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


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Is the thread for the KUAN CF-18B still available? I would really like to read it.

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

CF-18B build thread is here. Sorry for the crappy pics, but hey, that was the the best I could do at the time!

1/32 Academy F-18D to CF-18B

DSC_7069.jpg

Although the Cutting Edge stuff has been OOP for years now, the A-10 kits comes up on ebay now and then, but you have to be patient and walk away from sales when they get too pricy. That's how I collect my stash for future projects- hence the need for decent storage. I bought both kits for about $70, but I saw the pair recently sell for $120!

Edited by chuck540z3
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This really became a jaw dropper Chuck! Congrats with this build!

I have read / followed your thread the last nine months, although I'm not a prop guy, I really enjoyed it. And best of all, I learned some new things.

The reason I haven't replied sooner to this KUAN is the fact that my knowledge and skills don't reach yours. But I enjoyed every update! Thanks for this thread!

Nice to get some insight of your cave, but why do you throw the earliest models away when you run out of space? That's a real shame! (But I can understand it...)

I'll be on your six with the next KUAN! Be sure to tackle the Tamiya F-16 after the A-10 :rolleyes: .

Remy..

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beautiful build mate, really excellent stuff

I don't want to trawl through the entire thing looking for an answer to this but...where did you get the 0.50 cal flex chutes? They look photo etched. I need some for my B-17 but the ones I have (Eduard) look more like 0.30 cal in 1/35 scale (they are from a Huey detail set)

TIA

Rich

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beautiful build mate, really excellent stuff

I don't want to trawl through the entire thing looking for an answer to this but...where did you get the 0.50 cal flex chutes? They look photo etched. I need some for my B-17 but the ones I have (Eduard) look more like 0.30 cal in 1/35 scale (they are from a Huey detail set)

TIA

Rich

Hi Rich,

I got mine from the Eduard gun bay set for this kit, Gun Bay- Early, # 32732. You'd be tossing a lot of P-51D stuff away just to get the flexible chute feeders!

Cheers,

Chuck

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Chuck, here’s a cheap solution to protect those beautiful models. Downside is they won’t fit on your narrow glass shelves. I gave up on the idea of a display cabinet, it would be too big!

I got some clear full length dust bags from a dry cleaners and cut to length; tie wrap to close up at back. I worry once you get ‘crap’ in all the nooks and crannies you won’t get them clean without breaking things.

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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Chuck, here’s a cheap solution to protect those beautiful models. Downside is they won’t fit on your narrow glass shelves. I gave up on the idea of a display cabinet, it would be too big!

I got some clear full length dust bags from a dry cleaners and cut to length; tie wrap to close up at back. I worry once you get ‘crap’ in all the nooks and crannies you won’t get them clean without breaking things.

Thanks for the tip John, which I will definitely use for this model sometime between now and June, when I plan on taking it to the next model contest. Trying to get your model dust free prior to a contest is very hard, however, after the contest it will be out with the others, because if I can't look at them every day and enjoy them, there's no use making them in my mind. Besides, today's gem is tomorrow's garbage as we get to be better modelers, but I think the CF-18B, F-4E and this model will always be saved from the trash bin. As I look at my other builds, however, I can see how they might take a last flight into the abyss, including my last Tomcat! :woot.gif:

Edited by chuck540z3
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Chuck in case you want to do another CF-18 here is what the bottom looks like:

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/netpub/server.np?original=49486&site=combatcamera&catalog=photos

Jari

Thanks Jari. Duly noted and saved, because I've got two kits and a lot of Canadian decals in the stash!

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A truly stunning build. If i only had a fraction of the skill.....i'm amazed that you have only been building for 5 1/2 years (i swear i read that somewhere here).

Anyway thank you for posting this wonderful WIP thread as it really inspires me to work harder :worship: ...........now back to my 109

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A truly stunning build. If i only had a fraction of the skill.....i'm amazed that you have only been building for 5 1/2 years (i swear i read that somewhere here).

Anyway thank you for posting this wonderful WIP thread as it really inspires me to work harder ...........now back to my 109

Thank you sir!

Now a very small update on my future build, the 1/32 Trumpeter A-10A. What I'm doing right now is research. LOTS of research, because I have now discovered the following, and I've only scratched the surface so far.

1) The kit is, shall we say, not that good. Maybe the Tamiya Mustang spoiled me, but oh boy, those sprues are a bit rough around the edges. To be honest, they are mostly brutal!

2) The front is too blunt and square looking and is in bad need of a big nose job.

3) The canopy and windscreen are wrong.

4) The kit has nice looking resin engines and metal landing gear- from about 3 feet away. Close-up, I would have preferred ordinary plastic that I could modify easier. I spent about 15 minutes with the resin engine last night comparing it to the real deal in Jake's book. I still don't know which side I should be looking at, because it matches none of the pics from every angle.

5) You can display the engines opened up, but inside you'll find a clear cover to the resin engine, which is a non-starter. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but a sane man would keep things closed up and get on with his life.

