geedubelyer Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Hello fellow plastic punishers, Just a quick question to anyone who has built (or is building) the Tamiya P-51D. Does the engine have to be installed to complete the build? Is it possible to construct the nose without the engine in place if the cowlings are to be fixed permanantly on the finished model? The motor looks so splendiferous that I wondered if one could scratch build a plinth and pose it next to the completed kit in a similar manner to the way some museums do. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated. Cheers, Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrh Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I haven't put glue to plastic yet, but I've been studying it, and I think the answer is yes, it does. You don't need to trick it out, you can just assemble the basic block and head parts and leave all the fiddly bits in the box. I agree with you - I don't plan on ruining the look of any Mustang or Spitfire I build by leaving a bunch of stuff off of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 The engine is used to mount the prop on the Spitfire and Mustang, but an capeable modeller should be able to attach it with it the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTroll Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) The core parts of the engine need to be installed because they support other fuselage parts. The "How to build..." book by Brett Green shows the necessary parts in one of the illustrated builds. An excellent book, BTW. Edited November 20, 2011 by OldTroll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Having just finished this kit I would say it is possible with some innovative thinking. The engine is definitely structural out of box but with a little reinforcing inside the cowl area with PlatiStrut to stiffen things up you could probably get away with it. Note that the exhaust mounts to the inner cowl supports, not the engine and as Dave points out, the prop hangs off the engine but again with a little home made structure added in that area you should be good to go. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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