Flex66

This work is a source of inspiration and expression of a great talent. I follow with great pleasure.

Absolutely agree! Looking forward to see more.

You absolutely master the weathering technique. I'm really happy to see such masterpieces.

Here I am again with you, after two months of hell work. Everyone wants everything and for yesterday. However, I always sneaked a look at the forum. Last week I took a few steps forward of this penelope canvas. I started to fix the gun sections, luckily only two per wing, by inserting brass tubes. I realized too late that the gun were not parallel with le leading edge, but I do not feel to touch the wings. I will have to live with this error. Actually these two tubes weren't visible, but I liked it and left them. Landing light. With a small burin found in a fleas market many years ago, I obtained the dome of the bulb and pre-cut the foil of the shape. For the first time ever I experienced the thrill of the 'future' and I am amazed by the clarity that is obtained. Tin foils have the advantage of being flexible but the big disadvantage of being too soft. This results in an imperfect alignment of the sections, with evident cracks and edges that are not perfectly linear, resulting with the finding that the joins of the wing panels are anything but acceptable. Here it cames in handy the real manifacture of tha wings, that I will follow: putty and silver laquer! So I filled every seam line with black cyanoacrylate. Another advantage is that the cyanoacrylate has leveled the recesses that the model handling has created (another disadvantage of tin). With the burin I deep-drawn the leading edge fairings which were integral with a bonnet panel. I used the fuselage of a Revell P-51D new tool. The result seems presentable. The deep drawing of the front air intake made me sweat a lot and the highlighted part is still missing. Basic step for undewing lights, then I'll see how to proceed. And finally wings glued to the fuselage. We begin to see a plane Thank you for the appreciation and for the time dedicated to reading. Ciao Fabio

As every drama there will be an happy end, but a nightmare begin. None of the 2 option worked out. The tin is too soft to create any thin strip and with the soldering I managed to make a hole like a flack shot! Here came the 3rd option: strip it down and reskin. Luckily everything went right, with minor damages recovered with some putty. This should be the correct shape The final result I did some test on a scrap foil before acting on the model with this tools #1 is a steel point pen - very harsh point tha produced a too dip groove, not neat #2 trumpy - same not neat work #3 I do not remember the brand. More suitable for plastic rather than metal <<EDIT - mr. scriber narrow https://www.mn-modelar.com/mr-scriber-narrow-black-1/ #4 is one of a dental probe set, very sharp. It is the best one that leaved a clean and clear groove Coming back to the origin of my error, I have used this publications Now, if I'm not wrong, most of them show the panel line I initially made. This are some abstract: # polish books # planes & pilots # osprey profiles # osprey plan is instead correct, right? Waiting for your confirmation about my work and documents. Thank you for suggestions and critics. Ciao

Thank you Mark and Antonio. You're damm correct, so 2 options; leave as it is and live with this or try to insert a small, really thin strip of tin and sand it to flush (or maybe a touch of soldering). I'll try the second option on a result kit before making a choiche.

@adameliclem You're welcome.Providing infos about has a double goal, sharing own experience and pinpoint errors that someone else could see, and correct them. @airscale, skiner thank you. @Rockie Yarwood What is the setting time of the epoxy you are using, and how are you applying it? For this first trial I use a very common glue, we can find here in every wharehouse. It has 15 min of slow bonding and became hard after 3 hours, so you have plenty of time for any adjustment. I followed this steps: 1- work panel by panel, surrounding the one to be glued with tamiya yellow tape 2- clean the plastic and tin section with acetone with a cloth. Not much amoutn to avoid melting. 3- make the section rough with sand paper, usually 400 4- I mix the glue component on a cardboard, put a drop of glue on the tin foil placed on another cardboard with the plastic palette provided with the glue or a toothpick. Then I spread the glue with a small brass plate in order to obtain a thin glue film 5- once the glue cured, remove any excess with the small cloth and acetone, not much of course. The tin foil has the big advantage of being flexible on its own, without an annealing passage, but has a huge downside. It's so soft that every scrath, bend or incision stand out; and cannot be fixed, especially the latter. Ciao Fabio

