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Hello all! Recently I purchased a 3D printer - Elegoo Saturn 2 - which has the potential to transform my modelling. Those of you who follow me know that my recently completed 1/18 scale build (F4U-1A Corsair) benefitted from a good bit of 3D printed parts almost all of which I designed myself but had printed by a capable fellow in the UK. Since then, I now have the means to do my own printing, if only I can get good enough at it. So my next project, if all goes well, is to create a very accurately shaped P-51 in 1/18 scale. At this point I am undecided whether to do a B/C variant (razorback) or a D variant (bubble canopy). My first choice would be a -B with a Malcolm hood modification, followed by a -D as a second choice. I would prefer not to do a straight up -B razorback (or maybe better known as a "greenhouse" canopy version), as Peter Castle (Airscale) has done his incredible Lopes Hope in 1/18 already, and I would prefer not to tread on that hallowed ground. The only available kit I know of a P-51 in 1/18 is from 21st Century toys or whatever it turned into over the years - a D model. They are long out of production but can be found on E-bay for inflated prices. I actually have one, but I will not be using it because it has too many inaccuracies. Years ago, though, I heavily modified just such an animal resulting in "Miss Velma": That satisfied my goals at the time, which was to take an existing large toy model and do my best to make it look real. Miss Velma, like many P-51 models in many scales, has shape inaccuracies, and can be greatly improved upon, and that is what I intend to do. So I have three important ingredients in which to do this: 1. Aircorps Library - they have a full set of engineering drawings for the P-51 variants, including "ordinate" drawings, which are tables of point coordinates that define the shapes of the outer surfaces of the aircraft (and even some inside shapes like throats of intakes). These ordinate drawings will allow me to create surface definition in any scale very accurately. 2. CAD modelling software - I have been using Rhino 7 for a couple years now, and it is indispensable for layouts, part definition, and 3D printing. I am no expert user, but I get by. 3. 3D Printing. This will be the first time I will have tried to make 3D printed parts the primary components of the build. Previously I have used it simply to augment an existing model. This is my weak link. I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to 3D printing. To start, I am in the process of converting point data, obtained from vintage engineering drawings, into Rhino surfaces - hopefully for the entire airframe. Here are examples of the point data vintage 1940's: There is also wing data that I have not shown. I can produce points in space from those tables, and connect them with curves in Rhino - like this: Very laborious and monotonous, I can say. Not too surprisingly, the Rhino model is showing what looks alot like a P-51. It better - the good folks at North American back in the '40's used the same data to build the tools used to manufacture the airframe. From there, and after some time-consuming schooling on primary surfacing, with classes available on YouTube, I used those curves to create a bunch of patches: Clearly I am not finished. Those patches can be combined to make a single compound-curved surface, or larger surfaces. I also have wing lofts, done a different way: P-51 wings have single curvature which is to say they are defined by straight line elements. Which is to say that you can have a contour at the inboard end, and a similar smaller contour at the outboard end, and you have fully defined the wing surfaces simply by lofting between them along straight line elements. That is what I did above. You see two lofts - the basic wing, and the inboard extended leading edge - a feature of the -D model, but not the -B model. That extended leading edge is also single curvature. Far and away the most difficult detail to surface so far has been the carb air intake below the prop spinner. After days of applying everything I learned in most of 14 classes I took on primary surfacing techniques, and episodes of tearing my hair out and occasionally walking off in a huff, I got this: It is not perfect, but any inaccuracies are measured in hundredths of an inch at full scale - which is infinitesimal at 1/18 scale. So, unlike a whole lot of P-51 models out there, this "smiley face" detail is deadly accurate. BTW - the Tamiya 1/32 P-51 has a very accurate smiley face, and I am convinced their designers had access to the point data that I have used. Next post you will see a test part of this detail, in 1/18 scale. I also have a complete surface for the prop spinner, done months ago: That was a breeze compared with the other surfacing efforts to date. Just a contour curve rotated around the thrust axis. In theory, if I can have a fully defined set of surfaces for the P-51, defined in Rhino in full scale, I can scale to 1/18 and create just about everything from them. A pretty exciting prospect, and easier said than done! Next post I will show the results of some test parts. I hope this build generates some interest; it's going to be a big challenge. P.S. - if any of you Mustang experts out there have any information on the Malcolm hood - like shapes and cross sections, well that would probably clear the way for me to do the B-model!

