R Palimaka

I think the client would be very happy!! Excellent work, beautiful detail and finish. Thank you for sharing this, and welcome to LSP!

That is beautiful! From what you and others have said it was a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it. The finish is perfect, just enough weathering to make it look like a well-cared for aircraft in service. And, what a beautiful aircraft design! Richard

So, I'm still away from home, but managed to do some research in my spare time, and when there was no beer involved. I found that the seat in the 1/24 Airfix Mustang is almost/could be correct, but needs some refining...like almost everything else in the kit. The P-51 SIG was a big help. The seat is the Schick Johnson, and is a metal version of the earlier Mustang seat made of plywood. It was installed later in the D and K production runs, and was used randomly on the production line along with the more familiar Warren MacArthur seat (the one with the squared seat pan and bracing arms). There really isn't a way to tell which seat was used in which airframe, as those kinds of "furnishings" changes were not noted. In fact it is more likely that the Schick Johnson version was used later. Looking at my RCAF Mustang photos again, I could see that there were indeed Canadian Mustangs with them installed. Unfortunately there aren't any cockpit shots of the Mustang I'm doing, so I thought I would just correct what I had. I found these drawings online (there was no attribution I could find, one is clearly from the Maintenance Manual). The upper drawing is labelled "P-51 B/C", it may also have been installed in very late C production.

Oooh! Lovely!! I love this part of a build, when the markings go on. Definitely coming to life!

Yes!! A Mustang III (P-51B/C) would be fantastic, with both hoods. If not a Mustang, I agree that another big money-maker would be a Spitfire IX or XIV. A Fairey Firefly IV or V is probably going too far? Yes...probably.

If they do another Mustang I wouldn't bet on 1/32. They have never done 1/32 aircraft, and I understand one of their staff has stated that they won't. Airfix has been full of surprises the last couple years though. I know you should never say never, but in this case it's pretty safe to say. Richard

No argument from me! I would love to see a Mustang done to the detail of the Mosquito and Typhoons. Maybe they will announce one as soon as I finish my build.

Thanks Ron! I've got the port wheel well structure almost done, but have to take a break for a while...out of town for a meeting and then home to family for Christmas. Won't be back at it until Boxing Day probably. I've surprised myself with this.

I actually ordered two of sets from Airscale on Tuesday. They look brilliant! Hopefully they'll arrive here in the next couple of weeks. I've got lots to do before I get to the cockpit, and I'll be out of town again, so not much progress for a week or so.

Gorgeous build Jeff!! A fine example of what can be done.

They've done it in 1/72, announced it for 1/48 for 2017...they don't do 1/32...so in my modelling dreams 1/24 is next. Of course, I'm biased. And I can already hear the, "Not another Mustang!" complaints.

Thanks again! Fixing the dihedral on the Airfix kit is one major thing that will really improve the look of the finished model, externally at least. The spar I made from the template in the book seems to have set the wings at the correct angle now. I just hope it all works when I offer it up to the fuselage, and there won't be too much carving to do at the wing roots to make it all fit. I'm struggling right now with the landing gear wells, lots of back and forth cutting and dry-fitting ribs trying to make them fit properly. I am winning though. I have the Trumpeter kit, and was going to use it for parts, but there is nothing really worth using. The more I looked at it, the more wrong it was. It's got really lovely and fine detail, but unfortunately it's mostly inaccurate.

You could almost use the kit wings as a rasp! Hard work for you, but definitely needs to be done. Keep up the good work!

Haven't seen the real thing ( and not likely to at that price!)...but it doesn't look good from the photos. Some definite shape and detail issues there...and I thought the Airfix landing gear needed help! Probably looks impressive sitting in front of you, but for $775.00 I'd want bang-on accuracy.

Pretty much. You can see that the early pressings have more detail and are a bit sharper. On the later issues some of the detail has almost disappeared, at least on the Mustang, eg the clamshell doors for the landing gear. But...the new releases also have added bits. The latest one has three different props (Hamilton Standard cuffed and uncuffed, and Aeroproducts), a new canopy and bits for the photo-recon version. And as Steve says, nice Cartograf decals.

Haha! Congratulations, I'm even worse, only at 855 and I've been here since 2003.

The Bandai kit is not a serious contender at all.

You're right Cees, two very different kits and approaches. Both require lots of work, for different reasons. Steve, yes, the Airfix nose is a bit narrow and doesn't have the subtle broader "shoulder" on the top of the cowling behind the prop, and there is a pinch at the bottom just behind the intake that needs to be corrected. The nose on the Mustang is a complex shape that is hard to capture, or describe really. I won't be fixing it much on my build, but there are others here, especially Geoff (Ironwing), who tackled it. Even as it is, it's better than Trumpeter. I agree, I still like the Airfix very much as a start. Richard

Exactly...

Not an easy answer, there isn't a clear path to a good 1/24 Mustang. It depends on what you expect from a model. The Trumpeter is a newer mold, so has crisp detail and goes together nicely. On the other hand, that crisp detail is inaccurate or fictional, ie: the wheel wells, cockpit, an oversize bulbous canopy, some incorrect panel lines...and the shape and dimensions are just not right. The photo etch included is not great and fiddly. The thrust line of the engine is also wrong, so that you have to rescribe the nose panels and correct the angle of the exhaust opening. Built straight from the box it mostly looks like a Mustang...except to someone who knows the Mustang well. The Airfix kit is much more accurate in shape, although the nose needs some help. The dimensions and shape are accurate, and the cockpit interior details are a little soft but looks much closer to the real thing than Trumpeter...although the instrument panel is closer to that of the P-51B. The Merlin engine is wonderful. It is a 45-year old kit, so the molds are showing their age and parts fit can be a challenge. The panel lines are overdone, but mostly recessed, and the rivets need some toning down. The landing gear needs shortening, it's molded at full extension so looks like it's standing on its toes if you don't modify it. You also have to be careful about the wings, some work will be needed to give it the proper dihedral. And...there is no wheel well detail at all, just a big opening in the bottom of the wing. All that being said, I would still far rather update the Airfix than build the Trumpeter...and I've had both. The Airfix has the shapes and dimensions right, and it just looks and feels like a Mustang. The Trumpeter, even though it will be far easier to build, just looks wrong. I'm building the Airfix Mustang in the Jurassic Plastic Group Build, and I'm fixing some of the basic problems. There are also a couple of amazing builds of the Airfix Mustang on here. Short answer, Airfix. Richard

An F-5 would be nice for something different.. Richard

Thanks for the honest opinion on the decals, although you managed a beautiful save. Seeing the work you've done before, it certainly isn't because of a lack of experience or skill. Hopefully the other set will work out better. Geez, the '104 really is a gorgeous aircraft, especially with the Maple Leaf...and so is what you've done with this kit.

Thank you Guyman! For a 45-year old kit it still captures the look of the Mustang very well. Just needs a fair bit of detailing to bring it up to date. Trumpeter badly missed a chance to improve on it.

Thanks Peter! I'm determined that this one is not going to beat me.

Impressive straight lines...for drilling while drinking!