Alan P Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Hi all, Thanks Patrice @TEMPESTMK5 for hosting yet another great GB, this time featuring the wonderful aircraft that is the Mustang. There are several of these Revell kits on the go already and I'll be chipping in every now and then due to other modelling commitments and the freezing cold weather in my outdoor shed. My choice of build is yet to be decided - I have a LIfelike Decals sheet with four colourful examples on it: I was leaning towards the fourth one till I found out it's the main decal option for the Tamiya Pacific Theater version of their famously expensive 1/32 kit. So now I'm looking at either 1 or 3 because I prefer to build something slightly different to everyone else. (It's a personality disorder, I also change my restaurant order if somebody else orders the same dish as me!) I've got a bunch of resin parts that I picked up from an Ebay seller - it includes the dorsal fillet tail section, new cowling and resin replacement dropped flaps, horizontal stabilizer/elevators and rudder. Very cheap for what you get and pretty good castings, please PM me if you'd like some details. Anyway, pictures will follow as time allows - in the meantime, looking forward to joining in! Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 I have one in the stash too, so I’ll be watching closely in the hope of picking up some tips.. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 2 hours ago, Biggles87 said: I have one in the stash too, so I’ll be watching closely in the hope of picking up some tips.. John Hope I can provide them! It'll be interesting to see what the resin stuff adds to the overall build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Welcome! I do NOT have one in the stash yet, but I plan to fix that at some point. A compulsion to do a different subject from "everyone else" is understandable (to me, at least). Not ordering what you actually want in a restaurant just because somebody else had the same idea, on the other hand... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 (edited) Well, after some head scratching I've decided I'll go for the fourth option after all - 'Mrs Bonnie' of the 348 FG, Ie Shima in late 1945. Not only is it the coolest option, I've found photos of it with the Hamilton Standard prop so I can build this out of the box (I'll accept the 'wrong' canopy if you will!) Check out the helpful Britmodeller thread to be seen here: Next post - let's have a look at the kit... Edited December 15, 2019 by Alan P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 Here's the box, as seen on plenty of other threads... It's one of those annoying end-opening boxes so first task is to turn it into a top-opener by fastening the box ends with tape and cutting a lid in the top When you get in there's lots of plastic. This is pretty chunky in 1/32. Instructions surprised me. Not the usual Revell line drawing that would make Chinese flat pack furniture look informative but a full-colour glossy effort that really looks classy. And helpful. Well done guys! Also great decal sheet, tightly printed and clearly legible: Two types of stars and bars included - vanilla and silver borders for the green wings version. I'll be using these Lifelike Decals, four excellent choices. Going for the bottom option, which is a Dallas-built P-51K. Also have the option of some of this resin - filleted fin section, flaps, rudder and stabilizers with elevators. The cowling looks nice, but it's a tricky job to remove the existing one, so I might give it a miss. The casting quality is definitely 'mate's garage' level, but workable. The flaps are nice and straight. The purpose of these will become clear in a minute... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Looking forward to seeing how the conversion fits, i would have thought revell would have bought a filleted tail version out by now alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 On 12/15/2019 at 12:37 AM, Alan P said: So now I'm looking at either 1 or 3 because I prefer to build something slightly different to everyone else. If you've not yet decided, I say go with 3, as I have a bit of a bias towards 8th Air Force. But you may wish to consider 2: that is also Mighty Eighth, and the East Wretham birds do not seem to be modelled very often. @Hewy, I too would have expected one by now: in fact I'm convinced I did see a picture of a projected box art a couple of years ago. I think perhaps Revell's financial troubles and sale a year or two back may have had something to do with the fact that we haven't seen one, or any more indication of one, yet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, Hewy said: Looking forward to seeing how the conversion fits, i would have thought revell would have bought a filleted tail version out by now alan Yeah same, the kit and sprues are clearly engineered to accommodate the newer version. Speaking of the sprues... I like the way this kit is presented. Cockpit sidewalls