Aircav1980

Here are a few update photos. She is all masked up and ready to paint. I really have great hopes for this build.

I use Microsol and Microset almost exclusively. I have found that it does not seem to work with Tamiya factory decals. I have read that the Mr. Mark pair Bill mentioned is one of the only ones that can make them behave.

Beautiful build. Did you make the PSP for the base or did you buy it? I really want to put my Petie 3rd on a PSP base but I cannot seem to find any in 1/32 scale.

I have decided to attempt to stray away from the decal version of the national markings on my Petie 3rd P-51. I am going to attempt to mask and paint them. The only problem I have found is getting the correct color. I have looked at color charts listing FS numbers for insignia white and insignia blue. The problem I run into is the same chart will have several different colors listed under those titles. Some are gloss and some are flat. Can someone please tell me if they were flat or gloss? Can someone point me in the direction of the correct color. I have been using Vallejo model air paints. I am willing to try about any brand of acrylic except Model Master. (I have had all sorts of difficulty with that brand). The date I am going for is Jan 1st 1945. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Chris

I am going with a standard Alclad aluminum natural metal finish all over with some moderate weathering. I have done extensive research on the wings. There is some heavy debate on the issue but from what I have read the wings came from the factory puttied for aerodynamics, but any the paint was stripped from the wings for any reason (for example battle damage or repainting markings) the putty was stripped off with the old paint. From what I have found I do not believe they ever replaced the putty. Using that knowledge plus the fact that I am not comfortable with my ability to putty the wings I have decided to leave the recess panel lines.

Thanks Maurice that actually helps a ton.

It has been a while since I updated. I have gotten a lot done. I still have not found an easy way to mask off the nose. I contacted Eagle editions. They stated they did not do a stencil for this subject. Here are some pictures. I think it is coming right along. Thanks for looking.

I would once again like to dig into the wealth of knowledge that is LSP. Can someone give me any advise on how to get the shape of the blue markings on the nose right?

Thanks all

Thanks for the advise. The Windex is what I was using when I was using Tamiya acrylics exclusively. It just seems to turn the MM acrylics to sludge and stick it to my airbrush more. The lacquer thinner seems to work best but not even as well as it works on lacquers. Not sure what I need to do. Part of my problem might be my airbrush. I have a Badger 150 that it bottom fed. I love the airbrush but it has a lot of nooks and crannies to clean.

I personally thought your Big Beautiful Doll put mine to shame. I am sad to see her go. Alas I know all to well we all our own worst critics. Hope the new Mustang turns out for you.

Hi All, I have started using Model Master Acrylics because I love the range of colors it comes in. The problem is it does not seem to want to come out of my airbrush after spraying it. I have tried Windex (which works great for Tamiya acrylics), straight ammonia, and even lacquer thinner. The lacquer thinner and the straight ammonia seem to work, but they require a lot of elbow grease and and time. Does anyone have any recommendations? I love the paints but not spending 20 minutes cleaning my airbrush after. Please help!!

Thanks for the encouragement.

Hello all, I know it has been a long time since I posted. I took a long break. I have only been back to work the last couple of weeks. I have finished the cockpit sidewalls and I am ready to put the fuselage halves together. I think the sidewalls turned out rather nicely. I used Barracuda Studios resin sidewalls. I will say they take a great deal more skill than the kit ones. There were a couple of times I was about to throw in the towel. It was entirely my doing though. The parts quality was terrific. The only problems I had was the canopy handle in one kit was broken when I got it, and the K-14 gun sight was slightly deformed in another. Thanks to the terrific customer service from Barracuda the parts were replaced free of charge within days. I also used the Barracuda Studios cockpit stencil decals. I recommend them highly whether you are using kit parts or resin. The add tons to the build. I am glad to be back. Hope you enjoy my pictures.

I think this project is coming along well. It may be stalled for quite a while though. During my last project I stupidly sanded away a bunch of surface detail from one of the fuselage halves. Being the obsessive person I am I decided to cannibalize the kit I am working on now to finish that kit so I took out the Q parts thinking I could quickly order replacements from Tamiya. I used the fuselage half in that kit and used the filleted tail pieces as test dummies. Shortly after that I contacted Tamiya to order the replacements. They did not have them is stock but said it could be about 8 weeks before they got them. That was March. I contacted them again yesterday and they said it would be another 3 weeks before they got them in if I am lucky. So this kit may be stalled for quite some time.

