Arma 1/72nd P-51B-C, Mustang Mk.III,...... NEW KIT! ***FINISHED***

[tonyot]

3 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Dayam, Tony- I'm still waiting for the two I've pre-ordered, and here you are almost finished with one!  As the sprue shots and reviews have shown, it looks like Arma has given us a state of the art and accurate Merlin highback kit....finally! I have been very impressed with the thoughtful engineering and  the precise fit of  their releases. Can't wait to see the RFI photos! (One of  mine will be 352nd FG ace William Whisner's famous 'Princess Elizabeth,' and the other most likely a Mustang Mk III with the dorsal fin fairing as  KH616, CV-J from No. 3 Squadron, RAAF. (There's just something about that blue rudder with the Southern Cross on it...)

Mike

 

https://aeropedia.com.au/content/north-american-p-51b-p-51c-mustang-mustang-ii-iii/

 

No photos of CV-J, but a very interesting No. 3 Squadron website I thought you and others might find useful- some neat modeling possibilities!

http://www.3squadron.org.au/index.htm

 

Happy Holidays, my friend!

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/b8/e2/12/b8e21265646b4a5e6052916f3a3a7c23.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/aa/8e/67/aa8e6722909d9c7ae974e4eaa37a8bcb.jpg

https://i1.wp.com/www.swafineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pathfinder-Force-swa-site.jpg?fit=2717%2C1636&ssl=1

Thanks Mike,..... yes it is a gorgeous model mate. I`ll probably finish this one as the Polish option from the kit,..... but I am tempted to do a RCAF overall silver one,...... we`ll see?

[steh2o]

Hey now that I notice it:

the kit has markings for RAF a/cs but does not offer Sutton harness for the seat.

IIRC, RAF P-51B/Cs had Sutton harness fitted and standard NAA pistol grips for the control stick

[tonyot]

35 minutes ago, steh2o said:

Hey now that I notice it:

the kit has markings for RAF a/cs but does not offer Sutton harness for the seat.

IIRC, RAF P-51B/Cs had Sutton harness fitted and standard NAA pistol grips for the control stick

I`m with you on the harness,..... not too sure about all of them having the spade grip though. 

[steh2o]

No Mk.III apparently had the standard factory pistol grip as fitted to the american aircraft. Spade grips were reportedly fitted just to earlier Allison engined Mustang Mk I s

[Railfan87]

On 12/22/2021 at 4:56 PM, tonyot said:

... but I am tempted to do a RCAF overall silver one,...... we`ll see?

Me too!  I understand the Mustang III was flown late in the war by 441 and 442 squadrons.  I'd rather do a Mk. I, but I haven't been able to find a kit to start from in 1:72.  Maybe the Brengun?

 

Following your build with great interest! 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Railfan87

[tonyot]

Thanks for the kind comments folks,....... over Christmas I`ve managed to snd the model and add some of the additional airframe items like flaps, intakes etc,..I have also filled in the hole for the antenna mast behind the cockpit as this model will have a sliding Malcolm hood;

 

Now then,..... colour scheme! At first I was going to go for the Polish option in the kit as it is an aircraft that I would like to portray at some stage, with its interesting artwork,...... but,..... I had also determined that my next Mustang Mk.III would be a silver 441 Sqn RCAF aircraft,...... a scheme which would really highlight the superb detail of this kit. Now I have the codes etc to be able to do this option,..... but,..... I have already fitted the British style louvred intakes on the lower engine cowls,..... and the 441 Sqn aircraft did not have these! So,....if I can easily remove these and replace them,..... I`ll go Canadian,..... if not,..... I`ll go camouflaged and Polish,...... I really shouldn`t drink and model at the same time,... but it is Christmas!

 

 

EDIT,...... Louvres removed,...... silver it is then! 

 

Cheers

          Tony

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by tonyot

[tonyot]

A bit more progress,..... got the engine griils swapped over, larger drop tanks asembled, Malcolm hood canopy slide rails on and the rear windows behind the pilots seat,..... but the numbers on the instructions are wrong and they simply need to be swapped over;

 

Just a quick clean up, then canopy masks on and time to paint,...... I`ll be spraying it using Tamiya rattle can Bare Metal Silver,

Cheers for now,

                      Tony

 

[steh2o]

Great work Tony! Eager to see it painted!

[Adam Maas]

On 12/24/2021 at 8:08 AM, Railfan87 said:

Me too!  I understand the Mustang III was flown late in the war by 441 and 442 squadrons.  I'd rather do a Mk. I, but I haven't been able to find a kit to start from in 1:72.  Maybe the Brengun?

