John1

I second Jennings - No divots!! It will be a deal breaker for me if you go this route.

Thanks for the info Nick. Regarding radios, I'm still a bit on the fence on this one. I'd like to add one of the newer radios, if nothing else, just to make the Mustang a bit different from all the WW2 birds. Got a bit of time to figure this one out... Browsing through the Flickr site I linked above, found some really useful pics that show some details on later versions Mustangs. These are on a D-30 Mustang, need to do some research to figure out if they all were retrofitted to a D-25, which is the version that Little Beast was.

I'm in. Unlike the trainwreck B-24, I can't see them finding too many areas on the A-26 to screw up beyond repair. Plus it fit's my storage requirements nicely. Can any of the experten conclusively determine if this is the Vietnam era bird or the earlier WW2/Korean War variant? Either way, lots and lots of aftermarket decal and resin opportunities here! Now if they just do the "other" B-26.

Hi guys and thank you all for the tips and words of encouragement. I'd hoped to have had a bit more to show you all by now but it's just been a hectic summer (as they all are I suppose). My wife and daughter are going camping next week without me (at one point in life I was an infantry soldier, you couldn't pay me to sleep outside anymore!) so I think I'll finally be able to get some progress done. Here is my tentative radio set up for my Mustang. It's got the late WW2 fit of the old SCR-522 radio and the IFF unit, with the addition of a BC-453 receiver which I think was used for navigational purposes. Although the picture posted of Little Beast doesn't show the BC-453, according to what I read, there was a pretty aggressive program to update Mustangs, so I think there was a good chance this might have been added at some point during the war. It'd be nice if someone offered a resin update kit for late Mustangs that included this rig but instead I'll have to scratch build the radio and it's mount. I think it's do-able but if for some reason I tank it, I'll just go back to the original configuration. I'll try to keep you posted! BTW, the picture above came from a very interesting Flikr site. This guy has a wide range of illustrations showing all the arcane differences found in D-model Mustang cockpits. Didn't know there were so many variations. Worth checking out for those interested in the subject. https://www.flickr.com/photos/34363610@N08/with/30496690655/

I was thinking about having a go at a Banff Mossie but it appears all the Aviology decals are out of stock. Anyone else do Strike Wing subjects for this kit? For that matter, any resin night fighter conversion sets out there?

I guess I’m gonna go with a flat aluminum mixed with flat very light grey and just tweak the ratio until I get something I like. Hopefully glossing then applying the final flat coat won’t destroy the luster. I might go with a dilute wash as well, per some of the recommendations provided.

I gave up on Future. I now use Novus plastic polishes. This stuff is the shiznit!

Nope, it’s NMF that has been exposed to some very harsh elements, starting in 1945 when it was built. A good comparison would be to check out one of those old school aluminum canoes that was stored in someone’s back yard for a decade or two. The surface is close to matt grey but with a pronounced metallic sheen.

Yep, RF-51D.

Thanks Jennings. I'll probably go with a heavily worn dark brown headrest (unless I can find a pic of a khaki one). Thanks for the info on the black cockpits. I was aware of that, was hoping to find out how far back the black was applied. However, in thinking about it, I'm going to leave the interior walls aft of the armor plate green. Can't believe the AF would have gone to the trouble of removing all that grear to spray those sidewalls black. With regard to the cockpit - here is the effect I'll be shooting for: This seems to be a pretty much unrestored F-51D cockpit, found on the Mustang displayed at the USAF Museum in OH (it's funny - they took the time to repaint the exterior as a WW2 bird but left the cockpit untouched).

I'm slowly working on a Korean War F-51D. Just got the very nice Barracuda resin seat. Reading the instructions, I have few questions: They mention the seat is Bronze Green. Is this correct (and if so, any good matches for this paint)? I thought only Interior Green was used on the Mustang? They also mention that the pilot's head rest could be khaki, OD or Dark Brown. For a later F-51D, which color would be most common? I'm hoping khaki would be a good choice, just to add some color to the black cockpit. Lastly - for Mustangs that had their cockpit's repainted black, would the inner fuselage walls behind the pilot's seat (ie - in the fuel tank area) have also been painted black or would they have been left in their original WW2 interior green?

