everyone else that had these markings on the boxart! But this is most likely the best 'Dooleybird' out there! Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I am feeling confused, I have until now only seen Dooleybird having a blue rather than yellow stripe along the fuselage. Can anyone tell me which is the correct colour before I commit to building my old Matchbox kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Schilhart Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 (edited) Here's Matchbox' original cover art: I am feeling confused, I have until now only seen Dooleybird having a blue rather than yellow stripe along the fuselage. Can anyone tell me which is the correct colour before I commit to building my old Matchbox kit? Before I started my build, I did some research on the topic here at Britmodeller. There seems to be consensus that the color strip around the cockpit is Yellow, not Blue. However, I have never seen a color photograph of that particular aircraft! Excellent build and paint finish. Could you please provide details about your painting and weathering techniques? Jaime Thanks for your feedback. First, the model was primed with Tamiya Grey (from the rattle can, applied with my airbrush) to check for flaws on the surface - this is essential, as the Alclad paints are highly reflective and will mirror any imperfections on the surface, such as scratches or dust. Then, a coat of Gloss Black (I also used Tamiya from the can) is applied with the airbrush. The black coat provides 'depth' for the metallic paint. I recommend sanding the model with very fine grit sandpaper (4000 -12000). Various shades of Alclad II were applied, then sealed with Alclad Gloss Cote. Weathering was done with airbrush only - conventional 'washes' with artist oils don't work on Metallic surfaces, pigments won't stick to a glossy surface. I sprayed Gunze/Mr Hobby 'Smoke' freehand along the panel lines.A good way to achieve an acceptable straight line is to use 'Post-It's' - just stick it on the surface and spray along the edge. Edited August 14, 2015 by Roman Schilhart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Roman, Thanks a lot for the information and tips on painting and weathering. Very useful, as I have two NMF Mustangs in my stash. I'm a great fan of Alclad paints but my experience with them is still limited. Cheers Jaime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Awesome build and finish Roman! That takes me right back about 30+ years.... Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildeSau75 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 What a great build - very nice Mustang. I Like it! Cheers, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kira666 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Highly detailed Mustang. I couldn't find any photo to compare your kit with the old Matchbox one. Great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Alfonso Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Hi Roman: Congratulatiosn for this Wonderful bird, I remember also the Matchbox kit, full of memories!!!! Thank you very much for sharing!!! Cheers, Luis Alfonso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 That's a beauty, I'd really like my own Dooleybird now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbird Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I'm now as confused as a thing that's very confused.. I always thought the cowling and canopy surround were blue, not yellow. And I've also seen it argued that the lettering in " Dooleybird " was also blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Superb! Somehow I managed to miss this, but I'm glad to have found it eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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