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1/32 Tamiya P-51D- Kicked up a notch


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Chuck, the Mustang turned out fantastic! Absolutely incredible!

And good luck with the A-10, that kit is a bear

Thanks, I was afraid of that, which might explain the lack of similar builds! That's OK, I'm up for a challenge.

I have new and (I hope) improved pics of this Mustang in the Display Case Forum here...

Display Case

Thanks Guys!

Edited by chuck540z3
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Hi Chuck,

Just wanted to say congratulations on a job extremely well done! Your mustang in nothing short of exceptional and your how to's and build log have been a fantastic reference for my build, which is hopefully only another few days away from being completed, although no-where near as involved as yours!

Great work

Craig

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Thanks, I was afraid of that, which might explain the lack of similar builds! That's OK, I'm up for a challenge.

I've got a Trumpy 2-seater A-10 with a bunch of resin and PE, sitting half-built in my closet for the past few years because I just couldn't finish it.

But maybe I'm just spoiled by Tamiya/Hasegawa :P

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Hey Chuck,

Your Mustang is massively impressive. I'm delighted that you did this build and am going to use a lot of your information and techniques when I build my Tamiya Mustang.

All the best with your next project.

Cheers,

John

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Man, that's one thoroughbred pony! Ya done good, Chief- this thing's a knockout. Cheers!

chuk

Thanks Chuck. Coming from you, that's pretty special.

I've got a Trumpy 2-seater A-10 with a bunch of resin and PE, sitting half-built in my closet for the past few years because I just couldn't finish it.

But maybe I'm just spoiled by Tamiya/Hasegawa :P/>

On the one hand I wish it was a terrific kit to begin with, but on the other hand the fact that it sort of sucks should make the challenge that much more enjoyable- and likely frustrating. Time will tell!

Lovely work and thanks for all the tips and tricks.

I can;t add anything of any value on the P-51, but here's a couple of A-10 links that you may find handy for your next build if you haven;t already seen them. Set aside a good hour or two. esp for the first link.

http://www.hunavia.hu/AIRSHOW/Kecskemet_2008/A10KECSKEMT2008/

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php/topic,344.0.html

http://www.midwaysailor.com/photos/thunderbolt-kc303fs.html

Thank you sir. It looks like I'll need all the help I can get!

Hey Chuck,

Your Mustang is massively impressive. I'm delighted that you did this build and am going to use a lot of your information and techniques when I build my Tamiya Mustang.

All the best with your next project.

Cheers,

John

Thanks John. Since you also live in Calgary, drop me a PM and maybe I can help you out when you get it started.

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I absolutely love your build! Especially all the attention to the small details really makes it stand out. You really put an effort to it!!

I probably am the only one though to say I am not that fund of your weathering.. the metal is too worn on places and the staining is a bit heavy to my opinion. Hey, but that's just me.

But man what a beautiful 'Stang! I can easily say it's the best I have seen so far!

Sid

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I probably am the only one though to say I am not that fund of your weathering.. the metal is too worn on places and the staining is a bit heavy to my opinion. Hey, but that's just me.

But man what a beautiful 'Stang! I can easily say it's the best I have seen so far!

Sid

Well, weathering is a personal choice and if you look at war time P-51D's, they are pretty dirty. Check out the following if you think my offering is too dirty! :D

Dirty Bird 1

Dirty Bird 2

Dirty Bird 3

Dirty Bird 4

Metal is too stained you say?

Stained 1

Stained 3

Sure there's lots of examples of fairly clean Mustangs, but to me they are boring- but that's just me.

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited by chuck540z3
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I think we might be talking about different things.. I am not saying they didn't get dirty. Let me clarify..

This picture of yours shows what I mean..

Personally I think the metal paint is too worn below the canopy and just behind the exhaust. The staining or oil leakage? coming from below the engine is too heavy (I do not know how to do that in 1/32 anyway) and the exhaust staining just doesn't do it for me.

Oilstreak3.jpg

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I think we might be talking about different things.. I am not saying they didn't get dirty. Let me clarify..

