Uncarina Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Great work, and I appreciate you sharing your build experience! Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Just a quick post today with a thought on how to cut the Tamiya mask for the windscreen. This is more of a "tip of the day" versus an update on the build. I started to cut the mask with a really sharp #11 and found it to cut easily. However, that was on the straight lines. I used a simple steel guide to cut the straight edges and when I went to cut the curves, the masking material started to bunch up and tear. Much like Tom Brady's balls, I was a little deflated (footballs, that is) So, on the next attempt, I simply cut the curves first and then the straights. Simple and easy. Not an earth shattering revelation, but something that might help the next guy or gal. Spikelhund, Uncarina and jgrease 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 (edited) Looks great!!!! Im not much a fan of the older HGW / Tamiya "cut em yourself stuff" but have found even though they are a tad more, the pre-cut Eduard rice paper masks work really well. Edited January 23, 2015 by Out2gtcha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Its been a while since I posted. Lots going on here with a transition to a new job (I see more models in the future!) and all that requires. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been working away on the Mustang. I am at the point of painting the overall air frame. I've attacked the bits and bobs and have most of them complete. One area that needed attention was the fit of the cowl. I had to add a thin .010 strip of styrene to the spinner backplate to bring the separate cowl pieces in tight once assembled. It is just enough to snug everything up. Another choice that has to be made is what tires to use on the plane. The kit comes with a nice set of rubber tires with the biggest complaint being the "flash" or seam running down the center of the tire. The only way to remove it is to sand it down. The other option is to use Barracuda wheels. They are a little thicker and seem a bit over-scale but the casting is some of the finest out there. Anthony in NZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Great job mate! As regards the Barracuda tyres, I think you will find they are the correct thickness. A common issue with Mustang wheels in the past has been skinny wheels...looks like Roy sorted it! Loving your progress Bravo52 and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Yes, there was a rather long discussion about the size of the wheels/tires. Roy did his homework, and the Barracuda wheels are the correct size. The Tamiya examples are undersized. Bravo52 and Anthony in NZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thought I would show everyone how I go about removing a seam from a Canopy. This is just the first part of the process that gets rid of the seam but the canopy will still need to be polished before dipping it in Future (Johnson's Floor Polish, Klear, etc...). Tamiya releaved some of the stress of this build by providing three canopies in the kit. Now it wouldn't be correct to use the wrong canopy on the livery that I'm doing, but...I knew if I screwed this thing up, I'd have another to fall back on. You can't go to the dance without a hat! Hopefully that won't be an issue. In this picture you can see the pretty prominent seam that runs from the front rail to the rear and goes right through the aerial exit point. The challenge will be removing the seam without losing the aerial feature. The first thing I do is use an Xacto to scrape the seam off the model. I try to lay the blade flat against the seam. When I scrape the seam, I try to get it even on both sides of the seam. You can see in the area below the aerial exit the even "scrape" across the area (Red arrow). If you don't get the blade perpendicular or flat to the seam, you will only scrape one side or the other. You can see the yellow arrow at the top where the blade was not flat and I lifted up a little and only got one side of the seam. The next step is to use a Squadron Tri-Grit sanding stick (#30505) to start to remove the scratches. It comes with a black, white and grey colored grits which progressively get finer. I don't know the actual grits but I never use the black portion. I start with the white and buff with the grey (back side). So after about 3 minuets of sanding and polishing, it comes pretty clear. You can see that there are still a few scratches that need to be polished a little but it won't take long to remove them with this Tri-grit sanding stick. The last step will be to polish the canopy with some Novus or Tamiya plastic polish to get it smooth. I've also used Mother's Mag Wheel polish as a final product but never tried to clear over that. Once all of that is done and the canopy is polished, I dip the whole thing is Future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Have you or anyone else tried good ol' white tooth paste ?...Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Have you or anyone else tried good ol' white tooth paste ?...HarvHarv, I don't see why that wouldn't work. Tooth paste seems like it is a little finer grit but should work...and leave the canopy with a fresh, minty smell. P.S. A little known fact...The toothbrush was invented in Arkansas. Otherwise it would have been called the "Teethbrush". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I remember using it to polish my watch crystals (remember those?) And urrr, your right about the name ........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiner Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Personnaly I use Tamiya Compound and the results are very good..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 White Colgate will do the trick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Personnaly I use Tamiya Compound and the results are very good..... I really like the Tamiya compound but I am out and no one here in the US seems to have any in stock. I have alternatives that I can use like Novus polish for Lexan and plexiglass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Fantastic cockpit and an amazing amount of detail with the IP decals. I could not get the yellow/white line to sit right on my IP and ended up leaving it off. I also did the K-14 gunsight, but its sitting off on the side for now as I'm certain I'd break it off during assembly. EXCELLENT job on the seatbelts, too. I need to get your microscope as my magnifying light just isn't strong enough! Once all the pieces are put together, it makes for a very convincing cockpit. I really love this kit! Can't wait to get the fuse together. BTW, the magnet on the frame rail is just my way of holding the inside magnet in while the glue dries! More to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo52 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Well it's been a long time since I posted an update and feel really bad about not getting more pics on the forum. I really enjoy other's builds and to be honest, sometimes get a little miffed when a modeler I'm following doesn't stop life and post to keep me happy... is that wrong? Of course I'm just kidding but I know a couple of you thought for just a second...."yeah, me too". So now I know I'm one of "those guys"! Anyway, enough about me. This Tamiya Mustang is amazing and with a little effort even I can make it look ok. Add Randy's (Sluggo) stencils from Stencil Pal and you get something beyond awesome. So....where were we? When I last left off, I was at the point of putting color on the Mustang. I chose Tamiya's TS 30 Silver Leaf. It really is the best and gives a great NMF look to any kit. I like Alclad a lot, but you can't beat Tamiya's synthetic lacquer. This was done straight out of the can... no decanting. Once the paint was on and dried about 2 days, I started to apply the stencils. Now let me say I've never used stencils before but wanted to broaden my modeling skills so I thought I'd give it a try. It can't get any easier when using Stencil Pal. I was given a complete set of instructions on how to align the stencils along with pictures. So I started with the "easy" end....the cowl. The scheme I'm doing has a scallop to on the nose so with the construct of the Tamiya kit, I had to cut the stencil. The first thing I did was tape the cowl pieces in place and then the stencil lined up perfectly. Don't tell my wife, she's still looking for that dish towel. Anyway, the stencil has markings that align with rivets on the cowl...easypeasy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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