Hasegawa 1/32 P-51D Mustang

[LSP_Kevin]

2 hours ago, MikeC said:

Coming on very nicely, and you have some innovative solutions to some typical older-kit issues. 

 

Thanks, Mike. Just don't use anything I do as a reference for accuracy! The tail wheel is a good example, though it's no less accurate than what the kit provides out of the box. I was just trying to solve a construction dilemma, rather than produce a better or more accurate result. This one is only ever intended to be a shelf-sitter.

 

Kev

[Greif8]

Looking good Kev!  And nice work fixing the seam and engineering a tail wheel attachment.

 

Ernest

[LSP_Kevin]

A quick question for the experts, if I may! Did P-51Ds always have the underwing ordnance racks fitted? The sway braces on the Hasegawa kit are pretty ordinary, and I'd love to simply leave them off - but not if it's a major accuracy faux pas. And if I have to leave them on, what's the most likely option that they'd be carrying - bombs, cigar tanks, or regular drop tanks? (Yes, I'm now working on the wings...)

 

Thanks!

 

Kev

[Dpgsbody55]

Nice work so far on this.  I like your tail wheel solution, but in your place, I'd brace the tubing from both sides to make it sturdier.  That's assuming there isn't a similar piece cast into the left side, which I can't see in your photo.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[LSP_Kevin]

5 hours ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

Nice work so far on this.  I like your tail wheel solution, but in your place, I'd brace the tubing from both sides to make it sturdier.  That's assuming there isn't a similar piece cast into the left side, which I can't see in your photo.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

Good pick up! In fact, there was a mounting lug on the other side, but I destroyed it in my initial attempt to solve this problem (cut the thing in half horizontally, and remove the lower half to create a rounded shelf). Since my previous post, I have indeed added a section of tubing to brace the other side. Photos are still in the camera, but I'll post them in the next update.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

So here's the fix that I mentioned in my reply to Michael:

 

 

The white-on-white is a bit difficult to see, but there's now a new section of tubing on the port side of the upright piece. This should brace against the inside of the fuselage on that side, and provide extra strength and stability. I hope! I gave it a quick spritz of Interior Green, and then started the laborious task of joining the fuselage halves.

 

I had to do this in sections, waiting for each section to 'grip' before moving on to the next one, and employing all manner of clamps to keep the two halves together:

 

 

Despite all this effort, I still managed to induce some fuselage slippage, which didn't become evident until I glued the upper cowl in place:

 

 

Here's a closer look:

 

 

That gap is a non-issue, and easily dealt with. The misalignment of the exhaust opening, however, is a different challenge altogether:

 

 

It's fixable, and I'll be dealing with it in the next update. This is disappointing after all the work I put into trying to avoid this kind of thing, but that's modelling sometimes!

 

I've also still got some major gaps inside the cockpit to deal with:

 

 

So, lots of remedial work to do on the fuselage before I can declare it done. I did however get the wings and tailplanes glued together:

 

 

I don't intend to do much at all with these, other than removing seams and ensuring a good fit. I'll probably fit the bomb racks anyway, as my gut tells me that all P-51D aircraft operating over Europe would have had them fitted as standard at the time. And standard drop tanks is probably the most logical thing to hang off them, I reckon.

 

Back later with some fixes!

 

Kev

[Greif8]

Good work thus far Kev!  I hear you concerning alignment issues.  I am dealing with a wing root fit problem on my build right now.  Once I figure out how to correct the issue I will post some photos of my solution - whether it works or not.

 

Ernest 

[dennismcc]

Proper modelling at it's best, keep it up Kev

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[mc65]

Mmmmh... 

hese are the things I hate. maybe I say nonsense, but rather than correct the fit in front, behind and along the exhausts, I would consider splitting the hood in two longitudinally along its natural line of union.

[LSP_Kevin]

6 minutes ago, mc65 said:

Mmmmh... 

hese are the things I hate. maybe I say nonsense, but rather than correct the fit in front, behind and along the exhausts, I would consider splitting the hood in two longitudinally along its natural line of union.

 

If this was a serious build for me, I would take an approach like that - and perhaps even have taken more care to avoid the problem in the first place! But because I really just want to use this build to shake off some rust and get back into the swing of things, I decided to take the easiest route possible when fixing the exhaust openings:

 

 

I simply carved away the excess plastic in roughly the correct shape, so that the two halves now meet up properly. The opening on this side is now approximately 1.5mm wider than the other, so it's far from perfect, but perfectly suited to the goals of this build. I really should have anticipated this issue during the dry-fit stage, and done as Paolo suggests. This will suffice, however, and I may even come back and refine the shapes some more later.

 

For the gap at the rear of the cowling, I popped in some suitably sized styrene rod, doused it with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, and smooshed it into place:

 

 

It will need a lot more work, of course, and I'm sure I'll have to do a bit of rescribing in this area, but it's all heading in the right direction. I've also reinforced all the joins and seam lines with CA glue, which will hopefully take care of ghost seams and any weak joints.

 

The fuselage is now burdened with clamps and pegs around the cockpit area, as I attempt to resolve those nasty gaps. I'll see how it looks tomorrow!

 

Thanks as always for looking in.

 

Kev

 

 

[Alain Gadbois]

Hi Kev!

You went with the simplest solution for the exhaust openings and frankly it looks totally fine!

I really enjoy old kits being built. 

Alain

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks again, chaps. I'm happy to report that my attempts to rectify the gaps in the cockpit have largely been successful:

 

 

I've slopped a bit of CA around, which you can't really see in the photo, but a coat of flat clear will disguise it to the extent required by the goals of this build. I was a bit concerned that squeezing the cockpit together might have ruined what was looking like a pretty decent wing-to-fuselage join in test fitting, but happily it still looks pretty good:

 

 

I could probably attach the wings at this point, but there's still a bit of seam work to do, and apart from the wing roots, I prefer to work on those while the two sub-assemblies are still separate.

 

Kev

 

 

[Greif8]

Side fit of both the cockpit sidewalls and wing root look good Kev.  Very clean work.

 

Ernest 

[dennismcc]

Nice work Kev, proper modelling at work.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks, fellas. One of the things I suck at with modelling is geometry - and 3D shapes in general (says the guy who just bought his first 3D printer). So I've only just realised that the exhaust stacks stick out way too far. I should really have cut recesses out of the kit engine for them to sit in, and locate a little more accurately. If I were to do this again, I'd ditch the engine altogether, and box in the exhaust openings with styrene sheet. Too late now of course, but you learn something from every build, and take that knowledge and experience forward to the next ones.

 

Oh, and I managed to knock one of the exhaust stacks off anyway. In fact, it was only when I was gluing it back in that I had my realisation. I guess the consolation is that you'll get to see more of those amazing Moskit exhausts on the finished model!

 

Still working on the seams...

 

Kev