what areas to putty on P51 wings?

[Guest Nigelr32]

I personally think the paint finish would have a lot to do with what we see on any given P-51.

 

A glossy finish, as seems apparent on all the restored birds will show the slightest irregularity whereas a matt finish, as they look in all the period photo's will look totally flat and smooth.

 

I've decided that i am going to fill the front 40% of my wings, top and bottom, and let the paint try to eradicate the tamiya detail behind. This I think will be the best way to show what, in my opinion after reading all this, the wing really looked like. i will also not wash the wing at all, so as not to hilight any rivet detail remaining.

 

Just my 2p

[BrentE]

Okey dokey, pig in a pokey!

Let us play this game then...

Here is a photo of "Upupa Epops" http://www.flickr.com/photos/dschultz742/9353482367/

Please note how the rivet lines are revealed by the quilting effect on the wing and also you can see the panel lines that were puttied. This is EXACTLY what anyone can see on most preserved or flyable Mustangs.

Please let me repeat, oh... maybe for the millionth time... I do not dispute that the wings were puttied and smoothed. I am only saying that in certain light, when the light hits the wing in certain ways, you can still see the construction details.

Radu

 

That's slight inflight oil-canning while pulling G's in high-contrast lighting, not rivets and panel lines.  Like you said, in certain light, at certain angles, you can see some texture to the wing, again, not rivets and panel lines.  However, an image search shows there are dozens of other photos of Upupa Epops inflight and on the ground which show no hint of this.  Period photos also invariably show a lack of rivet and panel detail.

 

Taken just inches from the wing....

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7374415382_2fede200c0_o.jpg

 

Obviously, if you want to build the Tamiya Mustang with panel line and rivet detail fully intact, no one can fault you.  You'll get a beautiful model that's extremely accurate.  If you want that last little bit of accuracy and decide to fill all that fine detail, you've got your work cut out for you.  Trust me, I've done it three times and it is not easy to make that detail, fine as it is, disappear while not messing up the detail that should remain, as well as preserving the fit of the ammo bay panels.

 

Brent

[Radub]

Taken just inches from the wing....

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/7374415382_2fede200c0_o.jpg

 

You are pushing on an open door with this one. No arguments there.

All Mustangs I ever saw have a smooth leading edge. And even the photos I posted show that. And this is in perfect harmony with the manual instructions that the leading edge must be puttied and polished. And that was never an issue.

The issue is that in all photos you can see traces of panel lines and rivets on the top and bottom of the wing. Got any close-ups of the same areas I showed in my photos (or the linked photos)?

I will build my model the way I want, of course.

Radu

Edited October 1, 2013 by Radub

[BrentE]

You are pushing on an open door with this one. No arguments there.

All Mustangs I ever saw have a smooth leading edge. And even the photos I posted show that. And this is in perfect harmony with the manual instructions that the leading edge must be puttied and polished. And that was never an issue.

The issue is that in all photos you can see traces of panel lines and rivets on the top and bottom of the wing. Got any close-ups of the same areas I showed in my photos (or the linked photos)?

I will build my model the way I want, of course.

Radu

 

Actually, I have several photos that I took myself of the UE's wing, but I can't for the life of me figure out where I saved them.    I'll keep digging and post them when I find them.

 

In the meantime, see the FHC's own gallery here....

 

 

http://www.flyingheritage.com/TemplatePlane.aspx?contentId=29#

 

Brent