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Tamiya P-51D built as a P-51D-10-NA


Juggernut

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Hello all:

 

Well, I got damn sick and tired of watching all the great builds going on here and not having anything to participate with.  So, I canned the P-61 (actually put it back in the box and shelved it but "canned" elicits a more appropriate feeling regarding the Avionix sets that I attempted to use.  Adjectives of disappointment with those sets fail me at the moment so I'll forget about it and move on.)  Anyway, I pulled out a Tamiya first release P-51D from the stash shelf and decided to "have a go" (best British accent).   Below are a few of the photos of the progress I've made on it and while nowhere near some of the abilities I've seen here lately, I'm confident it'll be as right as I can make it without having to succumb to AMS; if I do, then it'll probably never get done. 

 

The kit itself is a mismash of block numbers that Tamiya had to do to get more than one version out of a single box.  Consequently, the details of some of the parts on the kit aren't quite correct for an earlier P-51D.  The kit lends itself better to the block 20-25 series aircraft out of the box.  Wherever I need to make a change to a kit part to accurately represent the block 15 aircraft, I'll do my best to point it out.

 

The first shot below is of the oil tank, firewall and the rear half of the V-1650 Packard Merlin.   Without going into too much details, P-51D-15-NA aircraft had an oil tank without a dipstick.  The kit provides a "bump" for the dipstick by the filler neck which I promptly sanded off.  I also made a filler cap from punched styrene disks with stretched sprue "ears".  They're not really noticeable in the photo but they are there.  I dropped the damn thing on the ground about 20 times before I got it glued in place.  I was damn lucky to find it more than once! 

 

The interior green on the firewall is a mixture of my own using Testor's enamel zinc chromate and flat black; the same way the original interior green was made.  The mixture is about 10:1, using the Mk. 1 eyeball to judge the color until it "looked right". The oil tank itself, while seen in natural metal on most wartime Mustangs is Testor's Model Master Interior Green which, in my opinion, is WAY off the mark.  Maybe I just got a bad mix but if my older bottles of the color weren't solidified, I would've used them as the colors were much better.  I painted the tank as the surface of the tank is somewhat pebbly and wouldn't yield a good natural metal finish; so, I painted it and am calling it a replacement tank from the spares depot....  That's my story and I'm stickin to it.  I also discovered a little known piece of information (at least to me) about the firewall from reading the P-51D E&R manual.  The firewall is mostly armor plate excepting behind the oil tank itself which is stainless steel.  So, I painted that portion of the firewall, a stainless steel color (or reasonable facsimile thereof :) )  Attachment straps are aluminum although they should probably be a steel color as aluminum is almost never used as band clamps to hold tanks in place...it's far too weak.

 

The engine is Tamiya X-18 semi-gloss black which looks fantastic in 1/32.  The bolt/nut details were picked out with a sharpened toothpick and some Testor's chrome silver paint.  I'd say it looks convincing for an out of box engine. 

 

 

 

DSC03817_zpse6c32175.jpg

 

The next photo is, you guessed it, the cockpit area.  Basic coloring of the cockpit floor is flat black representing the non-skid paint used to cover the plywood flooring.  The zinc chromate recessed area is actually the top of the wing (on the real aircraft).  I've forgotten exactly what the silver cylinder is for but it's silver.... LOL. I've yet to paint the control locking pin red and the control column is awaiting some painting effects to accentuate the canvas boot at the base of the column (it can be seen in the lower right corner of the photo).  I used MDC luftwaffe cockpit gauge decals ( I know, I know, it's not right)  for the fuel gauges on the cockpit floor and used Microcoat Gloss for the lens.  At normal viewing distances, without magnification, you'll never be able to tell they're luftwaffe gauges.  The canvas cover below the seat got a coat of OD.  I have not yet weathered the cockpit floor other than some drybrushing to make the magnificent detail on this kit pop out.  I'll add some wood colored paint wear later.  The flooring under the fuselage fuel tank is/was plywood and I represented that with some Testor's wood colored paint...doesn't look too bad and when it's installed, you probably won't be able to see much of it anyway.  The fuel tank itself got a coat of Tamiya X-18 with some of the metal parts of the tank being picked out in flat black.  The radio/battery rack will also be painted flat black, not interior green as called out in the Tamiya instructions.  I haven't looked deep enough into the specifics of -15 Mustangs to see whether or not the SCR-522 radio was installed or the earlier version.  A quick look at the P-51D/Mustang IV Illustrated Parts Catalog will provide the answer, I just have to go look it up.  I sure hope it's the SCR-522 radio set as I do NOT want to scratchbuild an entire radio set...PITA.  I'm getting lazy in my middle agedness :rofl:

 

You'll also take note of the white plastic rod that runs on the left side of the radio  rack.  That my friends, is the tank vent which Tamiya only faintly tries to portray on the tank.  If you have the kit (built or unbuilt) and look at the tank in the forward left hand corner, you'll see a small length of raised plastic eminating from a small, circular area with four represented fasteners.  That is the tank vent as Tamiya provides.  Early P-51D's had only the vent tube.  Later marks (-20 and later I'm thinking) had a carburetor vapor return line integral with the 90 degree elbow that come out of the tank.  I know it's tough to envision without a specific photograph so I'll refer you to dodgem37's excellent build of this same kit for illustration of that specific feature which is portrayed flawlessly.

