Nice wok so far on the details




Terri

Thank you, so glad you like what has been achieved thus far. The scale surely helps, though at times I wish this was in 1:24th and not 1:32nd.

Have completed the fuel vent line:

When posting the instrument panel it was said that it would be the last correction to the Aires correction set for the P-51B. WRONG! Their back armor for the pilot is inaccurate, both dimensionally and with regard to details. No choice than to make another...
The armor itself is a simple affair - just some sheet styrene cut to the correct dimensions.
The seat support (work in progress) is made from plastic, styrene sheet, styrene rod and stretched sprue. The brackets for the support are fixed on top of the wings and won't be visible, but will provide some extra support when everything is in place.

Fantastic looking details!

Florin,
Just more impressive details. The seat support really came out nice, especially those springs.
Joel

Thank you, Gentlemen, really appreciate your kind words!
It is not done yet, there are still things that need to be added, such as a tubular brace over and the mount points for the head armor.
You are right Joel, the springs came up nice, even to the point that they are "springy". With a little extra effort, the seat height adjusting mechanism could be made to work, but that would be over the top even for a lunatic like me. I want to see this Horsey done ASAP!

Florin,
I'm quite sure that if you wanted to make the seat adjusting mechanism work, you could do it. But as you said, you would like to see this build cross the finish line sooner then later, as your 1st post was way back in 6/13. I've been here since day one, and have no fear I'll be here till the build is officially over, and you've posted your final set of pictures.
Joel

And I cannot express enough my gratitude for the company you kept me in those two years. Thank you for being here for me when others chose to ignore my efforts!

The safety harness and the relatively sharp edge of the seat don't go together very well, this tubular brace prevents the textile harness from tearing:

Florin,
I do find that Aeroscale is more quiet that ARC, my other main modeling site. Here the members tend to just view and not post much. You've over 30,000 views yet only 158 posts, most of which are from you and me. I'll grant you that those that don't post, or rarely post are missing the point that this is a forum not a online magazine. There is a hard core of members that do post their builds, and are posters in other build threads as well. Those are the members who make Aeroscale who and what it is. But it could be that much more if a greater proportion of the membership were more active.
Joel

Seat support frame requires a little cleanup, but it's basically done:

Florin,
The level of detail that you're maintaining throughout this build is really amazing. The seat support you just posted a picture of, clearly shows that consistency.
Joel

Beautiful job Florin!

Thank you, Gentlemen, this is a most fun project.

Was contemplating the use of the Aires resin head armor, but it is not accurate. Used to this by now, have fabricated it and the first aid kit from Styrene of different thicknesses. The bracket is made from thin aluminum sheet.

Florin,
Very nicely done. Your scratch building seams to be the equal of most resin I've seen.
Joel

Good skill, bad skill, matters not, this thing ain't gonna build itself...

Florin,
Now there's a truism for sure.
Joel

Florin, your seat frame and head armor look really good, especially the first aid kit. Looks like it might be full of little styrene gauze rolls, battle dressings and morphine syrettes!

Thank you! The "to do" list for cockpit items is getting shorter, the "Malcolm" hood actuation mechanism is next.

Just read this thread looking great so far. Keep it up it really looks great so far.

Thank you, hope you found it to your liking. When I started this I knew next to nothing about the Mustang, building Luftwaffe aircraft almost exclusively. It is a learning experience for me, a source of enjoyment. I am far from an expert on the P-51, but like to share what I've found.