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A Pair of Academy 1/72 P-51Bs


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3 hours ago, fightersweep said:

I'm not exactly the greatest modeller

Well, the two P-51B's (and the JU-52) suggest you are humbling yourself more than necessary.

They're awesome builds!  I love the whitewall tyres on the QP/L machine!  The American pilots did some fun things to personalize their mounts.

Having built the Academy P-51B kit also, I'd say it's very good - meaning the Arma Hobby kit must be quite amazing, if one can afford it.

Excellent work!  Well done!  👏👏

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Thanks to everyone for the very positive comments. I really appreciate it. I think my lack modelling confidence only exists in my mind because I compare my efforts to all of the incredibly inspiring builds with flawless paintwork posted here and on other websites. I know I shouldn't think that way and it's only just me wishing I could achieve similar results, so I know that I should use that inspiration to try improve the next build. I do have an airbrush, but unfortunately I just don't have the space for a spray booth. One day, I hope to have the set up I would like. Just waiting for the kids to move out! 🙂  

 

Having said that, I do still enjoy trying to perfect my brush painting. I haven't yet found a "modern" paint that I get on with using paint brushes (the Vallejo Metal Colour excepted...must explore that avenue further) so I've built up a collection of old enamels from 30, 40 and 50 years back which I find work beautifully with a brush.

 

13 hours ago, DaddyO said:

When you mentioned 'gloy' paints I was wondering, but you've made a beautiful job painting with the old hairy sticks.

 

Gloy is an old brand of enamel paints that disappeared in the late 70s/early 80s. I remember using them back in the day as a kid and liking them a lot, so I've been hunting them down on eBay etc over the last few years. I love them because they give a wonderfully smooth finish with barely a sign of brush strokes, but they do take ages to dry. Oh! And they smell lush! Here's a photo of some of the brands I use. I don't use Airfix paints that much, but rely mostly on the old Humbrol Authentics and Gloy. (Gloy is the tin on the right)

 

50381634983_776edbf082_c.jpg

 

13 hours ago, ijs302 said:

Very nice the vallejo metal colour looks good, you can never have enough mustangs, I know what you mean about fat fingers and failing eyesight, ju52 and decals brave man 😀

 

Thanks! Applying the decals to the Ju 52 was not a pleasant experience. The combination of the very thin and stretchy Printscale decals and the corrugated surface of the Ju 52 proved a real challenge. Once the decal hit the surface, it grabbed and wouldn't budge, so I had one shot at getting the placement right on all the decals. Not something I want to do again anytime soon!

 

Thanks again for all the positive comments. A real confidence boost for this not very confident modeller!

 

Cheers!

Steve

 

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1 hour ago, Hopesdaddy said:

Must be difficult to keep such old paint from Posing a problem

 

I've had the odd tin of Humbrol Authentic dry up on me, but the Gloy paints are something else! I'm not sure what formula they used, but every tin, unused or used, has been perfect. I've not had one dry up yet, and every unused tin I have opened has been ready to go and as good as new. Old Humbrols that have never been previously opened tend be separated. Usually a thick lump at the bottom and everything else floating on top, but a vigorous amount of stirring brings them back to life. The Gloy paints on the other hand are never seem to be separated when I open new (but 40 year old +) tins and only require a quick stir. I don't know what what they did differently, but I love using them.

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Fantastic pair of Mustangs Steve, really excellent! I made the Academy P-51B in the Mustang STGB a few years back and thought that it was an excellent kit, very enjoyable build.

 

And what a great Ju 52! I saw one flying near Heathrow in about 1987 (a while ago) and thought I was seeing things! A plane restored in Germany I think, not sure where it is now.

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All three models look awesome! It`s impressive how well you`ve managed to brush paint these.

 

I was under the impresson that the Vallejo MetalColor comes prethined for airbrush. How was it to brush?

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@Johnson @John Laidlaw Thank you gents. Much appreciated! Wonder if the Ju 52 you saw was Lufthansa's D-AQUI that they operated for years offering pleasure flights. Think they pulled the plug on that a few years ago.

 

19 minutes ago, Fin said:

All three models look awesome! It`s impressive how well you`ve managed to brush paint these.

 

I was under the impresson that the Vallejo MetalColor comes prethined for airbrush. How was it to brush?

 

Thank you Fin! I found the Vallejo brushed beautifully. I followed the usual rules that apply to airbrushing, except with a brush. I painted the areas to be silver with a base coat of Humbrol 85 coal black, then applied three thin coats of the Vallejo silver. Worked a treat!

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Three of them look great, Steve. C'mon the brush painters 😀 I have a Ju52 in the stash, the See one - don't know when I'll  ever be brave enough, so I applaud you.

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@stevehnz @Nerazzurri @Vulcanicity

 

Thank you gents! Much appreciated! 

 

@Nerazzurri Do give the Ju 52 a go. If its the Italeri kit, it was a great build that went together without any problems and impressive once built.

 

Steve

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Such beautiful models.  You sell yourself short, good sir.  And your brush paint job doesn't look brush painted.  How you and Tony O'Toole make such great examples of painting with brushes is beyond me.  The finish looks sprayed on.  And, the metal finishes are hard to believe they were painted with a brush.  Well done.  I feel you pain with decals and corrugated surfaces.  It is not an easy thing to do.  Thanks for sharing.

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@georgeusa Thank you very much for the kind words. I really appreciate it and all of the comments here have been such a massive confidence boost, so thank you all! As far as the brush painting is concerned: I think it's just years of having to perfect the technique. For me, it's been all about finding the right paints and always working with thin coats. It might take a lot longer waiting for paint to dry between coats, but the end result is always worth the wait. I've always stuck with enamels too, but I will be exploring the acrylic route. The ready for airbrush paints seem perfect for the thinned coat technique that I use. Having said that, I really do want to get into airbrushing, particularly as I have some cars to build and I really don't think I could nail a paint job like that with a brush....and then there's mottling!

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@Mig88 @Romeo Alpha Yankee @modelmania Thank you for the kind comments gents. Much appreciated. Currently finishing off an old Heller 1/72 Morane Saulnier MS 230 and Potez 631. I'll make sure to post them too once done.

 

Cheers!

Steve

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