This picture of yours shows what I mean..

Personally I think the metal paint is too worn below the canopy and just behind the exhaust. The staining or oil leakage? coming from below the engine is too heavy (I do not know how to do that in 1/32 anyway) and the exhaust staining just doesn't do it for me.

You may be right about the panels under the canopy, but the panel behind the exhaust is made of steel and is supposed to look dark.

Engine oil stain?

Oilstain1.jpg

Oilstain3.jpg

Oil stain and steel exhaust panel

Exhaust stain?

Exhaust Stain

Anyway, we agree to disagree because I have reasons I like it this way and I understand why you don't. It's all "Art" my friend- and sometimes art can be interpreted differently through different eyes.

Cheers

Edited by chuck540z3
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Fantastic build Chuck. I love following your WIPs, along with several others here, just for the enjoyment of watching masters of their craft. Although I've modeled since I was 8 my skills can't even approach some of what I've seen here. I really appreciated your sharing of the personal reasons for modeling this subject. I think sometimes we forget why or how each of us got into this hobby or why we keep doing it. It made me wonder, where do you display these works of art? Do you keep them in pristine glass displays or do they sit on shelves? Do you have a study or office or do you keep them near your work area for "inspiration" during another build? I'm really fascinated in what happens to these once the "journey" is over; the desination having been reached.

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It made me wonder, where do you display these works of art? Do you keep them in pristine glass displays or do they sit on shelves? Do you have a study or office or do you keep them near your work area for "inspiration" during another build? I'm really fascinated in what happens to these once the "journey" is over; the destination having been reached.

I've been asked that question a few times, so if you guys really want to know, here's my Man Cave. Of course I staged the pic on the computer monitor, but everything else usually looks like this on any given modeling day, although usually a lot messier! I take all my build pics right on the desk using those two overhead lights and the two Mustang pics above my desk were used for inspiration over the past 9 months of the build. The monitor always has a reference shot or some other pic to help me get things close to the real deal...

Mancave1.jpg

Right beside my desk are my latest builds in sort of a place of honor. When I finish a build, the oldest one gets demoted to the upper glass shelves along the ceiling. I don't have the heart to get rid of the CF-18B or F-4E until I run out of room....

PofH1.jpg

The cabinet the models sit on is used for storage of sandpapers, paints, tape, etc.....

Mancave4.jpg

Next to the small cabinet is a much larger one to store reference books and tons of aftermarket stuff.

Mancave2.jpg

Everything is sort of organized into specific models, but you'd never guess looking at this rat's nest...

Mancave8.jpg

Since these 1/32 models are so big, I store them up above on these glass shelves I bought from IKEA. Mind you, the shelves are made for much narrower glass, but if I keep only one model per shelf I haven't had any crashes- yet! As the newer models on the right rotate towards the left as I add new builds, I toss the oldest model on the left in the garbage. I'm not kidding! So far it's been pretty easy because my first work 5 years ago really sucks, but as I improve as a modeler, it's my hope that tossing the oldest model will become much harder to do. We'll see! The top of the cabinet also provides a really good place to store the stash and the top shelf is used to store the real small fiddly parts like canopies and tiny bits that always get lost or broken.

Mancave6.jpg

The real place of honor is just to the left of this shelving unit, where I have my late uncle's Lancaster that I built for him a few years ago. That's him in that fuzzy pic in the background with his flight crew during WW-II. That build won 3 special awards at my first model contest, including the "People's Choice Award", at the Western Canadian Model Contest in 2011. The real reason I won is because the contest was held in the Nanton Alberta Bomber Command Museum, that houses one of the few remaining Lancasters in the world. That Lanc had two "engine runs" that day so that the crowd could hear and feel the Merlin engines. After the engines died down, people went into the contest and voted for the first aircraft they recognized- hence the Lancaster victory!...