 

Following your build with great interest! 

The MPM/SH kit is the only real option for a Mk1 in 1/72. Reboxed in an endless series of variations, but you can do reasonable versions of all 4 Allison variants this way. They did 3 wings(mk1A, A-36, P-51A), plus inserts to get the Mk1 wing from the Mk1A wing. Two fuselages as well (nose guns and no nose guns). Not perfect, the rad intake in particular doesn't account for all variations and the wheel wells are old-school, but serviceable

[bigbadbadge]

Looking good Tony, yes drinking and modelling not good 😄 

Looking forward to the paint now.

Chris

[tonyot]

On 12/24/2021 at 1:08 PM, Railfan87 said:

Me too!  I understand the Mustang III was flown late in the war by 441 and 442 squadrons.  I'd rather do a Mk. I, but I haven't been able to find a kit to start from in 1:72.  Maybe the Brengun?

 

Following your build with great interest! 

I have the Brengun kit and it looks to be a superb little kit of the Mk.I. There is an in box review here;

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by tonyot

[tonyot]

On 12/22/2021 at 9:56 PM, Bobby No Mac said:

Pulling up a pew because I'm quite taken by the look of this kit. Great progress so far! 

Thanks mate,..... yeah pull up a chair and grab some popcorn,.... or a beer. 

[k5054nz]

Thanks for the kit pics Tony, those sprues are simply exquisite! And evidently it goes together as well as it looks, judging by your progress!!

[Adam Maas]

2 hours ago, tonyot said:

I have the Brengun kit and it looks to be a superb little kit of the Mk.I. There is an in box review here;

 

 

Ooh,

I missed that one completely. Have to track it down as the MPM/SH kit is in need of a modern replacement

[stevehnz]

On 12/29/2021 at 3:54 AM, tonyot said:

I really shouldn`t drink and model at the same time,... but it is Christmas!

 

11 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

yes drinking and modelling not good 😄

I don't know what you're on about, I do some of my best work with a couple few bevvies on board, least I think I do.   

That looks like a superb kit Tony & you're making great progress, I'm really looking forward to being able to snag a few. The Jerzy Mencel machine is high on my to do list.

Steve.

[Jackson Duvalier]

Can't wait for my stack of Mustangs to arrive but in the meantime I'm really enjoying the vicarious experience of this build, Tony.  

 

For me personally a few drinks can help overcome overthinking and Fear Of Messing Up, both common modelling obstacles for me.  (Fun fact: Tamiya paints can be thinned for airbrushing with whiskey.  I suppose most any other spirit will also work but we had Tullamore Dew on board for the proof-of-concept demonstration.)

 

A note for those wishing to model Allison Mustangs: the MPM and Brengun kits have incorrect, over-deep fuselages appropriate for Merlin-engined Mustangs, which I presume is down to lazy research or the mistaken assumption that the fuselages did not change.  This flaw is indeed noticeable and not easily fixed, and especially sad in Brengun's case as the issue was widely known before they cut the moulds. 

 

Academy make a nice P-51NA kit that could be modified into a Mk. I.  Or the Very Serious Modeller could start with the High Planes P-51A kit.  Both of these have the correct fuselage depth, and as far as I know are the only 1/72 Allison Mustang kits that get the basic shapes right.

[tonyot]

Thanks for the kind comments folks,..... well I`ve got some paint onto the model today,...... might need another coat yet?

 

Glad I chose the silver scheme,.... it shows off the exquisite detail of this kit beautifully,....... now I`m wondering if this 441 Sqn RCAF aircrft had an anti dazzle panel on the nose,..... it is hard to tell in the reference photo! 

Need to mask up the spinner again as some of the underlying paint is still visible! I`ve also dislodged the rear windows by moving the tissue inside the cockpit,...... been a bit of a fiddle these windows to be fair, possibly my crystal clear isn`t setting like it should?

 

Cheers for now,

                         Tony

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by tonyot

[72modeler]

17 minutes ago, tonyot said:

Thanks for the kind comments folks,..... well I`ve got some paint onto the model today,...... might need another coat yet?

 

Glad I chose the silver scheme,.... it shows off the exquisite detail of this kit beautifully,....... now I`m wondering if this 441 Sqn RCAF aircrft had an anti dazzle panel on the nose,..... it is hard to tell in the reference photo! 

Need to mask up the spinner again as some of the underlying paint is still visible! I`ve also dislodged the rear windows by moving the tissue inside the cockpit,...... been a bit of a fiddle these windows to be fair, possibly my crystal clear isn`t setting like it should?

