North American Aviation Mustang III (Revell)
Comments
3 August 2012, 20:52
Lionel MarcoNice work. I just hope you'll find a way to open the canopy. If you don't all you work on the interior will be lost, and it will be a pity...
Lionel
4 August 2012, 06:50
Philip De KeyserGreat start Bill, I'm tuned, it's a very promising project, greetz Phil
4 August 2012, 06:59
Bill GilmanHi Lionel - my plan for the canopy is this: I cut the rear windows off from the kit canopy, and will use them because they fit quite well into the fuselage, Plus, they are thick enough so the the exposed edge can be painted to represent the frame around the glass. I've sanded them smooth and dipped in Future.
I have three vacuform P-51B canopies from Falcon. I'll use that for the other parts of the canopy which I will pose open (both the top and the port side). I will probably need all three because I am terrible at cutting vacuform! 🙁
4 August 2012, 14:26
Bill GilmanI've completed the main painting, and put the first gloss coat on. Next, I'll do a wash, and then add another gloss coat prior to adding the transfers. Cheers!
11 August 2012, 17:59
Vitor CostaHi Bill, that is looking good, and with the wash is going to be better. Im waiting for more.
🙂
11 August 2012, 18:32
Philip De KeyserBeautifull paintjob Bill, cant wait to see the result of the wash and the transfers, I'll stay tuned, greetz Phil
11 August 2012, 21:57
Dave FlittonHow did everything fit together? I heard that this kit is a little on the inaccurate side.
11 August 2012, 23:48
Sherif SharmyHello Bill. Nice job for a tiny plane, I thought you wanted to build the A-36. Anyway it is a lovely build. Is it USAAF or RAF?
12 August 2012, 02:03
Bill Gilman@Dave - everything fit together quite well. I only used a small amount of filler on the radiator. Wing to fuselage joints have no filler at all, it was a very good fit. I haven't heard or read about any inaccuracies, but if it's like every other model ever made, it has a few!
@Sherif, this will be an RAF Mustang III. It's painted in the US equivalent of the RAF Daytime Fighter Scheme, since it went directly to Italy and not to the UK where it would have been repainted. The colours are Olive Drab (ModelMaster ANA 613) and Dark Sea Grey (Gunze H305) over Light Grey (Gunze H51). I like this, as it's just a bit different than the normal RAF colours.
An A-36 would be nice, but it would need to be a different kit. I don't think you can make an A-36 out of a P-51B/C. Wings would be different for sure, dive brakes and all.
12 August 2012, 15:37
Bill GilmanI've added some photos of the model after its initial wash. There are a few places where I'll need to gently rescribe to make the panel line deeper so the wash will stick. But altogether not so bad. Still a lot to do: transfers, fiddly bits, drop tanks, canopy top and sides, prop, main gear tires and gear doors, etc. Plus the final matte varnish - I think it will look much better then! This gloss finish just looks wrong! I'll probably do some pastel weathering too. Cheers!
12 August 2012, 22:53
Duncan CookYes Bill you're almost done😉
Looks realy nice.
I din't like the Razorback somuch but If I look at yours I like it more as the Bubletop Mustang.
12 August 2012, 22:57
Bill GilmanThe decals are on! I was a bit worried since I've had some Revell decals that are quite thick and don't conform well, but these settled down great!
Next I'll be adding the remaining gear doors and applying a matt varnish (I've been using Alclad Klear Kote Flat lately, I quite like it). I have some more PE to do, including these really tiny braces that go inside the radiator entrance and exit. Eduard also provides the lines that go from the wings to the drop tanks. You don't see that in too many 1:72 Mustangs, I've got to give that a try.
Lastly, I have to cut out the three remaining pieces of the canopy from a vacuform set that I have. I couldn't use the entire vacuform piece as it was designed for the Hasegawa kit and wasn't even close to fitting on the Revell kit. So I used the front windscreen and rear windows from the kit, and the rest I'll take from the vacuform. I plan on having both the top panel and the left side panel open. Wish me luck! 🙂 🙂 🙂
PS. And thanks to Vitor who alerted me to my levitating seat belts (check out the cockpit pictures. All fixed now!
