Revell Desert Rat P-51D

[CANicoll]

On 5/18/2020 at 10:38 AM, 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! 

 

Brian,

 

HEY!! Something I noticed when I got Ali's canopies and I just verified now.  Ali's canopies are very wide;  they are somewhat flexible, but still, very wide.  But there is a bigger problem afoot if you want to try and use the Tamiya canopy on the Revell kit.  Or the Revell canopy with the Revell kit:  neither one fits!! 

 

I have three Revell canopies from 3 different kits, 3 Tamiya canopies from two different kits.  The Revell canopies and Tamiya canopies are exactly the same size.  All six are 2mm too narrow for Desert Rat.  Oh, and the Revell windscreen is also 2mm too narrow to fit the fuselage.

 

BUT, The Aerocraft canopy is wider (maybe a bit too wide but at least it is flexible).

 

Here is Aerocraft canopy with the Tamiya canopy INSIDE:

 

Revell canopy inside the Aerocraft canopy:

 

If you look back at my Lou IV build, I have the Tamiya canopy on it and it fits just fine - perfectly actually.  I JUST pulled the Tamiya canopy off Lou IV and put it on my dry-fitted Desert Rat fuselage.  I don't know what has happened to the Revell kit, but the Tamiya canopy that fits perfectly on Lou IV is now a full 2mm too narrow for the Desert Rat.  ALL three of the Tamiya canopies I have are 2 mm too narrow for Desert Rat.  Worse, all three of the Revell canopies (including the one that came in the Desert Rat box) are also too narrow for Desert Rat (he windscreens too.), but fit Lou IV perfectly.    I'm flabbergasted. 

 

The Desert Rat fuselage is fully closed up, the wing fits (had to do a little adjusting) but right now I don't have a canopy that fits Desert Rat until I work on the Aerocraft canopies.  WTH??

 

I'm sure the Aerocraft canopy will fit as it is very flexible - just not sure how to make it keep its shape, but one problem at a time and I trust that Ali has sorted that out. 

 

I do plan on doing a comparison/review of the three options: Aerocraft, Revell, Tamiya.

 

Pictured below L-R: Tamiya (2 canopies), Aerocraft (2 canopies), Revell (three Revell canopies from three different Revell kits)

 

A quick note is one of my Revell canopies has a swirl in the side of the canopy (see picture above, on the #11 line, at the top), but the other set has almost perfectly clear windscreens and canopies .  Luck of the draw what you get out of Revell I guess.  The canopy from the last Mustang kit I bought has the clearest canopy and windscreen.  FWIW.

 

The Aerocraft canopies need to be polished, but I have a feeling they will be crystal clear once I do through that.

 

But what happened to Revell that their own windscreen and canopy doesn't fit?  I used a completely OOB interior except for the seat (which doesn't have any bearing on the fuselage width).  The fuselage closes up at the nose just fine - a bit of a gap at the rear about .1mm - so the canopy/windscreen issue has me puzzled.  

[MikeC]

1 hour ago, CANicoll said:

 

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!  

 

You ol' flatterer.   I was thinking of Maj Arval Robertson's, and later Capt Charles Weaver's, "Passion Wagon".

 

I just have to get around to it ...

 

 

[CANicoll]

41 minutes ago, MikeC said:

 

You ol' flatterer.   I was thinking of Maj Arval Robertson's, and later Capt Charles Weaver's, "Passion Wagon".

 

I just have to get around to it ...

 

 

 

I was looking at that one too, but not willing to pay $35 for the Cutting Edge decals.  :-(  So I'm looking for another option...

BTW - I see the rear view mirror, but what is that other dark bit at the top/rear of the canopy?

[Thunnus]

Cockpit is looking great, especially the IP.  Strange situation with the Revell fuselage seeming to have lost 2mm from one copy to another.

[CANicoll]

10 minutes ago, Thunnus said:

Cockpit is looking great, especially the IP.  Strange situation with the Revell fuselage seeming to have lost 2mm from one copy to another.

I just don't understand how that could happen.  If I had grafted in resin sidewalls I'd think I hadn't thinned them properly, but this is with the kit cockpit!  I'll get some pictures up measuring across the two fuselages... 

 

Revell keeping us on our toes!

[MikeC]

6 hours ago, CANicoll said:

 

I was looking at that one too, but not willing to pay $35 for the Cutting Edge decals.  :-(  So I'm looking for another option...

BTW - I see the rear view mirror, but what is that other dark bit at the top/rear of the canopy?

