Hi all!

Here is the current status of my P-51 D build...

The plane is painted and is awaiting the decals! I still have to paint the canopy parts, the propellers and the bombs/rockets though...







Tomorrow I will apply the decals! That's what I like most when modelling, especially with such cool markings!

Jean-Luc

Looking good Jean-Luc.
I know you used Tamiya X11 Chrome Silver for the main coat but what colour and paint make did you use for the different panels ?
Andy

Jean Luc this is looking awesome!
A question,,,,how did you mask the blue curve on the cowling?,,,blue tac sausage?
Cant wait to see it with the decals!,,
MOQ???
Nige

Beautiful Jean-Luc, beautiful!

Nice job so far Jean Luc.

Hi all!




Andy, Tamiya X-11 Chrome silver was indeed my base color. Some panels are a mix of X-11 with X-10 (Gun Metal) and others X-32 Titanium Silver. The wings received a coat of XF-16 Flat Aluminium afterwards. I then sprayed a coat of future to protect the paint and also X-22 Clear on the fuselage, tailplanes, flaps and ailerons.




Nigel, I simply used Tamiya masking tape. To polish the canopy I used Tamiya sanding paper and Tamiya polishing Compound. When I apply paint I use Tamiya brushes and to know the exact colors of the kit I use Tamiya's 1/48 scale P-51 D kit instructions. It's a Dragon kit but there is a lot of Tamiya stuff on it... and no, I'm not paid by Tamiya to make some advertisement for them! :-)




Your wish is my command...



The decals are good so far and started to react well with Micro Sol despite the heavy surface detail. Some decals (like the M) are not easy to apply because there is almost no carrier film). I cut out the wing's roundel because the aileron hinge cover (?) was in the way. I will paint it later.



Still some detail work to do and of course add some weathering...

Jean-Luc

Wow
Isnt it amazing how much a model springs to life once the decals go on!
Great work Jean Luc.
Going back to the blue curve,how did you mask the curve using tape? Am I being dumb and missing an obvious method to mask curves with tape?
Nige

Noticed this thread only yesterday !
Very nice model you got going on there and great insight you are giving us on this model.
Thanks!

Guess I'll have to give it a try, too. Let's see if someone (Eduard probably) comes up with some PE sets or other aftermarket.

Decals are looking very good, I love the metal finish and the blue nose. Hot a big fan of the rust color on the exhaust. I think I'd need to see it in person to really judge it.

Really good build so far. Great to watch.

Hi all!

Here another Mustang update...

I played a little with my airbrush and weathered the plane. Ok, I know, real Mustangs probably don't look like that but since the surface detail of the model is overdone, let's say I wanted to distract the viewer from the rivets...







Below are detail shots. Note that the canopy parts are not glued in place and the fit is good. There's also a picture of the exhausts which I will maybe tone down a little (Scott ?)...



Nigel, Tamiya tape can be "bent" to make those curves. Of course it must be a narrow tape...

Left to do are adding the detail parts and do the panel lines, that's one of my specialities! But I think I won't touch the rivets!

Jean-Luc

Wow...great build thread Jean-Luc!

Thanks for showing us the process in such detail.

Cheers,
Jim

Jean-Luc your model really looks amazing. keep following this topic and i am looking forword to see more of your reviews.

Greetings,

Léon

Hi Jim and Leon!

Thanks a lot for your kind words...

Last update today!

I made the last little things like painting the fuel caps in red using a verlinden PE scribing template...



I also had to place a plastic bit in the front of the engine to get a proper alignment for the propellor (see arrow). If you want to use the bombs or the fuel tanks, you must cut away the locators of the racks to place them so they don't cover a shell ejection opening. Finally, if you want to add the rockets, you will have to cut away some plastic away on the rear mount to get a proper fit. The red arrow shows a modified part while the one in front is untouched...



Below are some detail shots. Note that the main gear covers don't have actuators but there is a nice landing light!



The landing gear assembly looks very nice but the vinyl tyres are slightly oversized. It's probably better to get some resin replacement for them...



Here are some pictures of the finished plane. I will try to shoot better pictures under daylight tomorrow...









That's it!

Jean-Luc

Pure art Jean-Luc, pure art!

Well done Jean-Luc. Unfortunately, you won't be able to silence all the cynics out there, but you've proven that this model is more than buildable. Fantastic work!

Frank

Dang it Jean Luc, I've been trying to get back into building armor and you and all the other magicians here on aeroscale keep pulling me over to aircraft. Guess I'll just have to do both. :-) :-) :-)
ANother wonderful job. Keep the posts & updates coming. I love watching.

Jean Luc,

It's amazing. can't wait to see your next project. Let me Know when you get started again. [email protected]

Greetings Léon

That was a pure joy to watch come together. You did a great job.

I've followed your progress since day 1, Jean-Luc. Great job all around!
To be honest, the review of the Dragon kit is not what kept me coming back. I kept reading on to pick up on your tips about sanding, filing, fixing gaps, painting, weathering, and all of the beaufiful detailing you do. Learning these things from you has certainly made a difference in my models.

Since I also use Tamiya paints exclusively, could I please BEG of you to some day work up a chart for us Tamiya folks on what ratios you use to get certain colors? A more comprehensive artical about how you use Future and Tamiya colors to enhance your models would also be greatly appreciated.

Great work Jean-Luc, and it has been a help to me in many ways.

Looks stunning Jean Luc.
Whatever the accuracy drawbacks of the kit may be,,it looks like an extremely well build Mustang to me and thats what its all about.
Please tell us more about your use of tinted Future one day.
Did you deliberately leave the rudder as it is,,because it looks unweathered to me compared to the rest of the plane.
Also,,what do you use for the post shading along the panel lines,,Tamiya smoke?
Great fun watching this come together,,youve certainly proved that the kit is buildable and whats more can be built very well!
Nige

Hi Jan!

I don't think making models can be considered Art... but thanks nevertheless!




Hi Frank!

The purpose of this build wasn't to silence the "cynics", I just wanted to know how the model would look like once finished. I still think it's a good kit... but maybe not for Mustang purists. I can understand their critics as well...




Hi David!

That's a very nice compliment! :-) Maybe it's because I weathered the plane almost like a tank!




Hi Hermon!

I don't keep tracks of my ratios. I mix and use them... artistically! I always say to my students: "what you are seeing is important so trust your eyes!" I know it's not the way a real modeller should proceed but that the way I paint my models.




Hi Nigel!

Yes, I left the rudder as it is because I saw many pictures of Mustang with a different shade of aluminium (?) for this part of the plane. You are right, I used Tamiya smoke...

Thanks again for your kind words...

Jean-Luc