shortCummins Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 3 hours ago, AliGauld said: I've been lurking with this one and marvelling at the fabulous work done. It looks utterly brilliant and what a fantastic save on the nose. One word of caution, I also saw the Will Pattison video and have used it to good effect, but as AK Xtreme Metals are enamels and not lacquers the white spirit will react with them and lift them. Hope this helps, Cheers, Alistair thanks Alistair that explains what happened 👍 rgds John(shortCummins) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 Just caught up again, looks fantastic John, great job on the paint. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 27 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said: Just caught up again, looks fantastic John, great job on the paint. Chris thanks Chris Eduard have engineered a really nice kit and have several "weekend" offerings for under £20, Hannants have one version, P-51D-20 with 4 marking options, for only £15.60 and ProfiPACK versions for under £30, very tempting I've also found out not to use white spirit on Xtreme Metal paints, good for future reference (providing I remember!) rgds John(shortCummins) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 Eduard provide quite a few stencils for the P-51 however I don’t plan on using all of them. I’ve highlighted the “few” stencils I’ve added. Once again the carrier film was removed from some of the ones I used. Fuel filler details carrier removed, red “L” not removed I managed to remove some of the red from the “L”, I think it must have been the tweezers? Carrier film not removed from these decals. Next, I’ll be working on the landing gear and Brassin wheels. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.P. Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Looks great, nice save on the damaged paint on the nose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 The decals are looking good, John, minor disaster aside. Which was admirably repaired too. Taking notes as the Mk II Tempest kit I have in the stash has the removeable carrier film decals. BTW, totally agree that the AK Xtreme Metals are hardier than Alclad, my P-38 got some accidental rough handling over the weekend that would have taken off the Alclad, but the AK is untouched. Most impressed James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winded Penguin Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 On 11/17/2022 at 6:35 AM, Biggles87 said: Me neither. ‘Happy Jack’s Go Buggy’ is probably my favourite Mustang scheme. I’d like to do one in 1/32 but all the decals available use the wrong colours for the legend. If you continue at the present rate you’ll be finished before Christmas. John. Me neither !! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 On 04/12/2022 at 15:31, J.P. said: Looks great, nice save on the damaged paint on the nose. 4 hours ago, 81-er said: The decals are looking good, John, minor disaster aside. Which was admirably repaired too. Taking notes as the Mk II Tempest kit I have in the stash has the removeable carrier film decals. BTW, totally agree that the AK Xtreme Metals are hardier than Alclad, my P-38 got some accidental rough handling over the weekend that would have taken off the Alclad, but the AK is untouched. Most impressed James thanks Chaps rgds John(shortCummins) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueNosers352nd Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Makes me want to finish my model room remodel (among the rest of the house) and get back at some building. And seeing my username, obviously a P-51 doesn't help that urge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 The landing gear was given a coat of Xtreme Metal AK478 white aluminium. Some of the "underlay tape" was added to the struts. I first cut some tape to to the correct size and then transferred to the tape. Both the scissors and door attachment points were added. There were a couple of stencils added to the gear. looking at these photos the tape doesn't show up as much as it does "in the flesh" Next, I’ll be attending to the resin wheels. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 I haven’t tried my AK ‘White Aluminium’ yet but it looks just right for the undercarriage legs. John. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 The Brassin resin wheels were given a coat of MrSurfacer 1500 black primer… …the tyres were given an initial coat of the same mix, NATO black and RLM 66, that I used for the invasion stripes… …followed by MRP-114 extra dark sea grey… …and the treads dry brushed with Alkan A-14 steel grey… …and then the wheel hubs given a coat of AK479 using the masks supplied with the Brassin set. Decal “slip” markers applied to the wheels. As I’d used the gear doors as masks, these were removed, I’d previously painted the “inside” of these with AK478 and MrColor 352 chromate yellow… …the wheels were attached, followed by the gear doors. Next, I’ll be sorting out the propellor. