Tamiya P-51K Mustang - WIP
Comments
27 December 2016, 03:39
Michael PhillipsThanks Dale! Yep, that is Alclad Airframe Aluminum over Alclad Gloss Black Primer. Next up will be to add some various shades of aluminum in different spots.
27 December 2016, 13:43
Dale MarstonTitanium and dark aluminium work well around the exhaust cowlings. What markings are you doing? My favourite is big beautiful doll.
27 December 2016, 22:51
Michael HickeyLooking really smart, at your pace you should have this one done in no time.;)
27 December 2016, 23:15
Michael PhillipsThanks Maciej, Dale, Spanjaard, and Michael!
Dale, I plan on going in and putting down some Duraluminum, Dark Aluminum, Stainless Steel, and Magnesium in different strategic areas. I am doing a subject I have never seen done before, "Oklahoma Kid" P-51K based in China in 1945. I have attached a profile of this bird in this post, just click the tiny pic to see it larger.
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Michael, this kit is really simple compared to the modern jets I have been used to. When I opened the box and saw two small sprues I was pretty chuffed! Definitely a nice change of pace from the complicated subjects I have built so far. This is my first prop plane I have ever built, all 17 previous have been jets and one chopper.
I will probably have to wait for the Aeroproducts Prop to arrive. It is coming from Canada and may take a couple weeks to get here.
Thanks for watching everyone!
28 December 2016, 01:48
Dale MarstonShould look really nice Michael. The black on the nose will look great against the alloy finnish. It will be different from any Mustang I have ever seen. It's funny a lot of modellers are scared of Alcad, but I find it one of the best paints to use if your surface finish is good. How do you get them built that quickly Michael?Looking forward to seeing it finished.
28 December 2016, 01:55
Michael PhillipsYeah, I really enjoy working with Alclads and tend to get good results.
As for my speed, I think it is a confluence of reasons:
1. I only build one subject at a time.
2. I get about 1-2 hours every night to work on my project.
3. I tend to plan everything out that I want to do each session in advance, so I get right to it and know what and how to do what I intend to do.
4. I spend a good amount of time preparing parts as much as possible to avoid filling if at all possible. I hate sanding and refuse to do rescribing (I am REALLLLY bad at it!)
5. I don't sweat small things. I rarely correct kit errors unless they are glaring or an easy fix.
6. I have built mostly OOB so far.
28 December 2016, 02:24
Patrick HagelsteinNice set of rules of thumb, very helpfull for a multi-chaotic like me! And so cool you're building the Oklahoma Kid! I would love to build that bird in 1/72 but there are no decals around...
28 December 2016, 08:19
Spanjaardnice set of rules indeed, good planing can make a huge difference (i am quite chaotic in regards to that). and OOB certainly can certainly shorten the building process (and even more the cost!)
28 December 2016, 09:04
Michael HickeyI like the black nose. Can I ask what clear coat are you going to use over the Alclad P-51 for when you seal the decals in and then will you be doing a wash over the aircraft?
28 December 2016, 10:08
Michael HickeyI ask this because I'm undecided what to do for my NMF MB-326 Macchi. I've got all the decals on but am unsure if I should seal the decals using Alclad Gloss or Gunze H30 Gloss. After I seal the decals I'll be doing an old fashioned oil wash using oils and metho.
28 December 2016, 10:12
Maciej BellosA composed man. You have my respect for being able to build one kit at a time.
28 December 2016, 11:15
Murad ÖZERWooah never saw a black nosed mustang, gonna be a killer looking warbird.
28 December 2016, 14:06
Christian BruerWell disciplined working sessions mate!
The natural metal finish looks excellent. I much like the shades you applied along the fuselage. In combination with the black nose this will be an eye catcher 👍
Looking forward to your next step🙂
28 December 2016, 19:31
Michael PhillipsThanks Patrick, Sören, Spanjaard, Michael, Maciej, Murad, and Christian! I am really pumped how this is turning out. The flat black nose really looks cool in person contrasted with the bright, shiny NMF. I do need to rework the left side of the "curve" demarcation between the black and NMF. It is not as smooth as the right side. So I will clean that up a bit.
Michael, ya know, I am not sure how I am gonna approach decals and sealing. I am in uncharted territory here since I have never done NMF before. I already brush coated the entire thing with future (before applying the black and other NMF shades), and after I add the decals I think I will do that again. Just not sure how I will handle the flat black area. I really like how it looks now, but there are a couple decals that go on that area. So I may have to put a gloss coat on it and then go back in and add flat again.
28 December 2016, 20:39
Maciej BellosSince there are decals on the flat black you should apply a good dose of future to make the area shiny to minimise the chances of getting silvering. Then you'll use a flat varnish. I know it's a pain, but...
28 December 2016, 21:16
Murad ÖZERto my knowledge using any type of varnish pretty much negates the properties of nmf, that's why modelers tend to trim the carrier film away the decals as much as they can and call it done, no?