come as separate frames. Some nice detail although plenty of flash and mould lines to clean up. I like the way Revell have layered the floor to accurately replicate the structure rather than just having a flat plate. The wings are moulded as one complete span, which solves any dihedral symmetry issues. The fuselage has the tail section separately moulded, which gives a clue to what @Hewy was talking about at the top of this post. The kit also includes the different types of vent which widens the number of options again. The surface detail is quite subtle, which sends the Dragon kit even further down the list of options! Really like the look of these - the guns are a fascia that fits the leading edges of the wings, eliminating those awful seam joints you always get around conventionally moulded gun ports. Another good idea. I mentioned the resin flaps before - looks like they are there to rectify a weakness in the plastic IM version which have some significant sink marks along the length of them at about the half-chord position. Another plus - the Hamilton Standard prop moulded in one complete unit. More options with the two types of instrument coaming provided. They've even moulded the NAA logo on the rudder pedals. I must say I'm very impressed with the kit as it comes - when you consider at £25 it costs about a quarter of the Tamiya version, it should be top of your Mustang shopping list. So, let's see how it goes together... Alan Edited December 16, 2019 by Alan P 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 First steps, as always, in the cockpit. The parts need a fair bit of cleanup, especially flash around the finer-detailed sections of the thinner frames - also most have a noticeable moulding line which needs to be shaved and sanded down. But otherwise the detail is pretty good, not as sharp as your favourite Japanese manufacturers, but definitely as good as much higher priced offerings from China. I can see a nice build ahead. Alan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 11 hours ago, MikeC said: If you've not yet decided, I say go with 3, as I have a bit of a bias towards 8th Air Force. But you may wish to consider 2: that is also Mighty Eighth, and the East Wretham birds do not seem to be modelled very often. Thanks for the tip, Mike. I've decided to go for my original gut decision. Hopefully I can use one of those options on my next Mustang, because there will definitely be one! Alan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Good evening Alan Welcome aboard .. Have fun with your build Patrice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) Thanks Patrice 👍 While I'm waiting to get cracking on this one, here's a little flashback to the last Mustang I made, way back in 2007. It's the Tamiya 1/48 P-51D disguised as a Mustang IV. It was a foil job (except the wings) and I remember using a lot of aftermarket stuff. Hoping for an equally clean finish for this one but I won't be foolhardy enough to try foiling it! Alan Edited December 16, 2019 by Alan P 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 I think I remember that one! Sure looks good. But now you're twelve years more advanced, right? No pressure... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 22 minutes ago, gingerbob said: I think I remember that one! Sure looks good. But now you're twelve years more advanced, right? No pressure... I think i might have peaked in about 2010 😭 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 We'll see about that. I'd like to hear about the Bearcat your footer says you're working on, but that's obviously a tangent to the intended purpose of this area (and we all know that NEVER happens 😉 ). So, feel free to PM me if you don't want to clutter the thread. For that matter, feel free to ignore me! (I've got the Bearcat, and it is one of those kits I keep telling myself I ought to start messing with, but I haven't done so yet.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 15 minutes ago, gingerbob said: I'd like to hear about the Bearcat your footer says you're working on I've not been building it as an online WIP but I'll PM my thoughts and photos so far. As Trumpeter kits go, it's one of their best I reckon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi all, Sorry I've been so neglectful of this build, the freezing weather has meant little time spent in my unheated modelling shed I have done some work on Mrs Bonnie, so here's the story so far... First job was to remove the moulded cowling. I used Dymo tape as a cutting guide and the damage was done with a razor saw. Here's the side-by-side comparison of the two profiles - the resin one has a flatter cross-section across the top surface. The resin part is a pretty good fit, but inevitably there are some gaps to fill. Meanwhile, I got on with the cockpit: These separately moulded sidewalls are great, but needed a fair bit of cleanup to eliminate flash and mould seams. The rest of the cockpit scrubs up pretty well! Everything