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Missouri Armada P-51D Mustang: documents and partial scratch from the Tamiya 1/48 kit


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With this small and thin Chrome portion of the arm that closes and opens the internal door, I think I have brought the final touch to my landing gear bay area.

58Up5W.jpg

 

Difficult to scratchbuild the fuel and pressure lines without having my paper tanks in place... but not easy to set them also with the tanks in place!

I have chosen to first cement the tanks, but, by putting just 2 small drops of cyano, I keep the possibility to remove them if necessary, using the very useful Cyberbond cyano remover (9060):

yslWye.jpg

 

Next steps:

1) fuel and pressure lines

2) flaps

3) canvas and tail wheel

4) Propeller blades

5) canopy

6) final check

 

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Is it my imagination, or have you added to the weathering on the underside of the fuselage? It's looking very realistic anyway and I don't think you can overdo it on the fuselage stripes, there are photos of some very dirty Mustangs.

Good luck with the fuel tank plumbing.

 

John

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Yes, John, considering our docs, I have increased the weathering small and small on the underside of the fuselage. 

I know I could have still increased it, but I like it like that, and I consider it is OK now and I am glad if you find it very realistic.

Thanks for your encouragements, I need them because I worry a bit about the fuel tank plumbing, another very delicate step...

 

Olivier

 

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Here are the 2 reference docs (ever posted long ago in the thread), the best ones imho on which I could rely on to represent the fuel and pressure lines.

The first one is great, but the pressure line outlet, for the Missouri, was not there (see silberpferd's (Laurent) posts# 411 and 413 on p.17.)

MInuwX.jpg

 

The second one is the only one (among the docs I have) in which the pressure outlet is in the good location (not in front of the tank support). Pity, we can't see very well the way it takes but we may imagine what it is...

gMFuAb.jpg

 

We may notice that the fuel pipe is wider than the pressure one...

I think 0,4 mm diameter (fuel pipe), probably tin wire and 0,3 mm diameter (pressure pipe), maybe Albion Alloys brass tube should be nearly OK. I will probably use stretched coton swab  (as I did above for the brake wire on the gear legs) for the rubber cuffs and portions of Mat Alu Bare Metal Foil for the hose clamps. Albion Alloys tubes (0,6 and 0,7 o.d) could be used as an alternative to the stretched coton swab.

More soon...

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It was an error to cement first the tanks. Happily, as I had put carefully very few cyano glue, it has not been difficult to remove them. 

2 holes, one of 0,5 mm (to insert the 0,4 mm fuel pipe) and one of 0,4 mm (for the pressure pipe) were drilled on the rear tank outlet.

Then I had to measure the distance between these outlets and the ones on the bottom wings.

Then were cut the cuffs (in tubes or in stretched coton swab), to be inserted on the pipes.

Then the shape of the pipes was given, and they were checked to fall in the wings outlets.

 

ecuUFL.jpg

 

N.B: of course, these indications are just suggestions. Some other material and options could have given as good (or maybe even better) results. i did with what I have at my disposal.

 

8aJEYt.jpg

 

 

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Phew! My tanks are in place now, with their fuel and pressure lines. It has been a really difficult and delicate step, but I am glad with the result:
 

Klm0iT.jpg

 

Close-up:

fWCfDT.jpg

 

The fuel and pressure lines seen from bottom view:

WjIx6z.jpg

 

N.B: I have not yet represented the brackets that I mentioned in the post# 1151 above (I have on the other hand removed the Tamiya wrong ones, that did not allow a full and good  insertion of the Eduard tanks, before cementing the latter).

nAcSLU.jpg

 

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While I will have soon finished my Missouri Armada, that gave me so much fun with the great contribution of all of you, I begin to think to what could be my next build.

I am used to alternate a car and an aircraft, and so, it should be a car.

No question to buy a new kit - despite that the Italeri 1/12 Fiat 500 (not a Protar reissue, good new 😉) would be quite tempting - while I ever have got several very good options among the kits I have.

I know Hannes is expecting me to build the Fiat Mefisto, but, curiously, maybe because it is not so different from the Fiat 806, I am not sure of that choice. I must admit too that, esthetically, I clearly prefer the 806, that is, furthermore, much more important historically speaking.

Among the other possibilities I have, there are mainly:

- the Ferrari 250 GTO at 1/24 scale, an old Protar kit that I bought on ebay

- the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint at 1/24 scale, from Tamiya (Historic car series)

- the Ford T 1912 at 1/16 from Revell

I have not yet taken a decision, but I admit the last option, the Ford T, is very tempting. I had seen it, very beautiful, at the wonderful Naples (Florida) Rev's museum.

