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P-51D over Uruguay, Airfix new tool 1/72nd...


John Masters

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Let's try this one again!  A new kit, with new tooling, a new thread and some decals kindly donated by a member!  I will be building the Mustang flown by Lt. Jorge Thomasset, Grupo de Aviación No.2 Caza, Uruguay in 1955.  After the last debacle with the Revell junk, this looks to be a much better kit indeed.  Here are the prerequisite opening salvos...

 

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Nice looking plastic...excellent detail compared to what I had struggles with before.

 

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Some decals...

 

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And the info sheet from the LF Models decals.  I will try to combine the best of both, imho.

 

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Airfix has supplied some excellent decals too.  I will be using the stencils.  I have found they add a level of detail that, for the monoplane and jet, reminds me of the rigging on a biplane.

 

Now that the Stuka is off the bench I have some room to move.  I'll dig into this one this evening after work.

 

--John

 

 

Edited by John D.C. Masters
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I think you will enjoy building the Airfix Mustang.  You will have to replace the radio mast because most of these are shapeless messes of plastic and the control column will snap in two regardless of how careful you are separating it from the runner.  The only other issue is the main gear legs which may need straightening.

 

AW

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Not really funny, just inevitable.  It’s a very poor piece of engineering, most kit producers would only have the one connection point, having two introduces too much stress.

 

AW

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So far no snags.  This is a quick build, so far!  (must have the disclaimer...)

 

Some Interior Green for the interior...

 

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The cockpit pieces went together pretty well.  I had to use some varnish to get the instrument panel decal to stick.  I scratched the control stick...harness is masking tape.

 

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And the other half went on without a problem.  Flush.

 

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The wing halves were simple to assemble.  I drilled out the holes for the drop tanks and will use them.  Not sure if they went on in Uruguay, but I'll use "Modeller's Choice" for this call.

 

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One odd thing...the opening frame for the air scoop is actually cracked.  Not my doing.  I'll have to fill this and sand it once it is one.  Kind of a weird bummer in an otherwise mostly perfect little kit.

 

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For now, the glue dries.

 

--John

 

 

 

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So since there is no radio mast, but rather a teardrop mast thingy...out comes the Dremel and some sprue.

 

The MiniLathe...

 

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Like so...

 

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I'll finesse it a bit later.  

 

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--John

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Just so you know I have not forgotten this one!  Wrapping up the Venom took all of my focus for a few days.  Now I am on the right track to do the same with the Pony Plane.

 

This evening I took care of what I like to call 'odds and ends'...propeller, spinner, glass, wheels, exhausts...the little pieces that will go on after the aircraft is painted.  Some were just primed and some, like the propeller, are ready for their decals.

 

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And the aircraft is ready for its primer coat as well.  I am thinking of priming it black. Others have achieved such nice results with NMF and black undercoat.  

 

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Tomorrow...

 

--John

 

 

 

 

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16 hours ago, gingerbob said:

while in the meadow

So poetic ginger bob...

 

46 minutes ago, Johnson said:

Looks good John.

Thanks Charlie...

 

Bit of an update...black primer on.  I'l get to the NMF before 20:00 hrs...

 

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Per @Ridgerunner's instructions, I fixed the prop colours...

 

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--John

 

 

 

 

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NMF is on (Vallejo Air Duraluminum) and I remembered to mask the black primer over the anti-glare area to save some time.  I'll take a hairy brush and some other NMF tones on some of the panels later.

 

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--John

 

 

 

 

Edited by John D.C. Masters
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I was up late and bored so I descried to take care of the little bits...undercarriage, glass, exhaust, darker panels...and I have a funny story too!

 

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That's shadow on those flaps, not a darker tone NMF, although there is a darker NMF there.  It's not that dark!

 

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So...the story goes like this:  I am inserting the starboard exhaust set-up and it is pretty tight.  I have the piece gripped in the off-set tweezers and suddenly...sproing!

Off it goes into the night!  Well, I will tell you, I searched high and wide for that damn thing.  I emptied the work bench trash and sorted through it.  I checked beneath the bed (small flat); I crawled along the carpets for 30 minutes.  No luck.  I resigned myself to making one from scratch--can't be too difficult, right?  And I put my hand to my chest and...there it was!  The little bit of glue on the piece had made it stick to my t-shirt while all the time I was on hands and knees and in the rubbish.  The gods of modelling had a good laugh at that one I am sure!  Well, all's well here and the exhaust was fitted properly.  Phew!

 

Time for some decals I think!  

 

--John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Good story John. Glad it had a happy ending!

 

I had similar experience with the P-51 exhaust. Did a test fit and it went through the hole into the fuselage :S. I could hear it rattling around inside but of course it wouldn't come out. Spent 15 minutes shaking the damn thing (the instrument panel came loose! :(). So I gave it up, figured I'd do more harm than good. Put the model down and there was the exhaust sitting on the bench, it had fallen out of the prop hole ages ago! :). I never did find out what caused the rattle!

 

Your Mustang looking very good with the different NMF panels!

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2 hours ago, Johnson said:

I never did find out what caused the rattle!

I have had that experience too!  Gremlins...

 

1 hour ago, Cheshiretaurus said:

had a few 'it was there all the time

As my mother would have said, "If it were a snake it woulda bit me!"

 

So..the Airfix stencils are on and they are not a problem at all.  Not a lot but enough to make a visual difference.  Remember the days before stencils?  What did we do?

 

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Next up...Painting the spinner and the final decal run.

 

--John

 

 

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4 minutes ago, John D.C. Masters said:

Airfix stencils are on and they are not a problem at all.  Not a lot but enough to make a visual difference.  Remember the days before stencils?  What did we do?

I've found recent Airfix decals, esp the stencils, really good, settle down very well. Before stencils? I used to hand paint some, but I was a lot younger, much better eyesight and steadier hand.

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Not so much modelling, but I was servicing a friends PS4 controller, dropped one of the little case screws on the floor.  15-20 minutes of crawling around with a torch, then gave up and thought I'll just take one out of my controller, stood up and it jabbed me in the foot, was in my slipper the whole time.

 

With my Mustang kit, I dropped the canopy frame while cleaning the gates, without thinking I rolled my office chair back with gusto, and ran over it.  Took a while to repair it, but it worked out in the end.  I still whip the chair back when I drop parts before I know where they landed, gonna run over something else soon I can feel it.

 

Back to your model, loving the metal finish, and its taking shape nicely.

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Well!  That was fun!  I had never built a Mustang before this GB and now I have built two and interesting markings to boot!  The Uruguayan Pony is finished.  I have not weathered it and I think it looks very nice as a clean build.  I don't think it saw huge amounts of combat anyway.  I could be wrong.  The decals are a mix of the LF sheet (rudder and roundels) and registration numbers supplied by Ridgerunner.  The LF set were too small for the space.  I also ;ft off the logo, seeing as I built #265 and not #252.  So this is not Lt. Jorge's aircraft, but rather another mount from Grupo de Aviación No. 2 Caza.  I'm not upset about this.  Paints are all Vallejo and Vallejo Air.  Nice Airfix kit with good detail and few complaints.

 

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Next to the Swiss P-51B...

 

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The rest are in the gallery!

 

--John

 

 

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10 hours ago, John D.C. Masters said:

The gods of modelling had a good laugh at that one I am sure!

Id laugh but Ive had that and worse/weirder happen to me so will just say nice save and shes looking great so far John. BTW your Vampire looked great as well, but I've been a bit delirious with fever lately so haven't said much. 


Dennis

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