Well, with summer coming my attentions have shifted elsewhere and my building has slowed. I have been slowly pecking away at this build though. So far I have the engine, and the cockpit except for the sidewalls done. I have been trying a lot of new weathering techniques. I have had good luck with the Barracuducals resin details. I messed up the photo etched instrument cluster face and opted to use kit parts. I cut the handles off the kit parts and replaced them with the resin ones. I also added some cockpit stencil decals. I used the resin battery and radio packs and added some much needed wiring to them. I think the whole thing is turning out great so far. Hope you enjoy. +

Got to love the parts eating carpet. Love the build.

Well I could not resist I enjoyed my build Big Beautiful Doll so much I have started building another Tamiya P-51. This may not even be my last. I am doing thing a little different with this one. I am going to use all three parts of Barracuda Studios resin cockpit. I am also going to use a set of HGW Seatbelts. I have decided to build John Meyer's Petie 3rd. It was quite difficult to find a set of decals Petie 3rd but thanks to a very generous LSP member (Thanks Paul) I got my hands on a set. The kit comes with Petie 2nd but I much prefer Petie 3rd. Petie 3rd was the plane Meyer flew during the big New Years Day battle of Y-29 were he shot down a FW190 before his landing gear were all the way up. This plane saw a great deal more combat than Petie 2nd. Besides that I like the black stripes on the tail and wings and blue rudder. I think it makes for a much sharper looking airplane. I have been doing extensive research on Petie 3rd. I have been able to obtain some very helpful photos of her in theater thanks to Sam from the 352nd Fighter Group Association. He has also helped me with matching the blue color and he has given me some specifics on Petie 3rd. That being said I would like to start my build log with a precautionary tale for anyone who cares to listen. This being my second build of this kit I made a cardinal mistake of not reading the directions carefully. Let me explain. During step 3 of the instruction you assemble the engines supercharger. There are two pieces of the supercharger that act as a base for the rest of it. They also hold a small nut that is used to attach the engine to the firewall. The firewall has two large locator pins to help it mate with the engine. The correct pieces of the supercharger to use are V7 and V8. What I did not know is Tamiya included two parts (I think E14 and E15) that look identical to Y7 and Y8. They also assemble the same, so I proceeded to assemble the entire engine using this part. After assembling and painting the engine I decided to dry fit the firewall to the engine and found the difference between the two. Parts E14 and E15 do not have a flat spot or holes for the locator pins to mount the firewall. I tried and they just would not work. So I had to take the supercharger apart to fix the problem. The problem with that is like a good little modeler I glued the parts plastic to plastic which make a very strong bond. So after about an hour of careful cutting, a few cuss words (more specifically all of them), and some creative trimming I was able to fix the problem. I feel the need to expose my bone headedness on the internet in hopes of saving someone else the same problem. On another note I am looking for a good way to simulate mud if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks for looking.

I have been eyeballing this kit myself. I really like the lines of this aircraft. What do you think of the quality of the kit so far?

Does the markings for Preddy's Cripes A Mighty EC#100 include stencils to help get the shape of the blue nose right?

Is Eagle Editions planning on releasing John Meyer's Petie 3rd in 1/32 scale any time soon?

Ok it seems that Eagle Strike 32045 has been discontinued. I have purchased the last copy one internet store had but it seems to be the last one I can find anywhere in 1/32 scale. My question is this, why does everyone make decals for Petie 2nd instead of Petie 3rd? From what I have read Meyers only had two victories in 2nd. It was also painted in the darker blue that the 352nd wore after late 1944 which I like better. I also like the black stripes on the wings and tail. What am I missing? My other question is does anyone know a good paint mixture for the later darker blue? I use Tamiya acrylics mostly but I am willing to branch out. I would like to stay acrylic if possible. I found it is really convenient to paint them over the Alclad. If you make any mistakes you can just wipe them off with a cotton ball wetted with a little Windex. Which does not effect the Alclad at all.

How did Preddy get brought up?

Judy, I have to apologize. I should have specified that I was angry with myself not Eagle Editions. You guys make a great product.

Just of my Big Beautiful Doll build I have another Tamiya 1/32 P-51 D already waiting for me. My initial thought was to do it in John Meyer's Petie 2nd. But while doing my homework I found that Petie 2nd was retired and John flew Petie 3rd in the epic battle of Y-29. I also found he scored 11.5 more victories in Petie 3rd. My major questions are does anyone make decals for Petie 3rd in 1/32? I cannot seem to find any. What are the marking differences between the two planes? What is a good color match for the blue? And last but not least does anyone make a mask set that would make masking the blue nose a little easier?