Tamiya P-51D The Hun Hunter: 4/27/16: DONE AND IN THE BOOKS

[Guest]

WOW !!.........Harv

[Guest Peterpools]

Thanks Harv

Sure looks as if lady Luck waved her magic wand and found a good reason for me to get cracking on the Hun Hunter again.

Peter

[Tomcat14]

Looking good peter, can't wait to see her in paint.

 

Chris

[Loic]

Looks great Peter

This said, I think you have switched left & right LG leg   

[Ironwing]

Pete,

 

As always, neat, methodical and pristine...I always look forward to your stuff, especially Mustangs.

 

"Keepem coming"

 

Geoff

[Guest Peterpools]

Thanks Chris, still a lot of clean up to do but it won't be too long before the paint shop.

Peter

[Guest Peterpools]

Loic

Much appreciated and thank you for pointing out my blinder - somehow, I always seem to sneak one or two in. Spend a bit of time this morning peeling off the leading edge gear covers and exchanging the left and right gear legs. Covers are now gluing and filler with lots of sanding later today.

Peter

[Guest Peterpools]

Much appreciated Geoff

After Loic pointed out I flipped the gear legs, I had to do a bit of backtracking but the repair is now done

Peter

[Out2gtcha]

Yay! Was looking forward to this one's return my friend

[Guest Peterpools]

Hi Brian

No time like the present to pick up the Hun Hunter, especially while waiting for the replacement Meteor Roundels.

Peter

[John F Smith]

I just went through this build thread, Peter.  As you know, I've been away for a while on other things.

 

This is simply superb work.  The cockpit is as good as I have seen and I love the fuel tank/battery work behind the cockpit.  You are a much braver man than I to take on all of that Bondo work, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.

 

Your metallic work never ceases to amaze me.  I think you must be the NMF whisperer.  Tell us about what you think of the AK Metallics, if you don't mind.

 

John

[Guest Peterpools]

Hi John

Thanks so much for the very very kind comments on the Hun Hunter. and glad you were able to check in on my doings. Now that the Meteor is in the display case, the P-51D is back underway and I should have a priming update next week. Just lots of filling, sanding and polishing still to do.

As far as Alclad vs AK: it's a complete draw and both apply exactly the same and both are as durable as each other. All the nonsense about Alclad needing TLC is just that, rubbish. Both are durable and tough. I've built and finished a host of models with Alclad and now AK, never have used a drop of sealer and have masked, painted, decaled right on top with zero problems and never a speck of paint lifting. Just don't forget to de-tack the Tamiya tape. Once the NMF is on, I try to remember to wear white cotton gloves but of course, I can't tell you how may times I've forgotten. For me, the choice just breaks down to which one has the color I'm looking for at the time and I do use them interchangeably, with no problems at all. Two great products and both yield great results. I've attached photos of two builds one with Alclad and one with Ak and the results are dead even in my book! One last comment: neither Alclad nor AK are lacquer based products; they are mineral/solvent based.

 

Alclad:

URL=http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Peterpools/media/P-51D%20Mustang%20Old%20Crow/PCW_4504_zps9d783cd8.jpg.html][/url]

 

AK:

Edited March 6, 2016 by Peterpools

[Ironwing]

Pete

 

Why do you tease me with your Mustangs?

Damn Dude...you just keep getting better and rising meteorically into that category of people I don't like

 

Beautiful stuff...

 

Best

Geoff

[Guest Peterpools]

Hi Geoff

Geez, wish I knew that before hand.

I surely wish I could work at your level, as I'm always amazed with each update on your Mustang

Peter

[Guest Peterpools]

 

UPDATE: 3/18/16: GOOD BYE RIVETS

Finally the Hun Hunter has been primed and the touch-ups completed. I was happy to see that the rivets and panel lines that needed to be filled have disappeared – all that filling and sanding has paid off.

From the start, I wasn't sure if I wanted the cowl on or off but as I approached the painting stages, I knew it would be buttoned up. My collection already has one Mustang and two Spitfires with the cowls off. Sitting close by is Tamiya's Mossie and I just know she will have both Merlins basking in the sun down the road. I've been leaning more and more towards closing the cowlings up these days but who knows what the future will bring with a P-51B coming out way. I wish Tamiya would have made it a lot easier to build the Mustang buttoned up with a simple two piece cowl as an option rather then the four piece cowl and magnet deal. With all the extra parts for gear up or down and the movable parts, it would have made sense to include some simple parts to close up the engine and not to mention a simple plug to replace the Merlin, as the kit already has a boatload of extra parts for various display options.

I'm looking forward to a lot of time in the paint shop, as the painting is about to get under way..

Next up: Gloss Black Base and this time around, it's going to be Tamiya.

Thanks for checking in

Peter