I am considering building a P-51B or C in 1/18 scale, and would love to do a subject with a Malcolm hood canopy. Since nothing like that exists, I will have to try to scratch build it. Only thing is, I have no technical data on it. There are pretty good photos of it on restored aircraft, which helps. But what I really need is drawings of cross sections, details, sliding mechanism, airframe modifications, etc. Anybody know anything?

This will be my first entry in a group build, ever. I don't have the skills or experience to approach some of the work here, but I will refine the cockpit and add the non-existent wheel wells at the very least. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this release of the kit came with cuffless Hamilton Standard props. So, I'll do my best to turn an Airfix 1/24 Mustang IVa, Waldron seat belts, foil placards, oxygen hose and instrument dials into this: or this:

Happy to announce an accurately shaped and detailed 1/24 scale P-51D Mustang upper cowling is now available for your Airfix kits. This model replaces the Airfix's kit's inaccurately shaped upper cowling parts. The cowling is 3D-printed in gray resin. It was designed from original North American Aviation blueprints ensuring an accurate shape and detailing.

As part of some upcoming large scale, 3D-printed aircraft cockpit upgrade designs, very happy to announce a model of the World War Two-era "Set, Complete Radio 522-A" ("SCR-522-A") used by the US Army Air Corps, Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force. In RAF and RAAF service, this radio set was known as the TR.5043. This model is available in 1/32 and 1/24 scales. Other scales are possible. Often referred to as a "Signal Corps Radio", the SCR-522-A was installed aboard many aircraft types. For example, the SCR-522-A was a conspicuous feature of the P-51D and P-51K Mustang fighters, installed behind the pilot's armored seat back and visible through the bubble canopy. Very soon, we will be releasing a highly detailed, 3D-printed cockpit for the classic Revell 1/32 scale Bristol Beaufighter (see posts below). Click here for the Model Monkey products in 1/24 scale and 1/18 scale Click here for Model Monkey products in 1/32 scale. Click here for the Model Monkey catalog.

My rendition of Major Edward Giller's "The Millie G" is now complete. This was by far my most involved project with extra detailing for the engine, cockpit, landing gear bays and the MG bays. Here's a link to the build thread in the Works in Progress section: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/92956-132-tamiya-p-51d-15-na-mustang-the-millie-g/ Thanks for all the comments and suggestions during the build. In summary, here were the aftermarket additions to the kit: Barracuda cockpit upgrade Barracuda instrument panel Barracuda cockpit sidewalls HGW seatbelts Eduard guy bay kit (late) Barracuda P-51D tires Eduard P-51 exterior detail kit Barracuda decals + placards Eduard canopy masks Eduard engine detail kit The main paints used were Mr. Color lacquers. Now for the final photos. All of the main markings were painted except the stars and bars and tactical lettering, which were decals. The stencils from the Barracuda decals were used instead of the kit stencils. The ailerons and elevators were glued in place. The rudder and flaps are movable and do a pretty good job of staying in place. The Eduard gun bay doors is an excellent upgrade over the kit doors. The ammo belts are from the Tamiya kit. The engine covers are all removable and fit reasonably well with Tamiya's magnet system. The starboard panel just under the exhaust is a little fiddly. The weathering was a combination of oils, airbrushed Tamiya acrylics (heavily thinned) used for local effects and with sponge chipping and spatter templates. Colored pencils and pastels were also used for various effects. Mr. Color GX100 was used for gloss coats and GX114 for flat coats. Great stuff. I used Mr. Color C330 RAF Dark Green for the fuselage. And a slightly darker version for the nose checks and spinner green. The NMF paints are Mr. Color Super Metallics. The checks on the nose were painted. The drop tank fuel and pressure lines were created from 0.5mm wire. I kept the weathering on the drop tanks relatively light since often they were single use items. All of the fastener holes in the engine panel frames were drilled out. Light colored oils were used on the NMF surfaces to depict varying amounts of oxidation on the panels. Eduard's engine upgrade contains PE hose clamps for all of the main hoses and piping in the engine. They are a pain to attach and paint but look pretty snappy when complete. Also, the edges of the gunsight glass were painted Tamiya clear green to simulate the look of the thick glass plate. The aluminum paint on the wings was rendered with a combination of the Mr. Color Silver and light gray. Mr. Surfacer was used to fill the rivets and panel lines on the forward 40% of the wings. Grime and wear was depicted using a combination of Tamiya acrylics, oil paints and colored pencils. Some wear is down to the primer and some is down to the base metal. The primer toward the back of the wing is ZCY and the primer toward the front is dark gray putty colored, based on the construction process. The Eduard gun bay doors really add a lot compared to the kit doors. The Eduard doors come with a hinge at the bottom of the door for gluing it permanently in place. I wanted to be able to remove them, so I made tabs similar to the kit doors and glued them onto the Eduard doors. I also added a support rod made out of 0.3mm wire. I really like the iconic 343 FS, 55th FG markings. Chipping around the panels and doors was done with acrylic paints and colored pencils. The cockpit detail from the Barracuda kit is quite good (details are on the build thread). One note was that I changed the wiring from the radio box behind the pilot seat because the cable harness would interfere with the canopy support bracket. So I converted to a strand of speaker wire and painted it black. Thanks for following along! Comments and critiques are more than welcome. Thanks again.

