F-51D Korea

[Biggles87]

This build started life in the Mustang STGB earlier this year but unfortunately I ran out of time ( as usual ) and couldn’t complete it by the deadline.

For those who didn’t follow the GB, the kit is from Meng with an instrument panel by Yahu and decals from the Tamiya F-51 Korean War boxing which were kindly donated by @Wez. The rockets were borrowed from an Eduard overtrees set and the extra radio behind the headrest, often seen on Korean War Mustangs, was adapted from something in my spares box. The finish is not intended to be natural metal but the metallic grey paint which I believe was used on some Korean War F-51s, I used Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey with a drop of Light Gull Grey to lighten it up slightly.  These aircraft  became very scruffy particularly around the rear fuselage and the wing undersides and I have attempted to depict this using Flory washed and pastel dust. The napalm tanks were given a few ‘dings ‘ around the nose, sprayed aluminium and then brush painted with Zinc Chromate Yellow to achieve a patchy finish. I used a worn pan scourer to expose some of the aluminium then they  were dirtied up with Flory wash Grime and the orangey staines around the filler caps were made using Citadel Ryza Rust compound daubed on with a cocktail stick.

And a couple for those who didn't see the WIP

 

I hope you like it.

 

 

John 

[28ZComeback]

Gorgeous Mustang! 

[Wulfman]

A lovely scruffy Mustang, great weathering !

 

Wulfman

[Chrisj2003]

Nice weathered 12 FBS Mustang in late warm trim.  

 

I particularly like what you’ve done with the napalm tanks; may try to do the same when I build my Tamiya 72nd version of the same aircraft. 

[Wez]

Glad to have helped in a small way to the outcome of this beauty, well done John, lovely job!

[28ZComeback]

The grayish tint is a very close approximation to the weathered bare metal seen at Kimpo. Very few pristine Mustangs existed in wartime conditions. 

[SAT69]

Looks very very good. Great detail in the cockpit.

[Biggles87]

Thanks guys, you're very kind. I realised looking back that I had duplicated a couple of the photos ( I was rushing to get it posted before dinner ) so I have replaced the duplicates. I also noticed that I had not applied the ' NO STEP ' marks on the flaps or painted the hand hold under the canopy red, these will be rectified in due course.

I was undecided initially wether this particular aircraft was painted or NMF until someone pointed out to me that the NMF aircraft had darker panels around the exhaust and the painted ones did not, you can see this on the SAAF Mustangs in Korea and those were definitely painted.

[rob85]

That’s a beautiful mustang, top class work as ever!

 

Rob

[phildagreek]

That’s very smart!

[Alan P]

Well done, John, good to see it finished. You really made it look like the real thing - a second string workhorse still possessing its faded grandeur 😉👍

 

Alan 

[F-32]

Love it, looks like a proper war machine!