 

The seat is the Warren-Macarthur style and used if for no other reason that the vast majority of Mustangs I see have the Shick-Johnson seat installed.  The Shick-Johnoson seat was more common on later Mustangs but there's no hard and fast rule to say which Mustangs got which seats, regardless of production block.  This is probably one of those cases where the aircraft got whatever seat was available at the time.  The earlier the block number, the better the chance of having a Warren-Macarthur seat though.  Similar seats were in the B and C Mustangs.  Mustang seats, according to my references were painted dull dark green so that's what this one got.  That and a set of HGW seat belts/harness which while tricky to assemble, look very convincing once installed.

 

DSC03819_zpsc6eec4e7.jpg

 

I'm a long-winded poster sometimes and you'll please forgive the few photos in relation to the  text.  I've a long way to go but this kit is a gem and it shouldn't be too long before I add to this topic with more pix.  Thanks for looking in :punk:

Edited by Juggernut
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Great Start on your mustang!  I know it's got to feel great getting something done on a kit that looks less problematic.  :)​ 

 I'm sorry to hear of your P-61 troubles, but I'm sure after a good Tamiya build, you'll get the mojo back on that one too.

Just out of curiosity, what were the problems you encountered with the P-61 resin? 

 All the best,

 

 Paul 

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Thanks Paul,

 

Regarding the Avionix stuff.  Let me first say that the detail on the sets is phenomenal and the fit is very reasonable (but not perfect)!  That being said, the instructions, or lack thereof, for assembling the sets is the boon of both of them.   I just got fed up and disappointed with trying to assemble and paint them using whatever references I could find and then getting confused about what kit parts I needed to use in conjunction with the resin or in place  thereof.  Were the instructions sufficient to allow a good assembly flow, I probably wouldn't have quit. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, after what seems like an endless stint at working 10 hour shifts and 13 day rotations, I've managed to do a little more work on the Mustang.  This time, the area behind the cockpit to include the fuselage fuel tank, filler neck, fuel quantity gauge, radio rack and to a lesser extent, the radios themselves.

 

DSC03822_zps195b49bc.jpg

 

I've used some artistic license on one of the metal plates that cover the fuselage tank and painted it untinted zinc chromate.  Fuel vent line is installed and painted ModelMaster Aluminum Metalizer.  To represent the rubber tubing that connects the vent tube  elbow on the tank to the vent tube to overboard I built up a few layers of Mr. Surfacer and then painted it black.  I have not as yet added details to represent the clamps on this connection but did manage to use masking tape clamps on the filler neck.  I held these in place permanently with some diluted white glue.  I couldn't think of anything better to represent these at the time but since then, I've discovered that Bare Metal Foil will work fantastic for representing these clamps.  I may change them, I may not but any future clamps will get the BMF treatment. 

 

Tamiya, made a couple of very minor (almost not worth mentioning) oopsies and one is the color callout of the radio rack structure.  The instructions would have you paint it interior green but from looking at my references and researching the rack on the P-51 SIG, it turns out that the color should be black so that's what color I painted it.  Also, the SCR-522 radio set (the bigger of the two plastic colored boxes in the photo) is reversed.  The little cannon plug (small raised dot) should be aft  To correct it simply cut off the mounting pins and turn it around...simple fix.

 

Tamiya also represented the battery sump jar as an opaque plastic cylinder to the left of the battery on the radio rack.  You'll notice that it's missing in the above photo.  I cut it off and turned a piece of clear sprue on my Sherline lathe as a replacement.  It will receive two drilled holes in the top and some solder wire to represent the tubes between the battery and the overboard vent.  

 

I've also got a set of Barracuda stencils that I'll use on the battery and radio set provided I can find where I stashed them. 

 

Sorry for the slow progress.  That's all I have for tonight...not too interesting but if you're interested in some of the smaller details of the P-51D and the Tamiya kit, hopefully, I've given some insight into some of the things that need to change.  More to come at a later date.  Thanks for looking in.

Edited by Juggernut
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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for the kind comments.  I have had no time to work on this but may get a chance today, wife permitting.  Tis the season for holiday work and my wife does like to decorate.  Thankfully she has toned it down from previous years, making both our jobs a little easier.  Today we go Xmas tree hunting, then setup and decorate.

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Guest Peterpools

Terrific progress on teh 'Stang for sure. After having built three of the Tamiya Mustangs, I fully agree with your assessments and small adjustments need to be made. The biggest fault seems to be the color callouts but you have them under control and looking good.

