Ratch's 2020 goings on

[Ratch]

Over on Britmodeller I've been working on some Mustangs for their Group Build. This is where I'm at with the 1/72 Italeri Mk.IA

[Ratch]

Same GB, 1/48 Tamiya P-51D. Various Alclad2 lacquers have been used on the airframe, undercarriage, drop tanks and exhaust stubs.

[ShaunW]

Off to a good start, Ratch with a fine pair of Mustangs, both early and later versions. That Tamiya 1/48th P-51D kit is still one of the best IMHO.

[Ratch]

Its a nice kit isn't it. I also have two 1/48 Airfix 'stangs going.

[Ratch]

Here are the Russian tankers




a little further on.

[Ratch]

I painted the wingtip navigation lights of the Italeri kit and then sprayed Klear in readiness for the decals, which were applied using Microset and Microsol. I used the kit supplied tail fin and roundels; serials were from Ventura sheet V7252.

[Ratch]

I then masked selected panels of the Tamiya kit and sprayed different tones.

Removing the masking tape lifted some of the previously sprayed Alclad2 in two places.

[Ratch]

With the two Airfix kits the navigation lights were fixed with PVA before the upper wings were cemented and then the guns added.


The flaps and ailerons are added next. There is a choice of lowered or raised flaps and the ailerons can be positioned to 15o up or down. When cementing the wings to the fuselage I used clamps to hold them in position; this was just a case of too few hands (rather than any need to force them).

[iggie]

Your herd of Mustangs are coming along very nicely Ratch, as are your tank crew figures
Happy New year to you and yours

[TeeELL]

Ratch,
Sorry to be a bit negative but you have made the same mistake as all too many others with the NMF Mustang. The Mustang had ‘laminar flow’ wings, to achieve this the wing surface has to be as smooth as possible, this was achieved by using filler between the wing panels and then spraying the wing with smooth aluminium paint. Bottom line - Mustang wings would show no panels and were not NMF!

Bottom, bottom line - it is your model finish it to your satisfaction.

Sorry.

[Ratch]

Tony, there's a lot of discussion about this in the BM GB. I filled the panel lines with putty to get the laminar flow effect and people who are more expert than me say there were irregular differences in shades of aluminium over the airframe. I'm not sure why you say they were not NMF

[lancfan]

The fuselage itself was NMF but the wings and tailplane were painted.

[TeeELL]

OK Ratch,
as I said, it is your aircraft and you must interpret the information as you see it. The wings were laminar flow, puttied and painted to achieve the smoothest surface possible (any irregularity eg panel gap, would cause the boundary layer over the wing to change from laminar to turbulent flow). The fuselage, tailplane, fin etc remained NMF.

[Stuart]

A nice brace of 'stangs Richard, you don't often see an early RAF type being built.

[Ratch]

Cheers Stu. I fixed the undercarriage, doors and under-wing aerial to the Mk.IA. They are now ready for a final coat of varnish.