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1/32 P-51B conversion from Revell 1/32 P-51D early


ironman1945

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Great progress on the conversion! I tried one years back and it was a trainwreck. Your efforts make me want to try again since it seems like despite a couple announcements no new 1/32 P-51B kit is imminent.

 

Also just lots of great info and pics about the P-51B in this thread - I had thought the gun bay was the same dimensions between the B and D but clearly not. That last diagram really hits it home for sure.

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  • 1 month later...

I wouldn't describe myself as a rivet counter. 

 

But whenever I do something like this.... conversion, scratch-build....they're always seems to be something that, initially I am okay with. Then, after a while, it bothers me to the point where I reach a stalemate .... " Do I rip it apart and rework it, or can I live with it?" 

 

Of course the very fact that I'm even asking the question means I already know the answer.  But its always a long process.

 

And so it goes with the windscreen/forward part of the canopy for this build. It sat too high.. and there was a small bubble in the port side of the 1st screen I vac'd. Likely from me overheating the PETG sheet. Likely most wouldn't have noticed. Initially I was ok with it. 

 

But then after 4 weeks of staring at it on and off, this is the result... out with the grinder and awaaaayyyy we go!

 

Ahhh I dont know why I always delay, I should've just faced reality and gotten on with it!  HA!

 

IMG_20210411_100649

 

IMG_20210411_100628

 

 

 

IMG_20210411_100703

 

Time to vac another screen and get on with the grunt work.

 

Cheers and stay safe everyone!

 

Dave/Ironman1945

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6 hours ago, ironman1945 said:

   they're always seems to be something that, initially I am okay with. Then, after a while, it bothers me to the point where I reach a stalemate .... " Do I rip it apart and rework it, or can I live with it?"

 

Ouch  :o  Man have I been 'there' !!  Soldier on Dave  :speak_cool::popcorn:

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  • 1 month later...

Great progress and thanks for bringing this build thread back.  I am learning from it.

 

 I set my D to B conversion aside when I moved house. I was at a stalemate at the same moment.  It is hard to get it back on the bench.  But no ‘B/C will magically arrive in the near future so I will need to claw into it.  

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One more pic of the other side. Thoughts to date, when I started this I'd assumed the spine/fuselage was going to be the hardest part of this build. 

 

But it was the fit of  new canopy that took the most work.

 

Sorry about the crappy photos. Really need to buy a phone with a better camera.

 

IMG_20210531_155613

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Received the P-51B canopy set from Alistar/Aerocraft Models.

 

A great piece of resin, but I'm not sure whether I will use it as it will involve still more cutting and fitting to what I've already done, and I dont know that I'm up to it.

 

Also its the endless struggle of "Is it good enough?"  Ah well...  I've waited this long so I'll give it some more thought.

 

In the meantime.... decals. I think I mentioned earlier, I wanted this to be James Howard's "Ding Hao".

 

To that end I have both the decal sets from Zotz and CamDecals for these markings, and I was surprised to see that they vary in dimensions. 

 

National insignia, code letters, ID numbers, kill markings, even the lettering for "Ding Hao".   Both sets say they represent Howard's 51B before the installation of the Malcom hood.

 

I'm about to check references to see if I can "eyeball" the more accurate version, but was wondering if anybody had some thoughts on this anomaly?

 

Cheers!

 

Dave/Ironman1945

 

Decals

 

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Dave -

Just doing a cursory, drive-by comparison with images of 36315 on a Google search, the Zotz rendition of the "Ding Hao!" looks much closer to the original article in letter size, stroke (width for each portion of the letters), and spacing among the characters. I think Mark's suggestion to cut paper scans as a mock up is a great idea to verify size/position/proportions on the model's nose, itself, etc.

 

Also, the CAM national insignia are way off in proportion, whereas the Zotz national insignia are in textbook proportion. I would not use the CAM national insignia for any application.

 

The CAM national insignia designers appear to have had a common difficulty interpreting the proportions of U.S. National Insignia, in that many profile illustrators, artists, and now decal manufacturers can't wrap their head around how the star sits on a disc, and the disc and bars together, have a proportioned surround.