 

Kits World do a set which seems to be currently available (Hannants have stock, or you can get direct from KW) covering this and the later "Passion Wagon".  https://www.kitsworld.co.uk/index.php?CATEGORY=3&SUB=4&THISPAGE=2&RADIOSORT=4&PICFILE=156&STKNR=156&STRH=3332&ORDN=2397&RNZ=218086

 

No idea what the dark bit is: something behind the aircraft rather than on it perhaps?  If so, what?

 

 

[MikeMaben]

Hey Chris, I remember there 'is' an issue with getting the fuselage halves together without

any pressure. The first 'obstacle' I noticed was those side frames for the cockpit. I flat sanded

the outside surfaces on a piece of 600 grit on a sheet of glass I use for that. It took quite a bit

of meat off to get the fuselage to fit without any pressure.

Also, at the rearward side of the port cockpit frame is a tab that fits into a loop on the starboard

frame that keep them from closing completely so I just snipped them off as they aren't seen

after completion anyway. I found they kept the fuselage halves slightly appart as well.

I know it's too late now but that 'has' to be the reason your canopy isn't flushing up with the

fuselage. It's too wide at the cockpit area. I also left the firewall out completely as it isn't

visible either. I wanted the fuselage halves to fit without 'any' pressure.

[Collin]

11 hours ago, CANicoll said:

 

I was looking at that one too, but not willing to pay $35 for the Cutting Edge decals.  :-(  So I'm looking for another option...

 

 

I’m building the same kit now, so watching closely. 

 

I’m doing Hun Hunter from the Eagle Cal Sheet. You are welcome to either of the other two schemes. I also have Kits World 132026 that I won’t be using. Yours if you want them. 

 

Cheers

Collin

[CANicoll]

7 hours ago, MikeC said:

 

Kits World do a set which seems to be currently available (Hannants have stock, or you can get direct from KW) covering this and the later "Passion Wagon".  https://www.kitsworld.co.uk/index.php?CATEGORY=3&SUB=4&THISPAGE=2&RADIOSORT=4&PICFILE=156&STKNR=156&STRH=3332&ORDN=2397&RNZ=218086

 

No idea what the dark bit is: something behind the aircraft rather than on it perhaps?  If so, what?

 

 

 

Mike,   Thanks for this.  No matter what Roy keeps saying, you are a scholar and a gentleman!  

 

No clue to the dark bit behind the canopy.  Oh well! 

 

Somehow or another I did have the Kitsworld decals in my Spruebrothers shopping basket, but on further inspection Kitsworld has 2 sets of decals for Passion Wagon:  132001 and 132003.  003 has the early kill marking surrounded in red (and a more complete set for his later planes, while 001 does not.   SO its a matter of do you think they were surrounded in red, or just plane?  I'm ordering the 003 set.

 

Cheers Mike!

[CANicoll]

6 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Hey Chris, I remember there 'is' an issue with getting the fuselage halves together without

any pressure. The first 'obstacle' I noticed was those side frames for the cockpit. I flat sanded

the outside surfaces on a piece of 600 grit on a sheet of glass I use for that. It took quite a bit

of meat off to get the fuselage to fit without any pressure.

Also, at the rearward side of the port cockpit frame is a tab that fits into a loop on the starboard

frame that keep them from closing completely so I just snipped them off as they aren't seen

after completion anyway. I found they kept the fuselage halves slightly appart as well.

I know it's too late now but that 'has' to be the reason your canopy isn't flushing up with the

fuselage. It's too wide at the cockpit area. I also left the firewall out completely as it isn't

visible either. I wanted the fuselage halves to fit without 'any' pressure.

 

Mike,

Thanks for this and I MAY still be able to get the interior out as I've only glued the top of the fuselage nose together.  I have not had to force the front top or bottom of the fuselage together except at the very rear where you noted that the rear 'firewall' (for lack of a better name for it) is a tad too wide.  I had sanded that down to narrow it and now it closes up nicely.  I'll see about pulling the interior out and sanding the outside of those side walls....

 

oh, crap.  I just remembered that I DID glue the interior in place.  Rats.....  Ok, this will be fun....

[CANicoll]

2 hours ago, Collin said:

 

I’m building the same kit now, so watching closely. 

 

I’m doing Hun Hunter from the Eagle Cal Sheet. You are welcome to either of the other two schemes. I also have Kits World 132026 that I won’t be using. Yours if you want them. 

 

Cheers

Collin

 

Thanks Collin!  Much appreciated.  I had that same set of decals as I did Lou IV, and funny enough, gave away the Hun Hunter decals.  Thanks for your offer tho!

