1/32 Hasegawa/Dragon Mustang

[tourist]

Nice attention to details.

You could also reshape the gun fairings a bit.

On real Mustangs they tend to reach further back onto the wing.

[bcauchi]

Wow Geoff, this saga continues. that is really beautiful detailing on the wing. The fuel taps are impressive to say the least and your work is absolutely clean. that always fascinates me in some of you guys. i tend to work a bit messier and then it takes ages to clean it all up. Wow you are really doing great here.

[levier]

Hey Geoff, very inspiring work here...

 

those little details you just added are fairings for the aileron contol mechanism. I believe it a bellcrank/pushrod assembly under there.

 

Keep it coming!

 

Brian

 

http://www.flightof2photography.com

[Ironwing]

Christian:

 

The guns are on the to do list along with the tip lights which, I believe, are embedded in the end of the wing (the bulb part) and the the colored lens covers it. Thats what it looks like in the few photos I have. Input? Then the wing can be final surfacedby filling the panel lines and recutting the gun bay covers. Then prime.Then...

 

Brian:

 

Thanks Brian. Youre always encouraging. Believe me, this has been cleaned up before taking pics even though there isnt much mess when youre just cutting and gluing stock together. Im glad you looked in, always good to hear from you.

 

Levier:

 

Thank you for looking in and your kind compliments. I dont believe you are correct in your statement about what the fairings are. The aileron push rod attaches to the inboard LE corner of the aileron based on the references I have at hand. It can be clearly seen in Squadron's "Mustang Walk Around". I cant remember the page number off hand. I believe this to be correct, but I could be wrong. Perhaps the Mustang Cop ( ) could hop in here and give his opinion.

I have found over time that many myths have been propagated about the Mustang and what things should be or are. A classic example is the canopy position when it is in the full open position. Many, many builders show it sticking up in the air at the back end (because thats the way the rails go) much like the canopy on the Harrier. Nothing could be more incorrect. It should sit flat on the dorsal spine of the airframe. Anyway, I believe the "wing bumps" are fences...anyone care to clarify?

 

Hope everyone is well...

 

Cheers,

 

Geoff

[tourist]

I'm not sure about the fairings Brian.

As far as I know the aileron's control mechanisms are all enclosed in the wings.

The fairings were added for aerodynamic purposes.

 

Geoff, I think the colored plastic bulb was just screwed at the tip of the wing over the light (I'll try to find a goo pic).

Not all the features of the wing were filled before painting, I don't have a scanner but I'll try to find pictures tomorow and explain what should remain.

There's a pinned thread on the ARC forums about this but it's incorrect.

[Ironwing]

Christian,

 

Dont worry about a scan or pics of what needs to be filled on the wing, I have it. Unless what you have is different and more correct.

 

Thanks,

 

Geoff

[levier]

Geoff,

 

Point well taken about throwing my two cents in on those fairings... I did a bit of research, and came up blank. Nothing in the parts catalogue ( I think these would never be removed in service) I searched several rolls of miocrofiche in my stash, and I found drawings of it but no desription. I have a query in to a friend who owns one, so maybe he'll kick it back.

 

I'm sure it doesn't really matter what they are you have them nicely represented, which is what does matter.

 

Brian

[tourist]

Christian,

 

Dont worry about a scan or pics of what needs to be filled on the wing, I have it. Unless what you have is different and more correct.

 

Thanks,

 

Geoff

 

That's a relief, I didn't quite know how to explain it without pictures.

The photos of navigational lights in the Squadron/Signal P-51D Walkaround (page 36) clearly show one visible screw at the center of the bulb.

I should double check this but I don't think they were covered at the factory like the one seen on the bottom picture.

 

Have you given any thought to the markings of your Mustang?

Some details could differ according to the production block you'll choose.

 

Levier, the fairings are there to help guide the airflow towards the aileron.

[Ironwing]

Brian,

 

Input is always welcome. I just dont want to mislead anyone into thinking something incorrect. If you look on page nineteen of this thread at the aileron shots, you'll notice a cutout in on the inboard leading edge of the aileron. Thats the point where the push rod connects. But I do genuinely enjoy having you look in and comment. We all learn from this.

 

 

Christian,

 

I may have spoken too soon. I think I got the wing data (filled panels) off of ARC. Its wrong?

To answer your question about markings...I hadnt given it a great deal of thought up to this point. I figured it was too far away to concern myself with color. More than likely it will be a blue or yellow nose.

 

Geoff

[tourist]

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

 

OK, let's try it looking at the Squadron Signal Walkaround Page 15 (top pic).