 

Too many illustrators try to make the star points "touch" the outside of the surround, and can't get the proportions correct by doing that...All the proportions are set by the radius of the central disc (and all five star points "touch" the edges of this inner disc). The white bars should be 1x radius long by 1/2 radius high; upper edge of the bar aligned with the horizontal points of the star (the radius of the blue disc encroaches on the white bar dimension, below the horizontal star points)...and there is a blue border 1/8 the disc radius, that encompasses the entire disc and bars...since the disc and border are both insignia blue, there isn't a defining outline to the border, and I think that's where many of these illustrators and designers run into problems.

 

As a post-script, the red bar added to the insignia after January 14, 1947, has a measured proportion of 1/6 of the radius, effectively dividing the white bar into thirds, with the red bar in the middle.

 

Regards,

Chris Mayer

Edited by cmayer
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/31/2021 at 11:08 AM, cmayer said:

Dave -

Just doing a cursory, drive-by comparison with images of 36315 on a Google search, the Zotz rendition of the "Ding Hao!" looks much closer to the original article in letter size, stroke (width for each portion of the letters), and spacing among the characters. I think Mark's suggestion to cut paper scans as a mock up is a great idea to verify size/position/proportions on the model's nose, itself, etc.

 

Also, the CAM national insignia are way off in proportion, whereas the Zotz national insignia are in textbook proportion. I would not use the CAM national insignia for any application.

 

The CAM national insignia designers appear to have had a common difficulty interpreting the proportions of U.S. National Insignia, in that many profile illustrators, artists, and now decal manufacturers can't wrap their head around how the star sits on a disc, and the disc and bars together, have a proportioned surround.

 

Too many illustrators try to make the star points "touch" the outside of the surround, and can't get the proportions correct by doing that...All the proportions are set by the radius of the central disc (and all five star points "touch" the edges of this inner disc). The white bars should be 1x radius long by 1/2 radius high; upper edge of the bar aligned with the horizontal points of the star (the radius of the blue disc encroaches on the white bar dimension, below the horizontal star points)...and there is a blue border 1/8 the disc radius, that encompasses the entire disc and bars...since the disc and border are both insignia blue, there isn't a defining outline to the border, and I think that's where many of these illustrators and designers run into problems.

 

As a post-script, the red bar added to the insignia after January 14, 1947, has a measured proportion of 1/6 of the radius, effectively dividing the white bar into thirds, with the red bar in the middle.

 

Regards,

Chris Mayer

Chris

 

Thanks for that analysis, I've done my own and reached the same conclusion. While I have seen variations amongst decal manufacturers with markings, I've never seen something with so many errors as I have the CAM set. Oh well. Glad I have the Zotz decals!

 

Cheers!

 

Dave/Ironman1945

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Hey all. Been on holidays, finally got some time to get back to the bench on this one.

 

Here are some photos of the various rear section canopy sections I've been working with.

 

The resin replacement canopy from Alister/Aerocraft models is excellent, but being designed for the Trumpeter kit, as I suspected it would not fit this conversion.  According to my measurements, the problem lies with the Trumpeter kit itself... I think the canopy area is too wide, too tall, and too "round" in shape. 

 

Not being happy with my first attempt I cut it out (its the painted section you see in the photos).  I measured up the clear fuselage that comes in the Trumpeter kit, and determined that I could use part of it to make up a replacement that I could use.  This would allow me to mask off the clear portions needed to form the rear quarter windows. 

 

IMG_20210814_161025

 

 

IMG_20210814_161214

 

 

IMG_20210814_161131

 

 

 

Cheers, and stay safe!

 

Dave/Ironman1945

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  • 1 month later...

Been a few months since getting back to work on the Mustang.

High School Football has started up again, after a 1 year COVID hiatus, the season is a go!  So I've been busy back on the field.

 

 

Back 1c

 

 

But I've managed to finally graft the rear quarter window section on, repaint, gloss cote, and on with the markings. Nearing the finish line!

 

20210926_181726

 

 

Hoping to be done in the next few weeks. 

 

Cheers, and hope everyone is staying safe!

 

Dave/Ironman1945

 

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