 

Chris

[MikeC]

Incidentally, just for interest's sake: Leiston airfield, home of the 357th, is now the "Cakes and Ale" holiday caravan site.  Here are a coupleof photos from way back in 2006, last time I was there. 

 

 

 

[CANicoll]

Michael,  Very cool and I wonder how many people stop to look at the sign and the Mustang.

[CANicoll]

 

18 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Hey Chris, I remember there 'is' an issue with getting the fuselage halves together without

any pressure. The first 'obstacle' I noticed was those side frames for the cockpit. I flat sanded

the outside surfaces on a piece of 600 grit on a sheet of glass I use for that. It took quite a bit

of meat off to get the fuselage to fit without any pressure.

Also, at the rearward side of the port cockpit frame is a tab that fits into a loop on the starboard

frame that keep them from closing completely so I just snipped them off as they aren't seen

after completion anyway. I found they kept the fuselage halves slightly appart as well.

I know it's too late now but that 'has' to be the reason your canopy isn't flushing up with the

fuselage. It's too wide at the cockpit area. I also left the firewall out completely as it isn't

visible either. I wanted the fuselage halves to fit without 'any' pressure.

 

Mike:  With a little finagling I got the spread down to 1mm which is workable.  Thanks for pointing out where the problem is - definitely I'll keep in mind for the second build.  Much appreciated!

 

Chris

[CANicoll]

So Desert Rat is now Passion Wagon.  Love the nose art, trying to paint the checkers and the spinner and so far not having a good match on the red with the decals.  Matches this picture very well, but not so much the decals so I think I'm going to paint the red, and then cut out each individual yellow checker and place individually.  Kind of need to do that anyway as the decals came out before the Revell kit was even released so no clue how they will fit.  Using the Kitsworld 132003 set.  And some of the Revell decals, and Tamiya left overs, and Barracuda...

 

Even the two pictures below look like different aircraft - notice the difference in the mirror over the cockpit, the view through the side of the windscreen, and the pilots name one the picture to the right,but not the left.  ALso missing the white identification stripe.  Kill markings are the same.  In both photos the main gear doors have not dropped either (and these are clearly two different pictures looking at the backgrounds.  The aircraft on the right also looks a lot dirtier...

 

 

Anyway...FINALLY after a lot of work on different parts got the gray underside and green topside. One challenge is that picking the green has been interesting.  The picture above left shows more of an olive green whereas the reports were that the color was actually a British Green, more like the picture on the right. SOoo, like so many things in our hobby, the color is 'builder's-choice'.  

 

Color is Vallejo Dark Green topside, bottom is Med Sea Gray.  MRP Super Clear is the Gloss coat to get ready for decals and washes - since I tend to use acrylic washes, hopefully the lacquer acrylic will be a suitable base.  The Super Clear really made the green pop - BIG difference between the flat/satin Vallejo and the gloss.  White stripes are Vallejo Insignia White and the nose panel to prepare for painting the checkers.

 

Going for the faded/worn look so used the white basing technique.  Less stark before the Gloss coat so will be interested to see how this looks later.  I've knocked off those lovely AMUR resin flaps twice so now just leaving them off for now.

 

 

Working on some washes for the landing gear covers and still working on the exhausts.  Need to add some black in there... These are the original Model Monkey Shapeways Shrouded (one piece) exhausts.  I'm 90% certain I'm going to stay with these.  I think I have a set of the two piece Model Monkey shrouded exhausts as backup.  The exhausts shrouds are painted green as well, but the lighting here didn't pick up the color very well.  Inside the landing gear doors all of this will be hard to see.

 

Main doors are still clean but these are the CMK resin piece (ditto with the landing gear covers above).

 

Matching the CMK landing gear (sorry, no pictures yet) with the excellent Eduard Brassin resin wheels and tyres.  There was a casting fault in one of the resin wheels, which I neglected to photograph - kind of a divot in the sidewall, but easy enough to hide next to the gear door.  Strange seeing the 'Goodrich' logo on the tyres.  I always start resin tyres with the Vallejo gloss black primer.  Then an overcoat of RLM 66 Black Gray which looks like rubber to me.  Followed that up with a Vallejo "Dirt' wash on the treads and a bit on the sidewalls which I need to work on a bit.

 

And last for this update is the very nicely detailed Eduard Brassin Propeller assembly.  Vallejo Gloss Black primer, Dull Aluminum Metal Color, and Vallejo yellow for the prop tips (over a base coat of white). 

 

Working on the landing gear and masking the canopy tomorrow , and perhaps will start the decaling as well.