Well, since Duchess Arlene is getting close to wrapping up, time to start a new build! This time found a completely NON-NMF Mustang in one of the kit's marking options: Capt Hershel Pascoe's Desert Rat. Can't really remember if I've ever done a 'D' model that didn't have some NMF on it so this will be fun. Looking forward to working on faded finishes. Notice in BOTH of the pictures below how glossy the wing is. In both pictures you can see the reflections from the fuselage markings. Something to keep in mind for the finish... Also have collected a rather insane amount of AM of which I will use liberally on this build, and whatever is left maybe I'll use on my last Revell Mustang in the closet. I've also already liberated a few Eduard PE pieces left over from Duchess Arlene too. This will be an interesting conglomeration of bits... I think we've seen this before... Had the kit for probably 2 years? Got it for $20 in Chattanooga. I think I've tripled (at least) the cost just in AM... Picked up a lot of these bits in Telford over the years, esp the CMK and RB Productions pieces. Really wanted to give Radu's weathered floorboards and his resin bits a try... Did the typical wash and dry... Not nearly as many bits as with the Tamiya kit, as we know. Missing are the two sets of sprues for the wheels/drop tanks... The clear parts are still a problem but I'll get to that later. Here are Radu's worn Mustang Floorboard decals which I've wanted to try for a while. Prepped the floorboard with a coating of Vallejo Gloss Black Primer, the green is MRP Interior Green. Radu's decals are SHINY and very smooth. I angled the floor to catch the light to show how shiny they are. I may do a quick review on them, but definitely this is one of the times when it pays to follow directions. For a flat surface I normally would not put down Decal Solution, and Radu specifically says NOT to use a setting solution under his decals. After applying I pressed them down over the floor detail with a damp paper towel. After drying for a day I sprayed them with a clear matte: Not sure about the silver bolt heads over the black non-skid or where the surface has been worn, but after the matte spray, they look terrific. Similarly, one of my favorite things about the Revell kit is the cockpit... I took a lot of extra time with a toothpick trying to get all the gauges into their recesses on the IP. I came close! Will add some Airscale and Barracuda cockpit stencils to the IP (and the cockpit) to augment the already good details from the Revell kit. I did cut the selector switch decal into three pieces as the center 'switch' is too fat for the decal to settle down on. I SHOULD have just cut off the selector switch and used an Eduard PE piece. But this still looks pretty good. My first experience with CMK products is this resin seat. I bought both options, with and without seatbelts. For Desert Rat I opted for the seatbelts. The detail is really tremendous and extremely easy to paint. Base is Vallejo gloss white primer, then a spray of MRP Interior Green, specifically blotchy. The seat pad is Vallejo Model Air Hemp, followed with a wash of Vallejo Model Air Dark Brown, RLM61 - both brush painted. The RLM 61 was thinned 3 drops paint to 2 drops thinner. Seat belts are Model Master Acryl Tan, with seatbelt hardware brush painted using Vallejo Metal Color Dull Aluminum. After that had set, I used a damp paper towel, slightly dipped into the RLM61 to dab onto the seat for a bit of texture. Really hard to see here. Still need to add a bit more detail to the seatbelts. Its a start! Chris

