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Tamiya P-51D Duchess Arlene UPDATE: 2/8/14: ALMOST DONE


Guest Peterpools

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Guest Peterpools

UPDATE 1/20/14: THE OPENING ROUND

BLASPHEMY!

Big Beautiful Doll, my first serious P-51, is no more. My best effort as of that date, she just looked sad and left behind by Old Crow, when side by side in the display case. I decided to do the unthinkable: a re-build, as best as I could. My goal would be to do a total cosmetic transformation, repairing all the external faults and blemishes, closing up the engine cowlings and gun bays, making the Mustang ready for flight in the markings of Lt. Robert Williams' Duchess Arlene: (P-15D-15-NA), 332nd FS, The Tuskegee Airman. The plan was simple, the work turned into a nightmare!

The hardest part of the transformation – getting up the nerve to actually start and taking the plunge.

Step one would be to strip the Mustang down to unpainted plastic; what could be easier? I scrubbed with Mr Color Thinner, wet sanded and scrubbed some more. I had to remove the Alclad finish on the fuselage, the Glosscote and Floquil Old Silver and Reefer White mix on the wings, which always seemed just a tad too gray. Getting through the layers paint and finally Tamiya Gloss Black Base seemed endless. When I ran out of thinner, I resorted to wet sanding and going nowhere fast. Finally my resupply of Mr Color Thinner arrived and I went back to work.

The fumes were terrible and even though I bought a mask for paint and odors – it didn't work; I still could smell the thinner and I wound up finish stripping the paint off in the cold garage. With the door wide open the odors registered almost zero and the temperature not far behind. I kept going until after what seemed like countless hours (days), the Mustang was back to gray plastic. I managed to get the pasty, thin paint goop in all the crevasses. seams and joints; cleaning that mess up was almost too much.

Washed and clean, I started the upgrade and repair. First on the list were any seams that weren't perfect and where the thinner had removed the filler from - as most of the seams were effected to a extent. Mr Surfacer and Bondo were were pressed into service, to remedy the seams. The .50 cal machine guns were drilled out and the gun bay covers added and the bays closed.

The cowlings were stripped and buffed out, with extra care given, as the plastic is quite thin and delicate. I removed the plastic plates from the lower cowling, added PE screens and then permanently attached the cowling. The prop and sinner would be replaced and the antenna I snapped off was finally located and would be glued back into place after the Alclad was applied.

The tail wheel was also stripped, clean, repainted and lightly weathered; the tailwheel doors were another story. The windscreen was removed and a spare pressed into service. I normally use Eduard masks for the canopy but both Sprue Brothers and the Squadron were out, I tried my hand at cutting the masks from the printed Tamiya masking sheets I had never used and they worked fine.

And this bring us to date; ready for the Alclad Gloss Black Base, which is the next step.Big Beautiful Doll gone …. not really as there is a Hollywood ending in sight …. the 7th Calvary just arrived with another Tamiya Mustang and a set of Eaglecal decals, signed, sealed and delivered; she will rise again down the road.

Thanks for checking in

Peter

Gone but not forgotten ..

PCW_3682.jpg

The start ..

PCW_4532_zps58aa7c44.jpg

URL=http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Peterpools/media/P-51D%20Duchess%20Arlene/PCW_4533_zps66733665.jpg.html]PCW_4533_zps66733665.jpg[/url]

PCW_4534_zpsa9ad94bf.jpg

Edited by Peterpools
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Pete,

 

You don't have a little voice in your head telling you to set things on fire do you? Ya know, Mustangs have been known to become addictive...come over to the dark side. We have Mustangs...and cookies.

 

Geoff

 

Ps,

 

I've never seen a Tamiya 51 in the flesh. However, in looking at the nose in the photos you posted, I don't see the line of fasteners that run up the side of the cowl, across the top and down the other side of the cowl just about half way between the extreme front and where it meets the fire wall. I don't see them at the back of the cowl either. Are they not there?

Edited by Ironwing
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Guest Peterpools

Geoff

No little voices except the ones reminding me it's snack time. I've been pretty lucky in that I've seen dozens of Mustang at the airports, airshows and at museums over the years. I always get a chill when I see a Mustang and hear the sound of her Merlin. Of course, I feel that way about a lot of airplanes, as I tend to love then all.

I just took a look at the cowl and fasteners are there but not very pronounced. I'll try to add some depth to them but my goal was to try and bring the P-51 up to a better a level of finish. Of course, there is another Mustang waiting in the wings but there will be a few builds before she rolls down the line. Most likely, I should have just have left BBD as she was and done another build ... sure would have been a lot less work.

Peter

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Guest Peterpools

Thanks John

I've been second guessing myself since I started but I'm hoping the finish comes out better this time around

Peter

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Guest Peterpools

Maru

Thanks so much for the vote of confidence. Tomorrow with a bit of luck starts the Alclad Gloss Black Base process.

Peter

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'I managed to get the pasty, thin paint goop in all the crevasses. seams and joints; cleaning that mess up was almost too much.'

I've found an old toothbrush works wonders.

 

You have more courage than I do, Peter.

 

'Lt. Robert Williams' Duchess Arlene: (P-15D-15-NA), 332nd FS, The Tuskegee Airman'

Good on you.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

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Guest Peterpools

Mark

I pressed  my old trusty toothbrush into action and there were still some places it was nearly impossible to clean out but with a lot of tender care, ... finally it was done.

Brave no, impulsive yes.

Tomorrow will be the test to see if the fuselage and wings pass the test.Sure hope I made the right choice. :hmmm:

Peter

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Guest Peterpools

Sinuhe

Brave ... sometimes I wonder .....

Yup, still slowly working on the Sufa's intakes to make them seamless. Just juggling back and forth.

My Sufa wheels arrived the other day and they are gorgeous

Peter

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