You can see the wings with a first coat of primer (green/yellow) and some filled panel lines (more primer will be added later before final painting).

The basic rule is that all access hatches were left unfilled (for obvious reasons), you can clearly see the ones just inboard of the guns (they allowed access to gear strut adjustment mechanisms) and the one further outboard on the wing.

 

Download these drawings for a pretty accurate description of the different access panels:

 

http://www.airwar.ru/other/draw/p51wita.html

 

Some other small details were also left showing (or at least they showed) such as the 3 "screws" seen just inboard of the fuel tank filler caps which are attachments for the fuel tanks and are reflected on the bottom of the wing. For the other small details refer to the drawings.

 

The panel lines themselves were filled (top and bottom of the wing) from the wing fillet to the tip of the wing with a few exceptions:

 

-The "front to back" panel lines on each extreme end of the gun bays (inboard and outboard) extended all the way back to the flap and aileron (nothing in front of the bays), you can kinda see them on the bottom photo of page 14.

 

-The line at the very tip of the wing (parallel to the fuselage from the tip of the aileron to the front of the wing) was left showing all around as well as the next line inboard and parallel to this one.

Some photos clearly show filer in these lines but they appear on pretty much every field picture I've seen, not all parts received the same amount of primer maybe that explains it.

 

-On the bottom of the wings the big panels/plates behind the wheel wells were not filled or primed, they were left bare (same as the flaps and ailerons).

 

Well I hope it all makes sense (let me know), I should invest into a scanner that'd be much easier.

I've gathered that info through long research and photo observation, I'm confident it's accurate but if someone has more info let us know.

Finally, keep in mind that even though field conditions took their toll on the finish, Mustangs were overall well taken care of and the crews did their best to keep the wings in good condition.

 

I was asking about the markings because you're working on the wing and the shape of the gun camera port on the leading edge of the left wing differs according to the prod. block you'll choose.

[Klaus H]

hi ironwing!

 

i have been a pretty long time off lsp and now i return and see you working on your beauty again. just great! i really like what you are doing with this kit. your level of detail fascinates me. thats modelling hitting my taste 100%. cant wait to see more of your bird.

ps: if you want to do a nmf finish you should polish the wings alot. there are many fine scratches visible on the wings on the pictures. well, i know that you would do that anyway.

 

cheers

yours klausi

[Ironwing]

Klausi !

 

Good to see you back on LSP. Your time in the Army is done? Anyway...damn good to see you back. Im glad you looked in. I see you havent lost your eye for details; even the little ones . I have a long way to go before we get to the finishing operation. Having said this, the Mustang's wings, along with the rudder (fabric covered), are painted. The rest of the airframe is NM and I promise to take out the scratches .

 

I must say, for those of you who dont know Klaus, he is one of the finest builders I have ever seen and always helpful. Check out his posting here on LSP. Youll be amazed at his level of detail and craftsmanship.

 

Work is ongoing...Ill be back. Hope everyone is well.

 

Cheers

 

Geoff

[Ironwing]

Greetings All,

 

Well, it's back to the flaps. I think this is fairly good representation of a Mustang flap. Notice I said flap (singular). Thats because there is only one. I need to do this again. It took some time to figure this out along with the required fuselage cutting to go along with it. I didnt want to screw the pooch on it. This took an entire day. Anyway, I think it's ok. Many will think its totally off. Believe me when I say it isnt, and that includes the way the fuselage is cut away. Unless you actively look for this stuff, it remains hidden in most every, if not all, photo Ive seen. I used very specific reference photos of the area. Its amazing how open the lower fuselage is when the flaps are down. The lower flap surface closes it all up when in the retracted position.

Those of you that helped with photos and suggestions...many thanks.

 

This is just the semi rough condition but you get the idea. This also requires the lower fuselage to be detailed.

 

The arm sticking up with the round flange is the articulation point for the flap actuator. The vast majority of the fairing/lower fillet needs to be removed for things to be accurate.

[Ironwing]

Thats the flap actuator on top (the round thing) You can see how mush fuselage is cut away. The sides of the Mustang are relatively flat under the flap. The Hasegawa fuselge has a large fillet which needs to be removed in part with the rest modified.

[Ironwing]

Yes that stuff is really supposed to be there. Ever seen it before? It remains mostly invisible in most any photo you will ever see of the Mustang, even when the photo is taken from the rear. It's supposed to be there. I didnt over medicate.

That triangular looking piece forms bottom of the fuselage fillet.

 

Note: The Paragon flap set for the Mustang has the support piece (the one with the holes in it) but it makes no accomodation for the flap arm which is readily visible when the flaps are down.