 

RubxE4.jpg

 

P.S: I also have the kit of the Citroën 15 Heller at 1/8 scale that I ever had built long ago (very personal version, turning the car in an ivory convertible)

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I have placed the decal representing the flap angle marking, using the Tamiya decal (no decal provided by Eagle for that element😒). Notice that Tamiya provides 2 decals, one for each side (left and right) while it has been said somewhere in the thread that this marking did not exist on the right flap. I have checked in my P-51 flaps library and in the net, and indeed, I could never find this element on the right flap.

Well, the Tamiya decal is very nice and precise, but it should be a bit wider for my very opened flaps. The other problem I met is that the decal is quite thick and hard, and even using a softener (Mr Mark Softer Neo), I am not sure it will fit perfectly the rounded shape of the flap (I have just placed it 30 mn ago and I have to wait before drawing definitive conclusions):

asyJ0g.jpg

 

SJiD6Y.jpg

 

A close-up shows the problems met with this decal:

i84zub.jpg

 

Will I have to represent this element by painting, to get a more convincing result? in this case, I would have to give up to the very finely represented digits... 

Any suggestion welcome...

 

 

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Hi Olivier, if you kept the fuel tank brackets ( called sway braces ) it might be possible to put them back on by holding then in place with long pointed tweezers and running thin superglue onto the ends. It would be very fiddly, but you've shown us that you are more than capable in that department. 

If you have not yet fixed the flap markings, you could try placing them and pressing down on them with a cloth soaked in very hot water. I have found that this works with some decals, depending on how thick they are.

 

I will miss this build when it is finished.

 

John

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Hi John,

1) about the sway braces, I preferred to remove them and to try to recreate new ones, more realistic and not interfering with the tank insertion. It will be my next challenge...

2) I have been thinking about the way I could improve the Tamiya decal fitting and the problem of gap on the lower part because of the too narrow decal/ my very opened flap.

The first problem has been fixed by using the great Microscale Micro Metal Adhesive Foil, putting a very thin coat and waiting a few minutes to let it dry. It is the first time I use such a method, but it is well adapted here because of the thickness of the decal. Now the decal fits very well and I am glad having kept the very nice Tamiya decal with the digits inscriptions.

The 2 nd problem was fixed by painting only the lower part, with Vallejo White. The vertical line was traced with Black Vallejo.

A slight weathering and a coat of Marabu Satin varnish contributed to the good integration and the result is OK now imho:

 

zNqmwv.jpg

 

3) Thanks for the kind comment, me too, I will miss this build and this team at my sides... 😉

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Focus on the landing light, that I have not yet represented, with these 2 docs:

1) period pic: the light is in the left wheel bay, the frame is black (while it is frequently green on restored aircrafts). 4 alu screws.

tlFqcV.png

 

2) great close-up, from the pic elger brought in his post# 918 p. 37:

I8VwdE.jpg

 

N.B:

1) Tamiya suggest to paint Alu (XF-16) the frame, what I won't do. Now the question is: should I use the Tamiya clear part D1? I am gonna try and see the result I can get. If it is not good, I will scratchbuild it.

 

2) It will be much easier for me to use an upside down version, sense in what I will work, to avoid errors:

qVyUVX.jpg

 

 

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On 6/22/2018 at 6:58 AM, Olivier de St Raph said:

Focus on the 108 gallon paper tanks brackets, not correctly represented as on the Tamiya kit (parts Z1). I will try to get here too something a bit more faithful and convincing...

Olivier, you show here late "universal" bracket. The early 108 Gal. fuel tanks brackets were very different. Look at your reference photo #137D. They were straight wide-shoulder rough steel bars with welded-on screw attachment points.

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Thanks a lot, Fencer-1 for this info! Happily and luckily, I had not yet scratchbuilt them. So I will use this close-up:

vnlabi.jpg

 

More, it is a good new for me that this version has a more simple shape...

Do you have another doc helpful to represent them, please?

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A new slow progress for my landing light:

EToZUm.jpg

 

N.B: after having posted the photo, I have replaced the 4 mm diameter mask by a 3,5 mm one, more in compliance (see the close-up on post# 1171 just above) with the reality...

 

For the next steps, no choice, I have to cut the sprue... 

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