16 August 2012, 00:02
Philip De KeyserAwesome job Bill, it's always a plaesure to look at your works, greetz Phil
16 August 2012, 05:54
Holger KranichThis is going to become a wonderful Mustang, Bill! Have you sprayed the camo feehand or is it masked?
16 August 2012, 07:28
Bill GilmanThanks, guys! Holger, it is freehand. I have some of the blue tack stuff, but I've not used it yet. And I do have a 109 in my stash, so maybe that's next. We'll see! 🙂
16 August 2012, 11:56
Holger KranichSo you sprayed with a very fine needle? If you start a 109, let me know, then i´m going into a 109 build 1:72, too!
16 August 2012, 12:05
Bill GilmanHi Holger, I have a very basic airbrush, a Paasche Model H. This is a single action, external mix airbrush, nothing fancy. I use the finest needle/tip to smooth the edges. I thin the paint about 70-80% and then open the tip a very small amount. Air pressure is set at 10-12 PSI. I can hold the trigger down for a couple of seconds before I see any colour appear.
You have to have paints that won't dry on the needle tip. The Gunze acrylics are very good, I almost never have them dry at the tip. The ModelMaster paints are thinned with Gunze Mr. Levelling Thinner so that they won't dry and clog the tip. It works, but not as good as the Gunze paints.
I have the new Airfix 109E-4 in the stash. It should be fun to build, it certainly looks very good. And I even have a spare decal sheet full of swastikas, which didn't come with the kit.
I'm on holiday next week, going to the cabin. Most of the time I'll be out on the lake fishing. You know, a jerk on one end of the line waiting for a jerk on the other end. (You may need to look up the multiple definitions of "jerk" if you're not a native English speaker.) And drinking beer, because beer is not just for breakfast anymore.
16 August 2012, 14:14
Holger KranichI already scanned your stash after the 109😢 Yes that will become real fun! I´m exited how the Airfixkit will turn out. Ok the new ones are certainly not bad, how the reviews say. But i saw the old E-4 in Urbans album and that kit was a mess! The biggest rivets ever produced and the canopy will only fit with a pound of putty...
Your sentence already explained to me what "jerk" can means😢 Fishing at a lake with a cold pint of beer sounds like real relaxing to me! So enjoy your stay and dont get a sunburn. My back is actually red like a lobster, but i wont complain, i blame myself... Too much frisbee at the beach without a t-shirt is just not a good idea!
Did i translate your last sentence right? You will drink beer to breakfast? So you do a holiday among men without your wife? Thats good, sometimes a man needs what a man needs😢
Citation of Al Bundy (Married with children): I fish, therefore i am!😢
16 August 2012, 14:33
Steve WilsonExcellent bodywork detail for such a small scale, well done Bill...
16 August 2012, 14:35
GuusThat´s a very sharp looking Mustang Bill !
the paintwork is an absolute joy to see.
16 August 2012, 14:46
Bill GilmanThanks Guus and Steve - the Mustang may be small, but the 109 is even smaller! I'll need bigger magnifying glasses. Does anyone besides me wear special glasses to see better when assembling these small models? I bought a pair of 2.0 diopter reading glasses, and I can focus on things just a couple of cm from my nose. It really helps!
I can take Al Bundy's quote a little further: I model, therefore I'm broke! 🙂
16 August 2012, 16:15
Steve WilsonYes Bill, I reluctantly admit I do as well, but, reluctantly, for vanity reasons only...
16 August 2012, 16:21
Bill GilmanIt's weird, but my "normal" eyesight has gotten better as I've gotten older. It's just my "modelling" eyesight that has gone to the dogs... 🙂
16 August 2012, 20:25
Bill GilmanProgress! I've posted another bunch of photos. I haven't decided if I'm done yet. I certainly need to add some exhaust staining, but that may be it. I used some hypodermic needles for the machine guns in the wing, for once I think they look OK. (By the way, in the late 70s I was in a band called "The Hypodeemic Nerdles." Our "big hits" were songs called "Invalid Parameter" and "Subscript Out of Range." Don't ask.)