Model Monkey is happy to announce a set of four 1/24 scale 5-inch HVAR rockets has been added to the catalog. This accurately scaled and detailed set of models represents fully fused 5-inch High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR) carried by US Army Air Force, US Navy and US Marine Corps aircraft during World War Two and the Korean War. These rockets were also fit to aircraft flown by allied forces including the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF and RSAAF, etc. HVAR rockets were typically fit to many USAAF, USN and USMC single-engine fighter aircraft such as the F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, the TBF/TBM Avenger, and later the F-80C Shooting Star, F-84E Thunderjet, F9F Panther, and F-86 Sabre. It was also used by some multi-engined aircraft such the PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon.

Happy to announce a set of 1/24 scale bombs, US 500 lb general purpose AN-M64, has been added to the catalog. The models are scaled from US Army Air Corps drawing 82-0-74 dated August, 1942. The models are suitable for F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, etc.

I don't think anyone will forget the first time they saw a Mustang in person. You don't realize it until then, but books, TV, and magazine pictures just aren't the same as experiencing those magnificent lines with your own eyes. It really is one of the most beautiful machines ever designed. This was especially true for me, as a 6 year old seeing a sinister looking Mustang in dark camouflage, red and black accents, and sporting the coolest looking sharkmouth I had ever seen. It was a sight to behold for those young eyes! That particular Mustang came out of the Cavalier Aircraft Corporation facilities in 1968 as a Cavalier Mk.II, Serial 67-22581. It was subsequently delivered to the Bolivian Airforce, and flown as FAB 523. In 1977, it was recovered from Bolivia, brought to Canada, and registered as C-GMUS. Ross Grady acquired the aircraft in 1978, and flew it for nearly twenty years on the airshow circuit as the famous and instantly recognizable “What's up Docâ€, retaining much of its Bolivian markings and colours. This is how I remember it, the first P-51 I ever laid eyes on, and for me, the most memorable. This is a build I have wanted to do for a long time, a trip down memory lane. Memories of my Dad and airshows and airplanes and that P-51 with the stuffed Bugs Bunny in the back. She flies in different colours now, long since sold by Ross, but I'd like to pay a little homage to him and his old mount.

Hello everyone, I want to ask if anyone knows what kind of tanks are in use under Bardahl Special's wings here: http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photos/N2869D:1.html I don't have to worry about copyrights if I just link you to their pictures. I know by looking at these they are not typical 75 gallon or bigger 110 gallon tanks usually used on a P-51 in WWII because the filler caps are more on the side of the tank and closer to being under the leading edge of the wing and there's no horizontal seam. There's no horizontal seams around it so it's not a Corsair's drop tank and there's no vertical seam all the way around, so it's not a 165 gallon P-38 drop tank. There's two RCAF birds on this part of Martin's website with this type of drop tanks. They are "City of London" and "City of Winnipeg 9274". They're most of the way down the page. https://swissmustangs.ch/usaf-usang-rcaf Here's another bird with these tanks that was also a racer I believe. http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4474694.html I know that Bardahl Special did carry Skyraider drop tanks from an AD-4 Skyraider. I'm mainly trying to figure out if these were something made by Cavalier or meant for another warbird all together. I almost like these different drop tanks to use on my model to make Bardahl Special as a racer with a little bit more color by adding the red check like markings to the tanks. Thanks in advance, Brady