6) The kit includes a fully detailed big gun. Too bad it's inaccurate (especially the shell feeders) and you'll never see it again unless you are prepared to spend a year opening the fuselage up with all sorts of scratch detail.

7-29) There are another dozen small errors that need fixing which I won't bother mentioning now.

Fortunately I have the Cutting edge cockpit set (pre-LASTE), Cutting Edge exterior set, Eduard cockpit set, Eduard exterior set, Eduard armament set and yesterday I ordered the Squadron canopy set to help me beat this beast into something worth looking at. When I have something to show, I'll start my new WIP thread, but right now I'm shaking my head and wondering what I got myself into. As brewer warned me, this kit is a bear!

Edited by chuck540z3
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Great build as always masterfully done, I've been out of the loop with school but I do drop by to see what you and others like you are up to. I'll keep checking in to follow your skills. :coolio:

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Interesting news!

I was wondering what your next project would be...

The A-10 isn't my favorite aircraft, but I'm sure it will be a blast to follow your coming WIP anyway!

/Kristian

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[1] it's inaccurate (especially the shell feeders) and you'll never see it again unless you are prepared to spend a year opening the fuselage up with all sorts of scratch detail.

[2] 7-29) There are another dozen small errors that need fixing which I won't bother mentioning now.

[1] Me neither, so I went for a static pose.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Miscellaneous/tn6_zps3304cb17.jpg

[2] Are these covered in 7-29? Incorrect position of the fuselage pylons and fuselage strakes are too short.

The answer to two questions you may be thinking is, no I didn't. This is from about 12 years ago, before I got bogged down in detail. But the next one!!!

You don't need luck, just your skill.

Regards

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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I am a little late with this, but your P-51 is really a work of art. I have a bit of an eye for realism and this bird has it in spades. The highest praise I can offer is that it looks absolutely real! Again, thank you for sharing your methods and techniques as they are invalueable to a beginner with limited experience, like me!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Chuck

Long time lurker of this build, first time poster.

I've just started building this kit, and have always intended to use your build thread as a reference for building this kit.

I therefore wrote out myself a contents list of this thread for ease of access. It then occurred to me that I may as well post it here in the hope that others may benefit from it. Obviously there's loads to sift through on this thread, and this contents list should make it much easier to navigate for anyone like me who wants access to various parts of your build.

It's not 100% comprehensive, and I've missed the painting and weathering stage as I have my own techniques for that (I'm a Brush painter,) but here's everything I've collated, each link should take you directly to the relevant post:

Introduction

Puttied wings discussion

Engine

Initial build

Wiring the Merlin (1/2)

Wiring the Merlin (2/2)

Oil Tanks

Instrument Panel

Barracuda sidewall

Installation

Completed sidewalls

Seat & Radio

Complete Cockpit ‘Train’ (continues onto next post)

Aftermarket recommendations

Radiator and Oil Cooler (continues onto next post)

Final cockpit/engine details before gluing into fuselage (continues onto next post)

Cowlings and Carburetor vents

Rear Fuselage ‘step’ Part Q2

Wheel Well

Painting and prep

Reference Pics (continues onto next post)

Wiring #1

Wiring #2

Wiring #3

Revised Wiring

Puttying the wings

Gun Bay

#1

#2 (continues onto next post)

#3

Gluing the wings

Lower

Upper

Adding the cowlings, ready for paint

Landing Gear

#1

#2

Various Tips and Tutorials from Chuck:

Drybrushing

Various construction tips

Photo Etch tutorial

Alclad Tutorial

Hope someone else finds this helpful, it certainly helped me!

Oh, and just to say, you did a fantastic job on this bird. If you fancy finding out how a Brush painter handles a kit like this, I have a WIP thread over on Britmodeller:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234937289-tamiya-132-p-51d-passion-wagon-brush-painted/

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Hi Chuck

Long time lurker of this build, first time poster.

I've just started building this kit, and have always intended to use your build thread as a reference for building this kit.

I therefore wrote out myself a contents list of this thread for ease of access. It then occurred to me that I may as well post it here in the hope that others may benefit from it. Obviously there's loads to sift through on this thread, and this contents list should make it much easier to navigate for anyone like me who wants access to various parts of your build.

It's not 100% comprehensive, and I've missed the painting and weathering stage as I have my own techniques for that (I'm a Brush painter,) but here's everything I've collated, each link should take you directly to the relevant post:

Oh, and just to say, you did a fantastic job on this bird. If you fancy finding out how a Brush painter handles a kit like this, I have a WIP thread over on Britmodeller:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234937289-tamiya-132-p-51d-passion-wagon-brush-painted/

WOW! Thanks for doing all that work! As I look back at the various stages of my work I'm proud of some things but I'm also quite embarrassed at others, like gluing spark plug wires onto a coolant rail. DUH! :doh: As I mention at the very beginning of this thread, I left everything in- both good and bad- because that's what modeling is all about. The most important thing I've learned over the past 5 1/2 years of modeling is to accomplish a "save" when either I have screwed up or the kit parts just aren't working. As you gain confidence that you can fix almost any problem, you get braver to try new techniques, because you can always try and go back.