you see here is Revell out of the box, except the seatbelts which are from the Eduard steel set. So far this is a nice kit, excellent value for money. Alan 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 There is a lot of work to be done to get the fuselage halves together - the radiator assemblies and cockpit parts need to be fully finished and painted first. But once that's done, the fuselage fits together very nicely: Cockpit completed apart from the glareshield and gunsight, a few radio boxes missing from the aft compartment but otherwise looking pretty good. Also fitted the resin nose cowling: Needed quite a bit of putty to fair it all in but it's a good fit. The tail end was a very different story: The resin rear section was of a very different diameter to the kit. I suspect it was cast from a different kit, possibly Tamiya's. There was no way I was going to fight it enough to fit, so I sawed off the fillet and reset it in Milliput to fit the kit's spine. Now it's looking more like it! Can't possibly recommend the resin product I bought for this major mis-fit. However, the cowling worked well enough. Will have to see how the flaps and control surfaces measure up next! Moving on to the wings: Revell have moulded the wings in one connected span, so no issues with the dihedral or wing-to-fuselage join. This is an imaginative bit of tooling which works really well. Once set, the wing box fits directly to the fuselage very nicely indeed. Probably will need just a slick of Perfect Plastic Putty to fill the small seams left. I'm liking this kit more and more as I'm building it. At £30 a time, this should be a real winner. Alan 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almac Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Excellent work so far. I’ve made a start on mine but stalled for the moment as I continue with my teensy 1/72 P-51b. To be honest I find the size daunting and it’s a bit more complicated than I’m used to. Cheers Allan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Yes a really good start. I hadn’t noticed the upper cowling shape issue, but your resin piece does look better than the original.I have also been considering a filleted fin for mine, but having seen the problems you’ve had perhaps scratch building a fillet would be better. Keep up the good work. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEMPESTMK5 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Good morning Alan Very good job so far All the best Patrice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 1/26/2020 at 11:14 PM, almac said: Excellent work so far. I’ve made a start on mine but stalled for the moment as I continue with my teensy 1/72 P-51b. To be honest I find the size daunting and it’s a bit more complicated than I’m used to. Cheers Allan It's bigger than I expected. Plenty of nice detail already in the kit without needing lots of extra work. On 1/27/2020 at 5:09 AM, Biggles87 said: Yes a really good start. I hadn’t noticed the upper cowling shape issue, but your resin piece does look better than the original.I have also been considering a filleted fin for mine, but having seen the problems you’ve had perhaps scratch building a fillet would be better. Keep up the good work. John Thanks John, I'd recommend building the fillet from scratch and using Milliput to smooth it in. Because the aerofoil shape of the fin gets thinner at the leading edge, there's no escaping some puttying to fill the aft end of the fillet. On 1/27/2020 at 7:45 AM, TEMPESTMK5 said: Good morning Alan Very good job so far All the best Patrice Thanks Patrice 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Freezing again today😫, but I got some done yesterday... Here are the resin replacements for the elevators - it replaces the ribbed fabric ones of the early 'Stangs with the aluminium ones of the later models. The lower one was a slightly short mould (the anti-flutter mass balance) so i added the extra length using laminates of plastic card and sanded them to shape. Using the kit tail with the modified resin fillet meant i could use the kit stabilizers and the fit is excellent: The fitting tabs also interlock inside the fuselage so everything straightens up nicely as well. Another resin addition: The replacement rudder corrects the shape at the bottom edge - the Revell one curves up too sharply. To be honest, it's not a problem I'd have noticed, but, since it's there, I'll use it. On the downside, the mass balance is smaller than the kit so i have to adjust either the tab or the recess in the fin. As it's easier, I'll adapt the fin! Really enjoying the build. After this I might just invest in another as a straight OOB build because it's been fun. Might even be able to fit it into the GB if the weather improves. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 Like what you are doing to this, and a standout scheme planned. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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