Bf 110 D Dackelbauch and Bf 110 E Trop $40.00 each. Bf 109s were $20.00 but appear to have sold out. P-51K $20.00 https://dragonusaonline.com/Search.aspx?status=Best-Deals&scales=1-32

Happy to announce hollow, 3D-printed Merlin engine exhausts, optimized to fit the new-tool Revell P-51D-5 kit, are now available. They can be adapted for other 1/32 scale Merlin-powered Mustang kits. The exhausts are left- and right-handed, feature nut detail, and are printed in "Frosted Extreme Detail" acrylic plastic by Shapeways. They sell for $7.36 USD per pair. Link: http://shpws.me/Q8P5 For the last four years, Model Monkey has been specializing in 3D-printed products for ship and armor modelers. This is the first design for aircraft modelers. There will be more. Best wishes and happy modeling! - Steve Larsen Catalog of over 1600 designs for scale modelers:https://modelmonkey.wixsite.com/modelmonkey

Civilized Models opened for business in early September of this year producing short run mixed media kits of many of the historic air racers those of us who love the unlimiteds have come to know such as the Bud Lite Super Corsair, RB-51 Red Baron and Voodoo as well as many others. While the focus has been on small scale 1/72 and 1/48 scale subjects they are producing 1/32 scale subjects as well. These kits consist of resin cast parts with vac form clear parts and white metal landing gear. They are very accurate representations of the real air racers in some cases multiple kits of the same aircraft have been produced to represent specific modifications/time period over the history of the aircraft subject. As is often the case with mixed media kits there are the typical challenges of part fit and clean up from the casting process. Civilized Models is a one man business and this is to his credit not to be overly critical of the product. While the emphasis is on smaller scale kits 1/32 scale kits are on the way for those of you who want to add to your collection of Fisher kits. Civilized Models can be found on Facebook, here is a link to the home page- https://www.civilizedmodels.com/single-post/2017/12/13/Civilized-Models-Holiday-Sale-and-News

Hi Guys After being just a regular Large Scale Planes for the past 3 1/2 years I am back now as a trader, and as you can see the trading name is Aerocraft Models. I wanted a name to be aircraft related and the also thought of the word 'craft', so hence Aerocraft arose and the domain names were available in .co.uk and .com. As a brief update I have been doing master patterns for various people, aircraft related and some model bus projects for a few companies that do HO scale model buses. Over the last little while the bug got to me again to do a few things that I never got around to do, and still have plans and lots of research material for. In the interim I have decided to do a few small projects just to get the ball rolling. The first is some improved intake ramps and details for the Airfix 1/72 Phantom. I made these mainly because the lack of detail frustrated me and although I have not completed one as yet I intend to possibly build as many as 12 Phantoms, and I certainly could not modify parts for so many builds, roll on the FGR.2 release. Next up will be a small but handy item or two for another recent Airfix release 1/48 scale, I will confirm what that is in the next few days, as I need to do a trial casting or two before I announce that. There will be some 1/32 scale items following along as well, these three scales will be the three that I will be working in. My main aim in the next few months will be a few more complex conversions and I hope to have at least one full resin kit with other media parts out this year. One big difference this time I will only be doing this in my spare time, as I have full time employment so this will most certainly be secondary in priority, although I still hope to offer good service to my customers. LINK to new website, note this is fairly basic for now but it should do the job. http://www.aerocraftmodels.com I dropped Kevin an email the other day and this is the area that he guided me to post within, thanks for your help Kevin MAIN LSP NEWS STARTS HERE Another little set that I have been playing with, although the discussion has been quite controversial and I take all and both sides of the argument, and I know Radu well and admire his research and talent, I still think that there could be some folk interested. I know that there is another set already out on the market, but this is just my preferred method, I am still thinking of proceeding with it. The fact is that these few parts do not fully make a late model 'D' Mustang, there are changes also required to the cockpit and a few other small items as well as some discussion about a slightly different canopy. I have taken a lot of the points on and for my sake I am not too fussed personally about the cockpit changes (instrumentation variation mainly) and I have studied the canopy carefully, mainly against the three canopies offered in the Tamiya kit. To be honest I think that the Revell canopy and that in the Tamiya kit that is offered to cater for the later 'D' Mustangs is very close, and are almost 100% interchangeable. So before I finalise a few minor tweaks on the pattern and make production moulds I would like to get a an idea if you guys would be interested at all. Prices are estimated as follows 4 parts of resin new tail parts and new elevators £7.50, shipping in UK £2.50, shipping elsewhere in the world £4.50. NOTE as can bee seen these are an exact replica of the kit parts, so are thin shells, and the kit tail wheel assembly fits as per the kit was designed. AND YES I KNOW Revell will release an updated kit at some time so this is not a set for the long term future, but does my needs until then. cheers Ali Here are some links to pictures not able to get them to paste into post as yet. https://www.flickr.com/photos/154612402@N07/25806979347/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/154612402@N07/40636120262/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/154612402@N07/38867587420/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/154612402@N07/38867586260/in/dateposted-public/ cheers Ali