Your brush painting is fantastic! This is one area I am very bad at and I will always go out of my way to avoid brush painting. Sometimes you have to, of course, so I really should try to brush paint more so that it doesn't scare me any longer. :D I will now follow your thread, if for no other reason, to see how in heck you'll get a bare metal finish with a brush!

Thanks again for your efforts to make this thread a little easier to follow. :thumbsup:

Edited by chuck540z3
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WOW! Thanks for doing all that work! As I look back at the various stages of my work I'm proud of some things but I'm also quite embarrassed at others, like gluing spark plug wires onto a coolant rail. DUH! :doh:/> As I mention at the very beginning of this thread, I left everything in- both good and bad- because that's what modeling is all about. The most important thing I've learned over the past 5 1/2 years of modeling is to accomplish a "save" when either I have screwed up or the kit parts just aren't working. As you gain confidence that you can fix almost any problem, you get braver to try new techniques, because you can always try and go back.

Your brush painting is fantastic! This is one area I am very bad at and I will always go out of my way to avoid brush painting. Sometimes you have to, of course, so I really should try to brush paint more so that it doesn't scare me any longer. :D/> I will now follow your thread, if for no other reason, to see how in heck you'll get a bare metal finish with a brush!

Thanks again for your efforts to make this thread a little easier to follow. :thumbsup:/>

Well you see, the secret to brush painting bare metal is to only choose schemes that are not bare metal! Hence me doing 'Passion Wagon.'

To be fair, I've had moderate success using a sort of dry brushing technique with Mr Metal Color for smaller parts. That's what I'm using for the small NMF parts for this kit (the engine bearers etc...) Keep an eye on the WIP and I'll post a 'how to' soon. I even did the Airfix 1/72 P-51D using that technique, which came out OK, but for larger areas, I don't dare do it. There was a link showing how to do that technique on the internet, but it appears to have dissapeared.

No worries about the contents list, it was for my own needs that I made it, but thought I would post it here so it could be shared. I got sick of sifting through page after page trying to remember where each part of your build was!

One question I have, did you enter this P-51D into any contests? And if so, how did you do?

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One question I have, did you enter this P-51D into any contests? And if so, how did you do?

Funny you should ask today, because tonight I'm meeting some modeling buddies for our monthly get together and I'll be showing them my Mustang for the first time. This crowd is TOUGH!- and all of them are either contest judges or have done so in the past. They will no doubt give me a bunch of tips on how to improve the build, most of which I'm sure to ignore, then I'll enter it in the annual Western Canadian Regional Model Contest on June 1st. My chances of winning something are good, but you never know what will show up to compete with your entry. I've seen some really good stuff at contests that would blow this Mustang away.

I'll post back here how it did- again, good or bad.

Edited by chuck540z3
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Hi Chuck,

I am a model car builder by nature, but am branching out into other genres. I couldn't decide if I wanted to buy the Tamiya 1/32 P51-D...that was until I saw this thread. After reading the first 10 pages here, and seeing the kit was on sale for $99.00 at my local shop, I immediately bought it! I will be using this thread as a reference.

Thank you for your dedication to this plane!

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Thanks Guys. Glad I could pull a "Car Guy" over to the dark side of aircraft modeling! :D

Well, it's finally official. FSM front cover for January, 2014

Mustang1.jpg :P

Edited by chuck540z3
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  • 6 months later...

Hi Chuck

Long time lurker of this build, first time poster.

I've just started building this kit, and have always intended to use your build thread as a reference for building this kit.

I therefore wrote out myself a contents list of this thread for ease of access. It then occurred to me that I may as well post it here in the hope that others may benefit from it. Obviously there's loads to sift through on this thread, and this contents list should make it much easier to navigate for anyone like me who wants access to various parts of your build.

It's not 100% comprehensive, and I've missed the painting and weathering stage as I have my own techniques for that (I'm a Brush painter,) but here's everything I've collated, each link should take you directly to the relevant post:

Hope someone else finds this helpful, it certainly helped me!

Oh, and just to say, you did a fantastic job on this bird. If you fancy finding out how a Brush painter handles a kit like this, I have a WIP thread over on Britmodeller:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234937289-tamiya-132-p-51d-passion-wagon-brush-painted/

Hi

I can't access to all links

Thanks

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  • 4 weeks later...

Congrats on the cover and a great article in FSM, Chuck.

Do you know when the A-10 will get the cover? ;)

I know you've been disappointed at contests in the past, but having two consecutive models in a magazine like FSM, with worldwide exposure, must be very gratifying. And well deserved at that!

Now just keep on giving us in depth previews of future FSM articles please :D

Edited by huntermountain
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