Great pictures.. One thing that came to mind was the relatively crude airframe compared to the US B-29 that was developed in generally the same time frame. Certainly adds a bit of class to her!

When did this kit get to $600 Pup? Last I heard, WN was still shooting for under $399.

Well I guess it is successful then!

And you know that the Airfix kit is “successful” based on what verified information?

Title says it all. I'm building a Korean War F-51D and these aircraft had the crap kicked out them. Here's an example of what I'm trying to replicate: What are your suggestions for something like this? Keep in mind, if it's a flat aluminum paint, will I be able to gloss it for decals and then overcoat to restore it's dull finish?

I do have to comment on this. While I consider myself a hard core rivet counter, do you think anyone would actually note a 2mm discrepancy without having to break out a pair of calipers?

I highly doubt you are going to find any paints that are identical matches to the colors of those uniforms (DCU uniforms, both the earlier 6-color and later 3-color types / BDU body armor, for the non-special ops troops). Just mix your own, you'll be fine.

These days they are building warbirds out of a few rotted components found in some jungle. Most assuredly, this Corsair will be flying again.

I’ll skip the movie and read Shattered Sword again.

You mention the hypocrisy of calling for upgrades of Tamiya’s kits due to “features” of the WNW Lanc that hasn’t even been released and then you forecast negative reviews for the same unreleased kit. What am I missing here?

Maybe I wasn’t clear in that post. I meant that most aircraft don’t have oil canning to the same extent as the lanc.

Definitely interesting times Pup. As far as "oil canning" being the next step in modeling technology, I'm not sure. Very few aircraft (unless I completely missed it in all the pics I've perused) have this effect, especially as pronounced as the Lanc or the B-52. I guess some very subtle and extremely random stress distortion might be present but I don't think it's applicable to most aircraft. Regarding the lack of interior details in the aft fuselage, personally, if it's not going to be visible, it's all wasted anyway. I do get that maybe 1% of the modelers would be inclined to hack up their $350 dollar kit to show the entire interior in all it's glory but for me, I'm totally fine with WN skipping these bits and passing on the savings to the consumer. On cost - last year I purchased the most expensive kit I've ever bought - the Tamiya Corsair. Also purchased a bunch of aftermarket stuff, references, etc. All up, I probably spent close to what this Lanc will cost. That investment kept me in modeling bliss for close to a year (yeah, I build that slowly). In that time, I probably would have spent the same on 2 or 3 cheaper (and quicker to build) models. Another way I looked at it was that I spend significantly more at Starbucks (don't judge me, I like there coffee) than I would if I purchased the WNW kit and took 6 months to a year to build this beast. I'd argue that most modelers could afford this kit, it just comes down to their (and in some relationships, their wife's) particular priorities.

Thought I read somewhere that it was coming with 4 complete engines. Could be wrong. Personally, as a cost reduction effort, I'd really prefer if WN were only to provide one full engine and offer others separately for those who just have to show each one exposed. Actually, since engines aren't "my thing", reduce costs even further by not including any engines and allow the individual modeler to purchase 1-4 Merlins separately, per their own whims. With regard to cost, per WN's website, they are trying to have the kit come in between $349 - $399. I'm confused by comments like yours about the mortgage needed to finance the kit. Maybe I'm an exception but I don't think $399 is a deal-breaker for an model like this (to me, the only real concern is the size of the damned thing). I see certain modelers bang out 4-5 (sometimes more) LSP kits a year, all of which probably cost ~ $100/ea (without including any aftermarket). And yet $399 for a kit that would probably keep a modeler (at one like me) busy for a year is somehow extreme? I just don't get comments like that. I understand that some folks on this site are on fixed budgets and this cost is beyond them but I'd be willing to bet that for the majority of the folks here, this cost isn't anything insurmountable. Not aimed at you specifically, just a general observation...

I was only referring to the NAIL specific targeting display. SInce it's pretty prominent (see pic above), I was hoping that it would be included if they are going to release the targeting pod itself. Even if it's it's only an approximation based on lack of info, it's better than nothing! That being said, how bad is the kit cockpit? Anyone offer any upgrades, new seats, etc?