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


Juggernut

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Ok, some more drivel necessary to change the Tamiya kit into a proper P-51D-15-NA.  The existing access panels on the bottom R/H side of the fuselage ahead of the wheel well need to be filled and another panel the same size as the small one, needs to be added to the L/H side.  Pretty easy job but not without risk as these pieces are removable and Tamiya has molded them very thin.  A couple light passes with the scriber is all that's needed to add the new panel.  I've sunken the raised dzus fasteners using a round riveting tool that I got from Hasegawa.  I have to add the hinge and refine the newly scribed panel. 

 

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I'm getting closer to the painting phase.  This shot is my attempt at filling the 40% chord of the mustang wing.  I used correction fluid in a pen to fill the lines and rivets (aka Whiteout).  I'll prime it and see where I need to refill the lines (I'm hoping I don't have to re-do the panel lines or rivets, it's a real chore).  The correction fluid really works well and stays in the rivet holes where typical putty has trouble.  I've also glued the engine cowls in place.  I didn't super detail the engine compartment and being that I'm an old anal SOB, I chose not to display the engine and glued the panels shut. 

 

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The hydraulic reservoir access panel forward of the windscreen was implemented after the -15 so some Nitrostan putty filled the panel lines and when dry, sanded them flush.  Again, on the top cowl, the larger oil access panel is not present on the -15 (the oil dipstick necessitated the larger access panel) so the panel was resized to match the one immediately forward.  I've managed to get sanding dust all over the place including the instrument panel shroud. 

 

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Last in this update, the seam at the back of the oil cooler/coolant radiator exit did not fit well on this example and I needed to add a strip of 0.010" styrene to fill the gap.  When the cement sets, I'll sand to match the contour and rescribe the panel line.  The red putty is Nitrostan brand and is the best stuff I've found since the old days of Dr. Microtools (if anyone remembers that stuff). It really works very nicely and the 1 lb tube will most likely last my entire modeling lifetime. (I'm a very slow builder).

 

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  • 5 months later...

Ok, bringing this one back up from the dead.  It's hard to believe that it's been over five months since I've been able or wanting to work on this (or any) kit.  I've actually got some bench time on it these past few days and have made some great progress.  I've got the aluminum shades on and the appropriate  squadron/group colors for my chosen color scheme.  Today I've added the white portion of the lower fuselage D-Day invasion stripes and at this moment am letting the paint cure for awhile (enamel) before going back to it and spraying all the black bands (including the theater black bands on the wings and tail planes).  I don't have any photos as this part is kind of hum-drum and not very interesting.  I'll post some painted pix tomorrow when I get all the black and red trim on.  Masking has been challenging to say the least on this one.  I hope the results will be well worth the effort.

 

As a side note, I just today discovered that my chosen aircraft is not a P-51D-15NA as originally thought but a -10NA so I'm editing the title a little.  I don't think much in the way of visible changes happened between the -10 and -15 but I'm heading over to the P-51SIG and get an idea of the highlights of just what did change between the blocks. Stay tuned....

Edited by Juggernut
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For your enjoyment, here's a couple shots of the paintwork on the Mustang.  Even without the decals, you may be able to guess which aircraft I'm portraying by the paint job.  The photos are a bit on the blurry side and I'm not sure if it's my hand or the fact that the camera is older than Moses...  I'm thinking it's me :(.  I used several shades of Alclad, none of which are the high reflective shades as this is a tad unrealistic IMO; only today's warbirds are polished to a high shine.  The yellow and red are Xtracolor insignia yellow and insignia red right out of the tinlet.  Black is Model Master 37038 and the White is also Model Master flat insignia white.  The small, barely visible anti-glare panel is Floquil ANA613 Olive Drab. The silver paint on the wings and rudder is Xtracolor duraluminum.  A very nice approximation of the silver lacquer IMO.  Anyway, it gives a great contrast between painted wing and natural metal flap.  At this stage, I'm thanking my lucky stars that it has come out this good with only very minor oopsies (like olive drab overspray on the wing fillet quickly wiped away with some paint thinner without harming the alclad in any way....LLUUUCCKKY).  

 

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Next up, a clearcoat and decals.  Wish me luck.  I've got my set of Fundekals P-51 stencils :wicked: and I'm piecing together the serial number from my existing decal sheet to the Fundekals stencil data block.  I hope it works well; if not, I'm gonna have to warm up the old, coal-fired dinosaur of a computer, open Illustrator and try my best to approximate the font on the decal sheet.  A bit pedantic you might remark and you'd be right!  However, I'm suffering from perpetual AMS (to a certain degree) and need to have my universe in order, including stencils that match as much as possible in typeface and size.  BAZINGA!

Edited by Juggernut
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It is a really nice build (provided you're not all thumbs like I sometimes am).  Pick an appealing set of markings and go from there :punk: .  One word of caution though....  Look at the available decals BEFORE deciding on a paint scheme...it'll be much easier on you than the other way around.

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