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Revell early Mustang CHECK MATE!


quang

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That is really awesome - you do that like "yeah I just used some milliput, and did a bit of sanding and scribing, and it looks like it came from the factory, but what the heck, I'm going to get a beer.....".     :bow:  :bow:  :clap2:

 

Terrific work!!   Do you belong to a local club?

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Thank you guys for the kind words!

 

I'm having so much fun with this kit that I suspect all my add-ons and modifications have for sole purpose to make the pleasure last longer. :innocent:

I'm currently struggling with the Eduard PE wheel bays. My eyes are watering but I'm beaming inside :BANGHEAD2:

 

I'm still impressed that there's no need to source photo-etch canopy rails for this kit, although what you've done with the radio etc. is tempting.

 

I WANTED so much to use PE for the canopy rails but found that the moulded details on the kit rails are more than adequate, once painted silver and a black wash applied.

 

Chek, you might interested by this release from AMUR which offers PE for among other things, the radio AND 2 sets of canopy rails for much cheaper than Eduard.

 

 

  Do you belong to a local club?

 

No, Chris. No-one would want me. I'm too old :doh:.  I used to be a member of IPMS Brussels in the 1980s. Still have two good friends from the same period.
 

Cheers,

Quang
 

Edited by quang
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Looks great with Tamiya canopy.

It's amazing how a distorted canopy like the Revell can make a fantastic miniature ...look like a toy.

 I agree with you. The difference is day and night!

Edited by quang
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  • 2 weeks later...

SPRUCING UP THE WHEEL WELLS

 

Revell did a rather good job with the wheel wells. It accurately portrays the main wing spar as the back wall of the wells contrary to the great majority of existing P-51 kits. 

 

The kit part looks adequate, only missing the maze of plumbing present on the actual machine. But when I saw Jan_G's delicate use of photo-etchings on the wheel wells of his Mustang, I decided to take the plunge.

 

I ordered the Eduard Undercarriage enhancement set and off we go.

 

Original stock part

BA45945_A_D8_FD_4_F8_D_8923_62_C4_B3_B07

 

Details erased

41_D0_A44_A_EEAF_4965_8878_7_B507_A016_D

 

The replacement photo-etched parts are tiny and require much patience and concentration. After completion, each sub-assembly is dipped in Klir, left to dry for extra strength and cemented in the wells with PVA glue.

3_E4917_BC_D56_F_4_F7_B_A9_BA_A11_C16388

 

It's a long and fastidious process but well worth it.

6_BAE0268_9_C0_E_41_D6_9_A91_AF2541_DCDF

 

The completed wells is primed and painted in YZC. I know that the general consensus is NMF for the wells top and YZC for the spar and stringers. I was too lazy to do it so I painted everything YZC. :innocent:

8_D2_E7540_9_C21_441_A_91_DA_4_C5_C861_D

 

A wash is applied to the entire wells using a home brew of 1 part Klir + 1 part distilled water + a dash of Vallejo Brown + a dash of Vallejo Violet. The combo Brown+Violet enhances nicely the Yellow Chromate base colour.

 

When dry, plumbing lines made from solder are cut to length, painted and added one by one in the wells. Photos of the actual machines were used as reference. Not two aircraft are alike but there's a certain rationale in arranging the lines.

 

The main goal is to make the whole thing look busy and credible.

CAD00_E30_22_C8_4678_9188_565856_BE550_C

 

BF9_E6_A68_F436_4919_938_F_6_CD1_F58659_

 

0_AD1_B710_B7_A6_490_F_9_AED_BB2_C4_F6_A

 

After the wheel wells is done, the upper and lower wing halves can be joined and mated to the fuselage.

 

That's all folks.

 

Until next time,

Cheers,

Quang

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Agreed with Peter - looks terrific and worth all of your hard work on the PE wheel wells and then the wiring is an added bonus.  What size solder did you use for the plumbing?  Looks like two or three different sizes?

 

Best,

Chris

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Thank you Peter and Chris for your kind words.

 

The plumbing was mostly 0,6mm with a few lines in 0.5mm thrown in for variety.

Please note that these are hydraulic lines (as shown by the blue-yellow-blue color code) and not electrical wiring. They're metal tubing and therefore rather rigid. 0,5mm diameter would be more in scale but I found that 0,6mm would add more presence to the whole.

Edited by quang
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Details erased

 

 

The replacement photo-etched parts are tiny and require much patience and concentration. After completion, each sub-assembly is dipped in Klir, left to dry for extra strength and cemented in the wells with PVA glue.

3_E4917_BC_D56_F_4_F7_B_A9_BA_A11_C16388

 

It's a long and fastidious process but well worth it.

6_BAE0268_9_C0_E_41_D6_9_A91_AF2541_DCDF

 

The completed wells is primed and painted in YZC. I know that the general consensus is NMF for the wells top and YZC for the spar and stringers. I was too lazy to do it so I painted everything YZC. :innocent:

8_D2_E7540_9_C21_441_A_91_DA_4_C5_C861_D

 

A wash is applied to the entire wells using a home brew of 1 part Klir + 1 part distilled water + a dash of Vallejo Brown + a dash of Vallejo Violet. The combo Brown+Violet enhances nicely the Yellow Chromate base colour.

 

When dry, plumbing lines made from solder are cut to length, painted and added one by one in the wells. Photos of the actual machines were used as reference. Not two aircraft are alike but there's a certain rationale in arranging the lines.

 

The main goal is to make the whole thing look busy and credible.

CAD00_E30_22_C8_4678_9188_565856_BE550_C

 

BF9_E6_A68_F436_4919_938_F_6_CD1_F58659_

 

0_AD1_B710_B7_A6_490_F_9_AED_BB2_C4_F6_A

 

After the wheel wells is done, the upper and lower wing halves can be joined and mated to the fuselage.

 

That's all folks.

 

Until next time,

Cheers,

Quang

 

The photo etched wing ribs in the wheel bay definitely add a touch of finesse. I'm usually quite particular about what folded metal can and cant do, so may go for backing the PE with plastic sheet to make it look more substantial. I may be wrong, but that's how they look to me.

 

Regarding the YZC overall in the MLG bay, only a short while ago that wouldn't have raised any eyebrows. but when you come across folks sourcing supplier decals to denote unpainted aluminium sheet, well that's almost a new frontier of detail junkie. I am, of course speaking from the perspective of one whose crudely hacked and drilled pieces of 20 thou card and needle pricks represented, at one time, a pinnacle of P-51 gear bay detailing. But you've certainly made what looks like a lot less wiring and tubing go a lot further than on my P-51B build from Hasegawa hulk.

 

None of which observations are intended to be critical, you're doing a fabulous job on your build. I only hope I can fix my puddled windshiekds so neatly.

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Chek,

 

I'm well aware that the current trend for Mustang wheel bays is YZC + natural metal with decals of the metal sheet watermark thrown in. There are quite a few attempts of reproducing this color combo on recent P-51 builds.

 

Unfortunately none of these attempts look convincing to me.

 

Upon reflection I think it's because there are too many things ‘happening' in such a small area: the main spar, the stringers, the 2 color combo, the watermarks, the plumbing. It's like standing in the center of Times Square looking at all the neon signs. They are so many that your eye is diverted and cannot decide on which sign to concentrate.

 

So I decided to keep it simple by using one single color to bring out the complex and delicate structure of the wells. I also kept the plumbing to a minimum, just enough to make the whole area look busy.

 

To me the real art of modelling lies more in the power of suggestion than in the ability of replicating things. Of course you may have another approach and think different but that's precisely what make this hobby so exciting.

 

Cheers,

Quang

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