28 December 2016, 21:27
Michael PhillipsMaciej, yeah, I know, but hey, I am really way ahead of schedule on this one anyway. Just hate the idea of having to re-mask that black/NMF curved demarcation.
Murad, adding a clear does diminish the shininess slightly. But mine was REALLY shiny before I put the future on it, and now it is more realistic. The wings are matte duraluminum, as they were a laminate painted surface and not bare metal like the fuselage.
28 December 2016, 21:38
Michael HickeyThanks Michael, I'm sure we'll both work out how do to work it out.🙂
29 December 2016, 01:57
Dale MarstonMichael you have a number of choices with the clear. Testors does a specific metallic clear that works well on Alcad or you can use the Alcad Lacquer Gloss itself. It will take a small amount of the NMF shine away bul so will any wash or pastel you put over it. So I would coat the NMF lightly.
29 December 2016, 07:28
Michael HickeyThanks Dale, a little while ago I sprayed it Gunze H30 Clear Gloss, as I know the methylated spirits I use in my wash wont damage the Gunze Clear Coat. With the warm weather we are having here I'll be able to do a wash on the Macchi tomorrow.
29 December 2016, 07:50
Michael PhillipsGot about 75% of the decals on. Looks like I will definitely be waiting on the Aeroproducts propeller set to get here.
30 December 2016, 05:45
Dale MarstonIt's starting to pop now with the decals. I really like the black nose it is very different.
30 December 2016, 06:47
Michael PhillipsThanks Michael, Dale, David, and Patrick!
Yeah Dale, it really is a unique looking scheme, and I really like how it is coming along.
Patrick, the decals are printed by Cartograf, so you know they are awesome. And yes, there really are great, no issues whatsoever!
30 December 2016, 15:39
Christian BruerThis one is getting better and better 👍 Waiting for the final step and finish!
1 January 2017, 10:44
Spanjaarddid you add any wash to the top of the engine cover? i can clearly see the details there, and i could certainly use that after Christmas....
1 January 2017, 11:47
Michael PhillipsThanks Kees, Christian, Spanjaard, and Christian!
Spanjaard, I used Mig medium gray wash over the entire model.
Still waiting on the prop kit to arrive, so next up is rigging the antenna wire from the seat through the canopy to the tail. I have never done this before, so I am a little nervous about how this will turn out. David Barclay has given me some tips, so we shall see how it goes!
1 January 2017, 16:32
Michael PhillipsI am using stretched sprue for the wire. I have actually already made it. David showed me how to do it using a lighter, and got a usable wire on my first try. I just have to paint it black.
1 January 2017, 16:43
e pCongrats!!! Well researched color approach for the wings.
Michael can you please tell me the exact alclad color you used for the wings?
When you say ''The wings are matte duraluminium'' I'm guessing you refer to ALC-116 or ALC-117.
1 January 2017, 18:26
Michael PhillipsThanks Elias and James!
Elias, actually I used ALC-102, and gave it the matte finish using my normal future/Tamiya Flat base mixture.
1 January 2017, 22:45
Michael PhillipsWell, this one is now on hold as I await the arrival of the Aeroproducts Prop kit.
Adding the antenna wire was much easier than I expected. Thanks to tips from David Barclay and some research on the ol' web I was able to get it on the first try.
3 January 2017, 02:24
Dale MarstonMichael it looks really good. It is very different from most Mustangs I have seen with those markings. Great job.
3 January 2017, 02:39
Patrick HagelsteinThe antenna looks amazing! How did you connect it to the tail?
3 January 2017, 07:06
Michael PhillipsThanks Dale, Patrick, and Sören!
Patrick, attaching the antenna was actually the hardest part. I read a really cool method online, so I decided to give it a try. What I did was take a scrap piece of plastic (in my case I used the back side of a sprue letter identifier, eg. sprue B), and put a few blobs of Tamiya Extra Thin cement on it. I took a toothpick and kinda moved it around a bit until I had a somewhat thick cement/sprue mixture.
I then dipped the end that would attach to the seat in, and swirled it around for a few seconds. I then placed that end against the back of the seat for a minute and it stuck! I then threaded the wire through the hole I drilled in the canopy and glued the canopy down. Once that dried I pulled the wired up to the tail, and cut it off giving it enough slack that it drooped a little. Then using the same method as the other end, I dipped it in the glue mix and held it against the tail. The tail was a little harder to get connected than the seat was for some reason.
Once it was attached at both ends, through the canopy there was a slight droop in the antenna still. So I took a lighter and lit a toothpick on fire. I then blew it out, and started waving it under the wire. And BOOM! That wire tightened right up! It was actually quite cool to see something work like that, just like I was told.
3 January 2017, 14:01
Patrick HagelsteinWhauw! Cool! I will give that a try. Just to be sure, the actual wire is stretched sprue?
3 January 2017, 14:34