Mancave7.jpg

Now this cabinet I bought, also from IKEA, is the BOMB! It provides storage for my models or parts behind my chair as I build at my desk, but it also houses all the sprue trees in separate drawers. When I start a new build, I just use Post-It notes to identify which drawer houses which sprue tree. No more hunting through the kit box and scratching up all the pieces in doing so! I use the paper cutter to cut several small bits of sandpaper, approximately 1 1/2 inches square. I use a TON of sandpaper every build, so I'm always running out.

Mancave9.jpg

So there you have it, my private little cave where I bury myself during long winter evenings.

Edited by chuck540z3
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Hi Chuck,

You will love the D600. I have been using the D700 for about 4 years now and it is the best camera I have ever used - For work or pleasure.

The full-frame opens-up a whole new perspective in terms of light and quality. Have fun!

Regards,

Molardoc.

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Great build! And I love the cave. Being in Japan though the thought of those glass shelves hanging over my head would give me worry. One medium quake and they'd all come down on my head. But I'm guessing where you are quakes are of no worry!

Looking forward to the A-10!

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Just how messy does your man cave get? Anyway here's is another stained Mustang to show how dirty they get:

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/a652a59121ed2720_large

Jari

When I have all my reference books open, instructions to all sorts of PE parts and then the parts themselves, it looks quite cluttered!

BTW, Mustangs don't get dirty, do they? :D/>

Nice and cozy man cave Chuck, one question though, how do you manage with the dust over the models? Wouldn't be better with a display case?

John

Yes it would, because the dust build up in this room is huge with all the sanding I do. I might get something built one day to sit on the cabinets rather than have the stash there. That way the models will be closer and dust free.

Hi Chuck,

You will love the D600. I have been using the D700 for about 4 years now and it is the best camera I have ever used - For work or pleasure.

The full-frame opens-up a whole new perspective in terms of light and quality. Have fun!

Regards,

Molardoc.

I took those shots hand-held above with my D7000, the camera I've used for the past year or so. I didn't want to get fancy with lighting and I didn't want to use a flash to wash things out, so I just boosted the ISO to 1000. After I took these shots, I took then same ones with the D600 and compared the two. No contest, so the D7000 pics hit the recycle bin. They still aren't great, but it wasn't my intention to get perfect pics with a tripod, etc. I've always wanted a full frame image sensor, but the cost was always too prohibitive and to tell you the truth, the menu on the D7000 is complicated enough that it's at my upper limit of understanding. Thankfully the new D600 has almost the exact same menu and button features, so the learning curve was minimal and the cost has come way down. I made the plunge because I wanted another lens to take the Mustang pics, but I soon realized that I was collecting a bunch of lenses that are only good for the "consumer" DX cameras with the smaller sensor, so it was time to just suck it up and get a lens- and camera- that was full frame.

Great build! And I love the cave. Being in Japan though the thought of those glass shelves hanging over my head would give me worry. One medium quake and they'd all come down on my head. But I'm guessing where you are quakes are of no worry!

Looking forward to the A-10!

Here in Calgary we are a thousand miles from the nearest fault zone and we have never had a real earthquake. A few tremors maybe (none that I ever recall), but earthquake risk is almost zero.

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Yes it would, because the dust build up in this room is huge with all the sanding I do. I might get something built one day to sit on the cabinets rather than have the stash there. That way the models will be closer and dust free.

Like that Chuck!! Here is mine (the A-7H is a wooden one, the plastic one is coming...)

P1070886_zps2c567628.jpg

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Chuck,

Super, super congrats on a gorgeous model. As I said earlier, this thread will be my main document of record when I get to building mine. Thanks again for a great WIP.

I have a couple of questions (it wouldn't be me if I didn't :rolleyes: ):

Is the thread for the KUAN CF-18B still available? I would really like to read it. I have never built a jet except the Me 262, and could be very tempted to do one of the new super jet kits in 1/32.

I saw in your A-10 stash, I see two boxes from Cutting Edge. Have you had those a while? I thought CE was now out of business.

Stephen

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Like that Chuck!! Here is mine (the A-7H is a wooden one, the plastic one is coming...)

P1070886_zps2c567628.jpg

Really great cabinet!... and okay.. I'll be the one to ask. Micky Mouse sheets??

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