Posing the canopy open was a bit of a chore. I followed my plan and used vacuform pieces for both open panels, plus the starboard side. I cut the front windscreen off of the kit part because there was no way the vacuform would fit (it was designed for the Hasegawa kit). It looks a bit squat to my eyes. I also cut the rear side windows out from the kit part, because they conformed to the fuselage curve so well. The vacuform canopy I was cutting up had almost no curvature at all.
Cheers!
28 August 2012, 02:06
Bill GilmanOh, and remind me not to mask both the interior and exterior of tiny canopy frames again. Wow, what a PITA. Arghhhh!!!
28 August 2012, 02:08
Philip De KeyserHi Bill, it looks awesome, great build you've done, now a little diorama for these beautifull ones? greetz Phil
28 August 2012, 05:55
Bill GilmanPhilip, a diorama would be nice, but due to the markings on each plane it would be difficult to have them "all in one place" at one moment in time. Do you have any ideas?
28 August 2012, 10:28
Wilfried BogaertsHi Uncle, that tin of Old Speckled Hen really looks the part, very well done and beautiful paint job. Was it all masked and sprayed or did you use decals for it ? 😉
Mustang looks neat, a nice collection you brought together, I like it ! Great job !
28 August 2012, 10:35
Bill GilmanThe Old Speckled Hen was done freehand with a 20/0 brush. Plus it's 1:1 scale!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
28 August 2012, 11:22
Bill GilmanQuestion for the experts - what is the best way to add some paint chipping after the model is all done? I think I'd like to add some "subtle" chipping around the edges of some panels, and where the pilot is rubbing off the paint on top of the wing root. I thought of silver paint with a very small brush - any other ideas?
28 August 2012, 11:25
Holger KranichMichael Hickey told me that he ist doing such work with a silver pen. Should even work in your scale!
28 August 2012, 11:32
Duncan CookA realy nice collection Bill!!
I'm abit jealous... 🙂
Very impressive is that Spreckled hen it looks so realistic 🙂
28 August 2012, 12:06
Sherif SharmyWow............wow..............wow lovely.............lovely...............lovely
28 August 2012, 12:16
Bill GilmanBy silver pencil, you mean a pencil that writes a metallic silver color, instead of lead? I guess I've heard of that, but I've never seen one. Who makes/sells them?
28 August 2012, 16:00
Steve Wilson@Bill, Several different kinds one as you describe, a Biro type, a Rapidograph type, a felt/fibre tip type and Tamiya make a Marker pen type...
28 August 2012, 16:05
Vitor CostaHi Bill, amazing collection! My favorite is the Hurricane (dont know why!) they all are very good. Congratulations.
28 August 2012, 17:20
Bill GilmanInteresting. When I search for Stabilo 87/805, the first four pages of hits are all in languages other than English. Should I assume that it is not available in the US?
28 August 2012, 20:09
Steve Wilson@Bill, done the same as you, I here in UK get the dreaded "0 items found" did other variations of search, same thing... So like you, I assume not available here either...
28 August 2012, 21:39
Peter MollenhauerLooks excellent! Well done, have to try it myself sooner or later
11 February 2015, 09:41
Bill GilmanThanks everyone. This is an old build, I don't know how you found it after all these years! 🙂
It's a nice little kit. I know it has some accuracy issues (what early P-51 kit doesn't?) but it builds up nicely. The biggest problems in my opinion are the canopy and windscreen. I believe the inboard leading edge of the wings is close to the P-51B/C angle, instead of what is found on the P-51D.
11 February 2015, 14:49
Christian BruerThey're looking for some pretty wingy things and found a P51 made by B.Gliman. Agree to Guus! Very nice Bill as usual even it is not the latest work!
By the way, hope you're fine!
13 February 2015, 17:35
KerberHuh...This one Mustang is very nice...You have opened Revells' ugly canopy or this was some aftermarket item?
2 September 2015, 19:45
Bill GilmanI used the front windscreen and the rear side windows from the Revell kit. The center section of the canopy is the Falcon vacuform, which I opened up.
3 September 2015, 00:28