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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Thanks Peter.  To be fair, and give credit where due,  I'm basing some of my corrections on an in-box kit review done by Christian A. (aka Tourist) done when the kit was first released in 2011.  The P-51 SIG had helped me with a previous build of this kit and I will refer to those notes when building this one too.  Again, I'll point out the differences between my build and what comes in the box hopefully not getting lost in minutia.  

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Guest Peterpools

On my first Mustang, I had to go back and correct a lot of the colors add-ons, as I followed the instructions without question and was part of an informal Buddy Build; the mistakes were pointed out which really helped. For the next two Mustangs, I did a lot more research and my big concern was the colors: front offcie, wheel wells and gun bays. If I learned anything (that will be the day) Mustang colors varied all over the place. Just enjoy an incredible kit and don't knock yourself out trying to get every color right on the money. I'm sure when you approach the wing portion of the build, the finish will be a point of discussion.

Enjoying your build

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello again:

 

Just a small update tonight.  First, I ask your forgiveness for the "off" lighting in these photos.  I'm working under flourescent lighting and it apparently gives the photographs a yellowish hue.  I've tried to adjust my camera for that but it doesn't seem to have made much difference.  Anyway, I've gotten the fuselage closed up and the next assembly is the wheel well for the main gear.  With the exigencies of the war being what they were and the demand for war fighting material being what it was, the need for the P-51D's far outstripped the supply (at least initally).  Consequently, some of the assembly procedures that were to be followed were, for all intents and purposes, ignored in favor of lower production times and higher production rates.  The main wheel wells are such an area that intially suffered the neglect of procedures.  Those procedures called out for a coating of primer on the entire wheel well area but as you've probably guessed by now, that didn't happen until later on in the P-51D production run.  To replicate this look, I've painted the major parts of the wheel well assembly untinted zinc and other parts remain natural metal finish.  The main spar was such an important part of the aircraft that it was coated in untinted zinc.  I've done my best to replicate that finish.   This is the raw paint on the spar without any sort of weathering.  I may do that later on just to accent details.

 

DSC03824_zps8335650f.jpg

 

The upper surfaces of the wheel well are the exterior skins of the top wing.  Consequently, these were painted with alclad aluminum finish to replicate skins in the wheel well that were not painted.  I also chose to paint the stringers in the wheel well area untinted zinc.  Knowing what that required as far as masking was concerned, I embarked on a marathon masking session with the result you see below.

 

DSC03823_zps91622d87.jpg

 

This next shot is of the wheel well area with the painting done and masks removed.  I am so thankful that the alclad did not peel on me as prior experience has taught me to prep, prep, prep then paint.  Again, no weathering yet, I'm holding off for a day or so until the paint cures.  I could not find any references to the area where the coolant and oil lines pass over the wing and to the engine compartment so instead of just painting the background black, I used a bit of artistic license and painted it tinted zinc (aka interior green). 

 

DSC03825_zps055fe14c.jpg

 

Lastly, the shot below shows the wheel well painted and assembled.  I couldn't resist the temptation and thinned some flat black paint and ran it into some of the recesses in the assembly.  It doesn't look too bad.  I have some touchup work to do yet but I'll get that done and add some light weathering.

 

DSC03826_zpsd069edda.jpg

Edited by Juggernut
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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi gang!

 

Another small update tonight.  In building the Tamiya kit as a block 15, there are a couple things that I did to bring the kit closer to that goal.  First, I filled in the two canopy opening latches on the canopy I chose.  Since I could find no definitive information on which of the three types of canopy that Tamiya provides in the kit belongs to the -15, I did a little bit of guess work and elminated two and decided on what I would call the middle one (part N1).  The other two I call the early and the K type.  The early one is the first of the D model canopies and while I could have chosen this one as it is possible, I liked the middle one better.  I eliminated the K type as this type has the bulge/hump on the back and I've normally seen this type on the P-51K's and some of you may refer to this type as the "Dallas" canopy.  So with my selection in hand, I removed the molding seam, filled the opening latches and scribed in the new, earlier type canopy open button (for lack of a better term).   The hairs on the canopy are  from the polishing cloth.  The scribed square is the new canopy open latch which is only on the left side of the canopy.  The tiny scratches around the scribed square will be repaired if they stand out.

 

 

DSC03827_zps14de975b.jpg

 

When the D Mustang first received its fin fillet, the spine of the fillet was slightly concave shaped and is colloquially called the swayback dorsal fin fillet.  The Tamiya kit provides the later type which has a straight spine.  This swayback DFF is decidely tough to spot unless you're looking specifically for it.  Then you'll be able to spot it.  It took a closeup photo of the DFF from the good folks at the P-51 SIG to englighten me to the differences between the two.  Again, I have found no specific information about when the swayback was changed to the straight type but the rule of thumb is that the earlier the block number, the better the chance the aircraft will have the swayback DFF.  The conversion was really easy to do, I just sanded a concave into the fin fillet.  The remnants of the straight fillet are still on the fuselage and tail of the model :)

 

DSC03828_zps15f88adf.jpg

 

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