 

Cheers for now,

                         Tony

 

Wow! Whatever you used for the aluminum paint looks outstanding! Can't wait to see the RFI photos! Regarding your query on the antiglare panel on the nose. I found this photo- don't know if you have already seen it, but it appears to me, and it's only a guess, but I'm thinking this Mustang has been stripped down to bare metal, and a vestige of the original OD paint has been left along the upper nose to serve as antiglare. I think you can also see some OD paint on the spine behind the canopy. What do you think, my friend? If so, that's going to be VERY hard to replicate, but you're the man!

Mike

 

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/p51-raf/p-51-hb876/

[tonyot]

12 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

Wow! Whatever you used for the aluminum paint looks outstanding! Can't wait to see the RFI photos! Regarding your query on the antiglare panel on the nose. I found this photo- don't know if you have already seen it, but it appears to me, and it's only a guess, but I'm thinking this Mustang has been stripped down to bare metal, and a vestige of the original OD paint has been left along the upper nose to serve as antiglare. I think you can also see some OD paint on the spine behind the canopy. What do you think, my friend? If so, that's going to be VERY hard to replicate, but you're the man!

Mike

 

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/p51-raf/p-51-hb876/

Cheer Mike,..... it is Tamiya rattle can Bare Metal Silver mate. Cheers for the pic,...... it is clearer than the one I have in a book,....... I would say that the dark area along the spine and nose is glare maybe? I suspected that it was just stripped back to bare metal and your larger pic has helped convince me that no anti glare panel was applied. It also confirms that I need to use stencilled serils rather than the KP ones that I have,..... the codes are also thicker,..... but I may just have to lump it with those,..... I was sent an IPMS Canada by a friend (cheers Jim!),..... but I think that he kept the 1/72nd options for himself, leaving me with the 1/32nd and 1/48th ones?? 

 

Here is the photo that Mike attached;

 

Cheers

         Tony

[steh2o]

Tony try and check if it's only glare with the painted model, after all it is accurate enough to reproduce lightning effects as the real thing...anyway it's really weird that the actual a/c did not have an antiglare- painted area in front of the windscreen what do you think?

[72modeler]

Tony, Just now found this, and if you already have seen it, I apologize, but thought others might find the text and photos useful. I know it's only a color profile, with all of the caveats regarding the same, but if it is accurate, then your Mustang most likely had no antiglare panel. Hope this helps! The serial number blocks were extremely interesting! (Now to snag that second cup of coffee and research the bejeezus out of  of this topic- it's the smell of burning hard drives and the sound of screaming women!) 

Mike

 

https://www.ipmscanada.com/rt-issues-text/RCAF 441 Mustang IIIs.pdf

[bigbadbadge]

Looking good with some paint on Tony, some fantastic details there.

Great work 

Chris

[steh2o]

5 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Tony, Just now found this, and if you already have seen it, I apologize, but thought others might find the text and photos useful. I know it's only a color profile, with all of the caveats regarding the same, but if it is accurate, then your Mustang most likely had no antiglare panel. Hope this helps! The serial number blocks were extremely interesting! (Now to snag that second cup of coffee and research the bejeezus out of  of this topic- it's the smell of burning hard drives and the sound of screaming women!) 

Mike

 

https://www.ipmscanada.com/rt-issues-text/RCAF 441 Mustang IIIs.pdf

Definitely no antiglare, I m convicted now!

[tonyot]

Thanks Fella`s,...... yeah I have a copy of that IPMS Canada article `somewhere',...... I`ve been looking for it today,...... so cheers to Mike and Jim for sending me an electric copy,..... it is so very kind of you lads! 

Yeah I`m going with no anti glare panel on this one,....... I`m also going to do a camouflaged 441 Sqn RCAF Mustang too,.....probbly in 1/48th,.... plus a Spitfire Mk.IX too. 

I got some gloss varnish on the model tonight while watching La La Land,..... again,..... so hopefully the decals tomorrow along with finishing off the propeller blades,

Cheers

          Tony

PS,.... I`m in two minds whether to add an RCAF `Oversea' Maple Leaf below the cockpit,...... `maybe' it was masked in the photo by the wing? Most of the camouflaged Mustangs on the squadron seem to wear one?

Edited December 31, 2021 by tonyot

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,...... pat way through the decals,...... I`m getting the stencilled serials from a Ventura sheet, the codes are from the KP kit and the rest of the decals are from this kit;

 

Serials should be on soon!

Cheers

        Tony