Here is my newest build, This is the fantastic Tamiya P-51 mustang using eagle-editions decals. I added a few extra items to the build such as the battery wiring behind the seat, hgw seatbelts, barracuda cockpit decals and adding a little plumbing for the drop tanks. My mustang was painted using alclad dura-aluminum for the wings, aluminum for the airframe and contral surfaces and dark aluminum in a few other spots, the black and white invasion strips were by Mr Paint and, the blue nose is from Mr Paint su-27 dark blue. I added some weathering to it using a flory wash, and then tamiya pastels for the exhause stain and gun ports, then the blue was given a semi-matt finsih. i hope u guys like my build here, questions and comments are welcome jeff

Now that my Kitty Hawk OV-10D is done, the build review is getting sent to the LSP mods, and Ive got a WIP start on my Kitty Hawk OV-10A, Im starting a 2nd active leisurely build to be displayed at my office. No super mods here, and no purchased AM for the kit of any kind. For this one, I am limiting myself to ONLY mods/AM that I already either already purchased and have on hand, or are already part of another kit, or my spares drawer. Im limiting the expenditure for this guy to the price of the kit itself. This is the most recent re-release of the Monogram Phantom Mustang, that was originally released around 1964, and most everyone has built one at one time or another including myself back in 1978, and my brother in 1967. I have quite a few mods planned but NO AMSing this one!! Im planning on using a TD pilot I had in the stash and WAS planning on using some Zotz decals I had in the stash, but am forgoing those for a paint job of my own, and since its clear, that wont even be that extensive. I also have some human eye-ball decals to use on the TD pilot, and Ill be using the wheels and tires (and maybe even gear) from my Tamiya Mustang since Ill be using G-Factor gear on that guy when the time comes. Here is a shot of the latest re-release boxing of the kit Ill be working on: The kit contents are very basic, and I will not be doing to much if any mods to these with the exception of maybe cockpit work: You also get a new bag of non crusty wires, and two new electric motors to run the gear/prop: There is just a touch of flash on some of the IM parts, but its not really a huge issue: Here you can see a couple AM things I pulled out of the stash that will be added (with the exception of the Zotz decals): The air-frame parts, while having been newly molded are from the same old raised panel line molds, which for this "office build" it wort matter much. The new molded clear is actually VERY nice and extremely clear: The scheme I have chosen is somehow quite apropos, P-51D-20-NA A/D #44-63165, of the 325th checker tails, "Double Nuthin" flown by Grant Smith: Here are a couple color shots of a 72nd scale model of Double Nuthin.....................she is quite colorful, and is a perfect scheme for a clear mustang with all the tail and wing tips painted. Ill be masking and painting all the checkers, and will try printing the decals for the "Double Nuthin"s: Well, there you have it guys! This one will be a leisurely build, with no due dates, and minimal to no AMS. Im not sure how often Ill be updating this office build with my ongoing build for Kitty Hawk, but with its more simple nature, and fun properties, I think it will be quite often I hope.