Thank you all for the comments. @Antonio Argudo I followed your work with great attention before starting mine. For the transparet parts I 'm considering clear acetate cutted to shape. @Johnny Cloud Well, what you correctly underlined is call "age"! I confused what I really have in my hand with my initimate whish! With this second post I put in pair both forums. Arranged the frame and radios Cables, paint a fuselage closing. This model will have the engine not exposed because I do really want to enjoy her elegant silhouette. This create a problem with the exaust, as they should be glued to engine block. I made a template of exaust holes and replicated on 1mm plastic sheet then glued the exauts an cover All this block was glued inside the nose. A also cut out section with the wing fillet. I decided to try a metal foil cover for the fuselage and after many test I feel confortable with 0.2mm tin foil, heavy but flexible fot this first attempt. I started with epoxy glue 2 panels in order to have a solid straight pattern. I made a copy of the fuel fuselage cup with the coocking alu foil and glued it from backside The result Now one of the herdest poit: wings. I carefully studied Antonio's work and the drawing that MikeMaben added (thank you!). I made 4 templates of the highlighted wing stations Cutted the kit wing root, inserted the templates and refined the whole as per scale plan Eduard set gun by for the revell kit adapted here and roughly ammo ejection holes Filled all panel lins with epoxy putty Final stage and forum paired Ciao Fabio

Thank you, I managed! Sorry!

Dear friends, my entry in WIP section and my very firts model since many years of inactivity. I hope you will forgive all the errors and imprecisions I will perform (fo sure). I'll be more the happy to receive critics and suggestions in order to improve my skill and my english, of course. Why a P-51? For me is the best ever made fighter. I spent hours admiring this https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/74079-118-p51c-mustang-lopes-hope-the-3rd/ It is a source of technique and inspiration. I'll try and if I cannot manage, I'll try once again, error after error to learn. Where starting from? From a more then welcome present I received my last birthday It's a work I started 2 months ago on my domestic forum that I wish to share here too. This first post will be a long up to date so both forums will be in pair for the future. By now I do not have any camera ( I'm searching for a decent one) so I made all the pictures with the smartphose. I bag your pardon for the poor quality but, by now, that's it. Satrted wit a rough texture for the main fuel tank and the roll bar Some work on side frames with eduard's photoetched set dedicated to the revell one For the floor plywood I made a template to be used with a real thin foil of wood that is used by few cigar's manifacture Few drops of wood polish and the result is this Time to have the office completed to check the measurements. I used Yahu panel for the early D version, but I could't resist. First error. I'm not so focused on detail by now, I have to practice. <a href="https://imgur.com/Ec0945i"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Ec0945i.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> Work on tail section and tail wheel Now arrive one of the hard poit, a correct hump. The very first attempt was to use the upper part frm an lod revell kit, but after mnay attempt and mistakes I managed to get something like a low silhouette. A sort of convertible mustang! The corretc profile template did not allow replies. But I never forgot the great work made by Rodney Willimas many years ago with his 1/24 Airfix models. I reduced his drawings to 1/32 scale and started to create single frames. Once the main cage was tested on fusolage , small strips had been glued, first layer longitudinal and a secon layer vertical. I had a rough hump, but at least resembling it. Next step will be closing the fuselage and plan a strategy for the wings. Ciao Fabio

Thank you all for the kind and warm welcome, that fuel up my renewed enthusiasm. Mike, the words you quoted are a clear example of dystonia between brain and hands on the keyboard. I was thinking about tanks and airplanes and came out wagons from a remote cave in my brain ( or my rusty english). Of course in inverted order! I will strart a plane first. I didn't know thw fantastic Double six of Paris, thank you! Well, time to start a work now. Ciao

... with a bit of emotion, despite his age (class '66). The first step in a group already started is always exciting. My name is Fabio and I live and work in Rome. I spend my free time between flying and modeling. The latter made me land here and I hope you want to welcome me among you. I started this wonderful hobby in 1972, with a 1/72 Airfix Komet, painted with my mother's enamel, a cherry red! Personal and work issues have kept me away from modeling for many years, but now, fortunately, I have resumed our wonderful hobby. Like someone who has been deprived of something for a long time, in a compulsive rush, I filled the cellar with planes and wagons. I think I'll start with the latter, to pick up on techniques and materials that are new to me, such as acrylics and all these powders and liquids for aging. it will be interesting. I hope to be able to share pleasant moments of exchange with all of you and learn new things. Cheers. Fabio