Woody V

Me and my '65 SS. Yea, I'm really that old.
 

If it were me, I'd build a new base with the launcher on a slope. 
I'm not sure if that's a joke or not. 

It was great following this build, really enjoyed seeing such a unique subject come to life. 
You did good, son.

Some brief updates:
 
I’m taking it easier on the weathering considering the pilot of the aircraft, but here are some shots of the progress I’ve made thus far:
 
”Clean” Wing

Weathered Wing:

I feel as if I have a ways to go, but I’ll get there little by little. 

I'm pleased to report that I'm now in the home stretch with the BOMARC.
 

 
Once the glue dries, I'll have to test it for stability and see if it needs some more somewhere. As cool as it might be to have the thing articulate, I'd prefer that it was safely rigid and not going anywhere!
 
After that, I just need to decide if I feel like adding the cabling to the launch rail - probably should, as it's highly visible on the real thing.
 
Kev

I like this one too - 361st FG is one of my favorites:
 

Thanks Tom!  Obviously, the Tamiya stick would need some work to get it up to snuff.  The two Barracuda sticks are pretty comparable but it was quite fiddly to drill the small holes in the older resin stick to run the wiring through.  No work done on the 3D printed version... just a coat of primer.  Not sure why the shapes of the handles are so different on the two Barracuda sticks.
 
 
There is no physical hinge (small pin) but the control rod can be posed as if hinged.  When I arranged the parts for the photo, there was not enough friction to hold the 3D control rod perpendicular like the other two examples (which were glued). And yes, the detail on the 3D printed control stick is quite impressive.

Beamtown Bamshee?
 

Is the control rod (for lack of a better term) on it hinged? 
One simply cannot believe these printed aftermarket parts.

Assuming that this effort is going to be a P-51B/C, it is becoming time to select a subject, with a serial number.  So I can model the right parts.  Here is my tentative choice:
 

 

 
"Beantown Banshee"  FT-O, P-51B-7-NA s/n 43-6833.  This selection checks a number of boxes:
 
1.  It had plenty of natural metal - since this model will be skinned with thin gage aluminum, it would seem a shame to completely paint it when so many P-51's sported natural metal finish.  
2.  It had a Malcolm Hood.
3.  It had unshrouded exhaust stacks (my preference).  Although the drawing/painting shows shrouds, the period photo shows otherwise.
4.  This aircraft was assigned to the same squadron that my late uncle flew with (354th FG, 353rd FS).
5.  The nose art might be do-able.  Important - some nose art schemes are beyond my ability to reproduce, either with home-made decal or stencil.  If I can get some help with a stencil, it could look very convincing.
6.  It is not a particularly well known subject, although it has been modeled before.  And it was squarely in the middle of the intense action that was bomber escort and fighter sweep duty in early to late '44.
 
Not a box to check, but still interesting - it has a full set of invasion stripes.  Top and bottom of wings, top and bottom of the fuselage.  I could do that.
 
Another 353rd FS example "Julienne Hi!"  FT-X would have been a fine example - my uncle actually got his first two aerial victories (he had 5.5) in that aircraft - it was borrowed from another pilot that day. 
 
 
 
Alas - it doesn't sport a Malcolm hood.  So I'm not going to do it.
 
I am certainly accepting suggestions, as long as the example is an ETO aircraft.  Please advise.....   
 

Thank you Matt!  Spraying the resin parts with some primer helps to see the detail.
 
 
Thank you!  I got my conversion set from the first production run offered by LFD back in August.  Mathieu states that the next offering date for the XIVe conversion will be sometime in December.  To ensure you get a copy, I recommend following his page on Facebook as he is posts regular updates there and will give a heads up when the website will reflect new stock.
 
With the daughters visiting, I haven't had much time on the modeling bench.  I took a few hours looking at some of the cockpit parts.  These bulkheads have lightening holes molded as circular depressions.

 
 
The holes were drilled out.



 
 
Three versions of the control stick.  On the left is the kit part.  In the middle is the resin version from Barracuda's Spitfire Cockpit Upgrade set.  The wires were added after assembly.  On the right is the more recent digitally printed control stick from Barracuda.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Welcome aboard!
 

 
I think at that scale, you're much better off looking at having paint masks created for most of the artwork. I think much of the livery itself could probably be just masked by hand. Do you have a photo of the aircraft or livery you intend to represent?
 
Kev

So, the decals are finally done!
 

 

 

 
I used a combination of WW2 stars-and-bars from Fantasy Printshop and some home-made decals for all the red areas. The FP decals turned out to be quite troublesome, continually breaking up and being stiff and brittle, which surprised me a little. Even after taking these photos, I managed to take a chunk out of the under-wing national marking while trying to cut through a panel line.
 
Here you can see the port national marking, and where it broke up while I was trying to settle it around the raised details:
 

 
You can also see that my home-printed red bars are marginally too short!
 
Before applying the starboard insignia, I decided to coat it with some Microscale Liquid Decal film, to help prevent it from breaking up. This improved things somewhat, though not completely, but left a nasty border around the decal, which I'm not sure how to deal with:
 

 
I'm hoping a clear coat or two will help. If this was the kind of project I was aiming to build a competitive model from, I'd probably rip it off and apply a new one, but as this is only intended for display purposes, it's really not worth the risk of having to do it 2-3 more times!
 
In any case, I've got a bit of rehab work to do before I can kick this one over the line.
 
Kev

Pleased to report that the previously unobtainable rivet sets I have wanted, showed up in my mailbox promptly and without a hitch.
 
I purchased two of the assorted resin rivets/screws AR88001 and one each of:
 
1/24 Single Row Aircraft Rivets (three different spacings) AR88154
 
1/48 - 1/32 Resin Rivets (three different spacings) AR88143
 
Happy camper!

Hey Rob.
 
Yea, this gets tricky for several reasons. Rivet sizes on aircraft vary and the rivets represented on kits are seldom correctly represented.
The 1/48 rivets are .23mm
The 1/72 rivets are .15mm
All of the aircraft products are HERE.
Unfortunately, and completely my fault, not all the scale specific indicate the diameter. Any rivet set designated for any scale are all the same diameter. 

Of all the pictures customers have sent me, this 1/72 Lanc takes to prize. 
I thought you'd find this interesting.

 

Me and my '65 SS. Yea, I'm really that old.
 

Funny, I've just been casually scanning this build to pass the time and as it's progressing I'm thinking to myself... "This is some really fine work." 
It wasn't until that point that I found out whose build this is. 

I need to pay closer attention. 

Now, THAT kind of product support is how to run a business! 

Me and my '65 SS. Yea, I'm really that old.
 

Hey Rob.
 
Yea, this gets tricky for several reasons. Rivet sizes on aircraft vary and the rivets represented on kits are seldom correctly represented.
The 1/48 rivets are .23mm
The 1/72 rivets are .15mm
All of the aircraft products are HERE.
Unfortunately, and completely my fault, not all the scale specific indicate the diameter. Any rivet set designated for any scale are all the same diameter. 

Of all the pictures customers have sent me, this 1/72 Lanc takes to prize. 
I thought you'd find this interesting.

 

In any case, a wash (acrylics or enamel) flows more easily on a smooth, gloss surface. I recommend a coat of lacquer varnish before applying a wash, especially on large areas like a plane exterior surface.