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Revell Desert Rat P-51D


CANicoll

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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...

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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.

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I think I've tripled (at least) the cost just in AM...

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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...

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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.

lu6mR8.jpg 

 

Prepped the floorboard with a coating of Vallejo Gloss Black Primer, the green is MRP Interior Green.

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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.

JnZIfm.jpgRyeRSz.jpg

 

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:

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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...

8tW2Ne.jpg

 

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.

jIJzNp.jpg

 

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.

 

Ms4NF0.jpg

 

Its a start!

 

Chris 

 

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5 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

And a REAL nice start it is!!

 

What was the story with the clear parts?

I've got an extra Tamiya canopy but I'm thinking about investing in Ali's clear parts.

 

Hi Brian - Thanks for the message.  The simplicity of the Revell kit and the really nice cockpit detail are the real pleasures of the kit.  I don't know about your kit, but the sidewall frames on my copy had some flash/soft casting that I needed to cut/scrape away. The rest of my parts seem to be pretty crisply cast.

 

Like you, I was concerned about the clarity of the Revell clear parts so I ordered two copies of Ali's clear resin parts which arrived last week.   I will definitely be doing a review of Ali's parts.  However,  I need to have a conversation with Ali as well.  I am not impressed at the quality or the clarity of the pieces I received.  I actually do not see any difference in clarity between the kit parts and Ali's parts, and the kit parts actually fit INSIDE Ali's parts (canopy and windscreen) so I am very concerned that Ali's parts are too wide and too long. 

 

Another disappointment is that Ali's parts look to be a direct replacement/copy of the Revell parts - the side of the canopy lacks any detail (just like the Revell piece) in stark contrast to the Tamiya canopies which have rich canopy detail (as you know).

 

Regarding the clarity, I have not yet tried to polish Ali's parts per his instructions so I might end up being delightfully surprised at the clarity.  The size of the parts is still a concern and the lack of canopy frame detail is disappointing.  Right now I have two extra Tamiya canopies so that is my backup plan.

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3 hours ago, spyrosjzmichos said:

Great start Chris!

Wasn't aware of these cockpit floor decals. 

 

They are pretty cool.  Radu also has varnished wood cockpit floor decals - RB Productions.  radubstore.com   Spruebrothers has the worn floor decals in stock but are out of stock of the others.  They seem to carry a pretty good selection of his stuff - check it out! 

 

Chris

Edited by CANicoll
Corrected anti-skid option to varnished wood for the second decal set.
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Thanks Chris!  I know Ali to make some really nice stuff, so that is a bit of a surprise. I'm sure he will likely address that, as I have found him very good to deal with. I might just see about fitting the Tamiya parts on if that fit is decent.  I know Mike M here did it with his Revell kit, so will likely look over his to see how the fitment went.

 

Looking forward to more progress! 

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4 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

Thanks Chris!  I know Ali to make some really nice stuff, so that is a bit of a surprise. I'm sure he will likely address that, as I have found him very good to deal with. I might just see about fitting the Tamiya parts on if that fit is decent.  I know Mike M here did it with his Revell kit, so will likely look over his to see how the fitment went.

 

Looking forward to more progress! 

 

Ironically, for my first Revell build the canopy was so bad and I had the spare Tamiya canopies around so tried one out - fits PERFECTLY (and is still on Lou IV today, check out my build thread.)  The tab for the canopy slide is much shorter on the Revell kit, but glues in perfectly to the Revell canopy.  All painted black and it is under the rear part of the canopy framing for the most part anyway.

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9 minutes ago, CANicoll said:

 

Ironically, for my first Revell build the canopy was so bad and I had the spare Tamiya canopies around so tried one out - fits PERFECTLY (and is still on Lou IV today, check out my build thread.)  The tab for the canopy slide is much shorter on the Revell kit, but glues in perfectly to the Revell canopy.  All painted black and it is under the rear part of the canopy framing for the most part anyway.

 

 

well-thats-good-5bb515.jpg

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Busy week at work - very hard to duplicate a full conference from halfway around the world.  Just a killer.  But finally got a few hours to spend on the cockpit - mostly on the placards and decals - detail work.

