Martin's Long Shot! - ***Finished!!!***

[Martin R]

Hi folks,

I have 2 of Airfix's new tool P-51Ds in the stash and I'm going to try to build both in this GB. Those who are aware of my build rate may guess correctly that this is the reason for the Thread title.

Never one to do anything too far off the beaten track, I am proposing to do:

E2-C LouIV of the 361st FG which, with it's large areas of yellow, NM, OD 'clouds' and partial invasion stripes, would look dead cool if I can do it justice.

One of the camo'd options from the Xtradecal "Mustang in RAF / RCAF / RAAF Service" sheet. Possibly a 3Sqn RAAF example with the Southern Cross on mid-blue rudder. I have the Freightdog conversion for a MkIVA (Aeroproducts prop and lower cowling including louvres over engine vents), which should help.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

regards,

Martin

[Saxon]

Should look good, look forward to seeing them start up.

[Martin R]

Should look good, look forward to seeing them start up.

Yep, me too!

This weekend is a write-off, but I hope to start mid-next week hopefully.

2 Mustangs, 3 weeks - what could possibly go wrong!

regards,

Martin

[TomW]

Absolutely nothing Martin but all modelers should know better than to poke Fate with a sharp stick

Regards

Tom

[Martin R]

Absolutely nothing Martin but all modelers should know better than to poke Fate with a sharp stick

Regards

Tom

Tom,

Ah yes. As Blackadder once said, "My way is strewn with cowpats from the Devil's own satanic herd!"

However, notwithstanding the above, I have made a start. I've given my bits a good scrub in hot soapy water. It's a little ritual I go through at the start of every build - whether I need to or not.

regards,

Martin

[Jagewa]

However, notwithstanding the above, I have made a start. I've given my bits a good scrub in hot soapy water. It's a little ritual I go through at the start of every build - whether I need to or not

Ah, bath night at the Rosa household, but what about the kit?

[Martin R]

However, notwithstanding the above, I have made a start. I've given my bits a good scrub in hot soapy water. It's a little ritual I go through at the start of every build - whether I need to or not

Ah, bath night at the Rosa household, but what about the kit?

Yep, scrubbed that, too!

Tonight will be my first modelling session on the 'Stangs. I'm quite looking forward to that. If I make any pic-worthy progress, rest assured that it shall be posted here.

regards,

Martin

[Martin R]

Ah'm building, Dirk, ah'm building. Well, painting mostly. A couple of hours with Revell's bronzegrun and black, and we're here. And given the lack of touching up, you can probably understand why I've gone for a long shot . . .



Hopefully try to get the fuse interiors complete tomorrow and, if I'm lucky, the fuse halves together. Famous last words.

regards,

Martin

[Martin R]

Another night's play has resulted in the interiors finished and the fuselages joined. I have also primed the spinner of LouIV white so that I can add yellow in due course. The wings are only dry-fitted at the moment.

I know it's probably no longer interesting to see part built Airfix P-51s, but nevertheless, proof of progress is required:





Tomorrow night's aim is to rescribe the mass balances on the elevators and add the tailplanes and wings. I then want to play around with the propellers, perhaps attempting to make an Aeroproducts prop out of one of the kit pieces.

regards,

Martin

[PaulBradley]

Aha - progress!

[Martin R]

Aha - progress!

Paul,

Just a bit. But here's some more:



I got both sets of wings together, and these have been fitted to LouIV. I have also separated elevators from tailplanes a la David (Lancfan) and the tailplanes have been added, after having the recess for the elevator mass balances gouged out.

The Commonwealth MkIVA has had the lower nose panels removed; I got overenthusiastic, which is why there's some very thin styrene sheet on one side of the nose. I will remove the excess tomorrow and perhaps sand down the thickness a bit, then add the resin undernose cowling with the all important breather panel louvres.

The spinner for LouIV has had a couple of coats of yellow brushed over the primer and will have more coats added. I have now primed the spinner for the MkIVA, in expectation that it'll end up red (I think it'll be a 3Sqn RAAF machine) and, hiding beneath the MkIVA fuselage (brilliant composition, I know) is my attempt to make an Aeroproducts uncuffed prop out of the kit one. It's come out alright, I suppose, although the blades are not particularly even. However, if I glue together the spinner with white glue, it always gives me the option of replacing it at a later date.

That's all for now. I hope to get a bit more done tomorrow.

regards,

Martin

[jssel]

Humming right along now Martin. Nice progress.

[Martin R]

Thanks, Jeff.

Not much to report tonight. I've got LouIV's prop together, but I've still got to mask and paint the prop tips. Although it's difficult to see from this view, the flaps are dry-fitted in deployed position.



As regards my Commonwealth camo'd 'Stang, I have completed the basic airframe. The resin undernose cowling went on OK, but there will be some filler required. Flaps are dry-fitted in retracted position.



I have also painted up the spinner, and put a thickish coat of primer on the prop blades to try to even out some of my dodgy filing. They have already had one coat of black on over the primer, but they need another.



Tomorrow, we begin filling (joy).

regards,

Martin

[Old_Tonto]

making better progress than me mate.

How did you find the fit? I had a real battle getting the fuselage closed up & the wing fitting to the fuselage needed lots of sanding. I think I prefer the Academy kit from a simplicity & fit point of view.

[Martin R]

making better progress than me mate.

How did you find the fit? I had a real battle getting the fuselage closed up & the wing fitting to the fuselage needed lots of sanding. I think I prefer the Academy kit from a simplicity & fit point of view.

O_T,

I think that the long interior insert, although well fitting, can too easily flex out of shape and foul the retaining ledges. What I did was to place the insert in position without glue, jiggle it until it got in the right place and allowed the fuse halves to snap into position, then while holding both halves together, work from front to back along the joints with Plastic Weld to secure everything. So, my interior 'bits' are still loose, but they are held in tightly and don't rattle or anything.

So far, in general, I think the fit has been pretty good (apart from the mismatches that I have introduced). The wings, while tight, again snapped into place with a bit of a jiggle. The fit of the flaps is also tight, but once they go in, they seem to be held tightly.

I have to say that some of the parts (both fuse halves for example) were a little warped, but that could have been because they were at the bottom of my kit pile and the end opening boxes are not that robust. They bent back to the right shape easily enough.

regards,

Martin