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 After a coat of Mr Surfacer 1500 black primer, the propellor blades were given a coat of Xtreme Metal AK478 white aluminium… …followed by the NATO black and RLM 66 mix… …then highlighted with MRP-114 extra dark sea grey I then made a template for the blade tips, a “cross” was made in the centre of a piece of paper, and a hole in the middle of a cross, the propellor blades were then placed in the hole and the tip marked on the paper template. Masking tape was then used for the tip(s) by rotating the blades and using the mark to ensure that each tip was in the same place. Each tip was then given a base coat of white… …followed by MRP-122 marking yellow. After a blast of hairspray the blades were given a highly thinned coat, 95% thinner 5% paint, of Tamiya XF57 buff which was then “chipped” to try and give an “ingrained dirt” effect… …followed by some very light "sponge chipping" along the edges of the blades, using vallejo metal color 77.717 dull aluminium… …and finally the rear of the blades were given a light brush from a 1800 grit sanding sponge to simulate wear. The spinner was painted red at the same time as the fuselage nose and the blade decals added… …the rear part of the spinner was weathered with a couple of AK weathering pencils, red and black, to simulate oil and grease leaks… Then, I couldn’t resist, I balanced the propellor onto the aircraft. Next, I’ll be looking at getting the correct colour for the external “paper” fuel tanks. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Very nicely done on that prop! James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Good stuff. I’m definitely going to use that template idea for the yellow prop tips. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 @Biggles87 advised that "in real life" the paper fuel tanks appeared “brighter” than I’d sprayed them, thanks for the info John, this sort of helpful advice is one of the main reasons I like this forum so much. So off I went on an inter-web search for some reference’s and came across this really interesting website… https://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-articles/necessity-mother-invention-paper-drop-tanks-wwii.html There are a couple of photos that show “brand new” tanks being a bright aluminium colour so I decided to overspray the LP-11 with a light coat of Xtreme Metal AK488 matt aluminium… …I think this has given them just the right amount of brightness? The photos also showed red bands, canvas support straps, so I masked and sprayed some MRP-042 Russian aircraft chassis red, followed by a coat of MRP-127 matt varnish. Finally the stencil decals were applied. Next, I’ll be staring the weathering. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Perfect! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 21 hours ago, Biggles87 said: Perfect! thanks for your help, it is much appreciated 👍 rgds John(shortCummins) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 “Normally” my start of the weathering process would be to apply a coat or two of aqua gloss to ensure that any pin-wash would run smoothly along panel lines however, I’ll not be doing that incase it spoils the NMF. So to start I decided to add some pencil chips to the anti-glare panel using a couple of AK weathering pencils, olive green and aluminium… I ran an aluminium pencil along the panel lines on the insignia… …and to the edges of some of the access panels. Several 502 Abteilung oils were used to create dirt, grime and fluid leaks: ABT240 cream brown ABT092 ocher ABT510 starship filth ABT005 smoke ABT006 burnt umber ABT030 faded navy blue She’s a little more grubby than I’d intended but I hope she gives the impression of a “hard worked” front-line aircraft? Next, I’ll be nailing the remaining bits’n’pieces and getting her ready for inspection. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 Grubby is good. Apparently a favoured method of entry by certain ‘hot shot’ pilots was to climb on to a wheel, vault on to the wing and walk across to the cockpit. I like the silver pencil weathering on the panel lines, very effective. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 The weathering looks excellent to me, John! You've definitely hit the mark for a front-line machine James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 5 hours ago, 81-er said: The weathering looks excellent to me, John! You've definitely hit the mark for a front-line machine James thanks James note to self, a very little oil paint goes a very, very long way! rgds John(shortCummins) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 Update-27 by John Cummins, on Flickr Build log - 27 final pieces The remaining bits’n’pieces were added to the aircraft including… Exhaust pipes, these are just “pressed in” no glue used! Landing gear and pitot tube, I found it easier to remove the gear covers as then I could “twist” the landing gear into position, once again no glue its just “locked” in place. The “inner” gear covers were a little tricky to fit as there is really no location point(s), CA, deep breath and holding them in place seamed to work. External “paper” fuel tanks, these were a PITA, if I’d thought about it I’d have drilled some holes and fixed them in place with some wire/rod. Pitot tube need a hole drilling, I might have missed that from the instructions? Antenna Landing light bent and glued in place Canopy Spinner and propellor Next, I’ll be taking some photos for the RFI. until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this build and can’t recommend the kit highly enough, if you’re in the market for the 1:48 P-51, get one of Eduard’s offerings. I plan to build another P-51D early next year however this time it’ll be a RAF or RAAF green and grey camo’ version probably using this Xtradecal sheet My current favourite is the blue rudder although the yellow and black nose/spinner is also very tempting. Anyhow, that’s in the future, if your interested, you can find the RFI photo’s for this build here… until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 Another great build, John I like the idea of the RAF Mustang, I'll look forward to that one when it happens James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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