 

Spent a bit more time on the seat - realized I needed more work on the seatbelts, and I did a bit of a black wash around the metal seatbelt hardware and around the seat pad.

Old                                                                                                                         New

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Next up was a bit more detail on the IP.  Added a few of the Barracuda Cockpit placards which really do make a difference.  Also noticed that I had one decal crooked.  Fixed that and use a tiny drop of Future to create lenses for the instrument dials.  Since the cockpit decal and IP is flat, the Future does a nice job looking like glass - would not work over a IP with raised details.

 

Original

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Added the Barracuda placards and the Future lenses:

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And Fixed:

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Added a couple of Eduard color PE gauges to the wing tanks (Left) and covered them with some Future (Right).  I seriously doubt these will be visible in the cockpit, but we know its there, right?

W7nlDc.jpgrKVxhV.jpg

 

And of course, on to the sidewalls.  10 decals (Barracuda) and 1 Eduard color PE plaque.  I have no idea why I have so much extra Eduard PE and Barracuda placards but happy to have them!  I get to choose between those and the Revell bits.

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Left side is still in kind of rough shape and not complete but it is on its way. 

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The two dials are topped with Eduard Color PE dials

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Still lots to do on the left sidewall.

 

And I have a new friend helping:

iXHrnq.jpg

Just got her Sunday and she's quickly getting used to her new home.

 

Thanks for looking!

Chris

 

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Hope everyone is having a good (holiday in the US) weekend.  REALLY looking forward to the three day weekend!  Got a bit more done today , closing up the cockpit sidewalls.  Looking at the IP and the sidewalls realized I needed to add about 12 more decals and I know there are a few more I can still add. Right now I have bits from Tamiya, Revell, Barracuda and Airscale adorning the cockpit.  I keep forgetting how busy the cockpits really were.

 

But first - the radiator intakes.  View from the opening, but we all know hardly any of this will be visible.  But wanted to show a dirty exit so here is what it really looks like from above too.

mwhFNL.jpg

The streaks were done by putting a spot where the radiator is, and blowing towards the exit.  Imperfect, but it won't really be visible anyway.

cXowm1.jpg

 

Almost forgot to put the side supports on the seat but here they are.  The darker shade of green shows up better in the cockpit rather than having a monochrome green and in the cockpit don't show up as that much of a difference.  The supports came out of the Tamiya P-51D kit.  They are actually silver rather than brass as the other PE pieces are, and hard to see here, but I rubbed off some of the green paint on the wear points, revealing the silver/aluminum underneath.  Eduard color PE for the fuselage tank gauge.  The picture is a bit over exposed as silver is showing up as white.  Also, some more dirty wash on the floor board.

9aKofy.jpg

 

Did a bit more work on the sidewalls as well. Most of the markings are from the Barracuda Cockpit placards pack.

Y034hM.jpg

And the other side.  Added a decal over the Eduard Color PE on the throttle as the printing on the PE was too faint to really see.  Also added the brass 'chain'.  The Barracuda resin sidewall pieces have places to actually put in maps and mission report forms.  Here they are represented just by paint.

CCtf5V.jpg

And closed up, dry fitted here:

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As much as I really liked the Barracuda canopy rails, I just could not bring myself to cut these off and attach a PE set.  Painted aluminum with a black wash.

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Closer look at the IP - final version... Added a few more placards as well as well as realizing I had missed the entire mid-section decal

1IG5ho.jpgmEXyxD.jpg

 

Been watching some of the history channel shows on WWII lately as well.  VERY interesting and timely!  Have a safe holiday everyone.

 

Chris

 

 

Edited by CANicoll
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14 hours ago, MikeC said:

Good choice of subject, and great start.  I'm thinking of that scheme myself, but perhaps an aircraft other than "Desert Rat". 

 

Mike:  Let me know what you choose.  I've been looking at some of the other green Mustangs as well.  Maybe we'll make them a pair, I know whose would be the nicest!  :bow:

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