Hello, In getting ready to start another p-51 project. This time around, my mustang would of been flown by George Pretty, when it comes to his mustang, does anybody know if his p-51 would of had his wings with putty, or no putty and just nmf. If they do require putty. What would be the best way to tackle this Thanks for looking Jeff

First, I would like to say that Large Scale Planes has some of the nicest, most helpful people in the forum world and I am not just referring to just the modeling realm. Compared to some of the other modeling forums and even other hobbies I partake in, this forum has great user feedback with little of what I like to call JTP's or, Joe the Pro's. With that said, this will be my first topic started on any model forum so be easy on me! I haven't modeled since I was a young kid putting together Revell kits with Testors cement and finishing them in a couple hours. Even though I haven't touched a kit since middle school, I have continued to follow model forums and build sites. Now, at the age of 33 and with the recent purchase of a house, I have the room to get back into it and try out all of the methods I have learned from forums like this. I decided to dive back in with one of the great 1/32 kits from Tamiya, their P-51D. I have also added some aftermarket kits, I am sure I will add more down the road but this is what I have so far…. Web Garden Seatbelts - #132071 BarracudaCast Cockpit Sidewalls - BR32012 BarracudaCast Instrument Panel - BR32013 BarracudaCast Cockpit Upgrade - BR32014 BarracudaCast Diamond Tread Tires - BR32029 Eduard Exterior - #32302 Eduard Engine - #32307 Eduard Interior- Early - #32712 I also plan on getting the “Mustang Cockpit Stencils and Placards†from Barracuda but they haven't been in stock for months. Roy Sutherland, if you are out there, any chance these will be available soon? I haven't made a 100% commitment to the final paint scheme I want to depict but I am leaning towards Fundekals and their “Daddy's Girlâ€. A lot of my methods and references will come from Chuck Sawyer's (chuck540z3) P-51 “Thunder Bird†featured on the January 2014 cover of “Fine Scale Modelersâ€. This man can do some work! He also is very descriptive in his techniques which have been very helpful, he always responds in detail. Also, even though I could never come close to touching the skill of dodgem37, I really love what he is doing in his “Tamiya P-51D, Sinai, 1956†build and will use that as a valuable reference. First off is the Merlin, after removing some seam lines and filling some gaps the engine went together beautifully. I plan to add a lot of extra plumbing all over the engine compartment and I started with some oil lines made out of copper wire that come out of the oil relief valve. I added a wire holder out of aluminum off a soda can. After finishing the plumbing that wouldn't get in the way of paint I sprayed the entire engine with decanted Tamiya TS14 black. For the magneto's, starter, and the coolant rails I painted them Alclad Aluminum. I painted every bolt and nut with Floquil Old Silver with the tip of a #11 X-acto blade. The ignition rails are made out of .030" styrene rod with copper wires as the ignition wires. It was my first time bending a styrene rod and after many failed attempts using such methods as warm water, the stove, and a hair dryer I tried my wife's clothes steamer with beautiful results. That's all for now. It is slow going since I am learning all these methods for the first time but I am having a lot fun with it so far! I look forward to everyone's feedback. -Eric

Hi all! Two years ago I decided, that I need a Mustang in my collection. I saw a Dragon kit of P-51K Mustang in the shop - and i thought: "Why not?". It was a terrible mistake The kit has a lot of problems. When I started work with wheel bay - I really went to pieces. But sometime ago I decided to finish this work. Some work moments: Removing panel lines and rivets Added some positive rivets New ligths New bay for flaps Some rudder improvements The both sides in cockpit where wrong. The new one

Hello everyone, This is my first time to post a build on here and I'm a little ways into my build already but I thought why not share my progress and gather some others' input for future builds. I'm making the 1/32 Tamiya P-51D pretty much OOB. I do plan to use some OOP Pyn-up decals I have. I can't decide which one I want to do first though, I'm torn between Passion Wagon and Moon Mullins' P-51D. Both of these birds are early production P-51s with a filletless tail. Before I post pictures of my decals can someone please tell me if it's allowed to post nude pin-ups that were nose art? I'll add pictures as soon as I figure out how that works and I get an answer to my question. Cheers, Brady

About half an hour ago I got new pictures from Zoukei-mura, showing stunningly build up samples showing the four marking schemes given in this coming kit: