Canuck63 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Beautiful Chuck!Kudos to you mate! Lou Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Budman Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I really love cockpits and you have certainly done a terrific job on yours Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Thanks Guys! Now another screw up, albeit small. Going over a few cockpit items, I discovered that the emergency red pull handle is installed wrong. It should be rotated 90 degrees to the right, leaving the pointed tip of the arm to the outside and not pointing up like in the pic below. OOOPS! Good thing it isn't glued in yet! The fix is on the way! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesniF-16 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 That's top-notch model building there Chuck Geez those seats don't look very ergonomical for the pilots... You would think seat cushions would've been a must have Maybe this is for a different thread but, congrats on your Phantom making the FSM I can't wait til the issue comes out. /Jesse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mustanger Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 There was a seat pad for the back. There should be shots of it on the net. The pilot's chute provided some cushioning, but that was all a '51 pilot had to sit on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) Maybe this is for a different thread but, congrats on your Phantom making the FSM I can't wait til the issue comes out. /Jesse Thanks Jesse, I'm dying to read it myself. Once you sign off on your article and pics, the FSM guys run with it in any way they want, so you never know what might come out in the end. My only other FSM article of a 1/48 Tamiya Lancaster build was a shadow of what I wrote a few months before, but it got 8 pages of coverage anyway. Not bad! We'll see how the Phantom does, but with the November issue being a 30th Anniversary special issue, I'm in with some very deep company and awesome builds. Either way, I'm honored they would like the F-4E enough to publish it, while paying me for all the parts! Now back to the task at hand, which is becoming a little tiresome because I'm re-doing stuff again, AFTER I get better pics of certain areas of interest. I have plenty of good pics of the port sidewall, but the starboard sidewall has been a mish-mash of different pics and vintages- until now. I searched the 'net and now I have great pics of every angle in the cockpit, so here's a few changes that I've made and one I wish I had earlier. As mentioned above the red emergency release handle was installed incorrectly, which is easy to do because there is a groove at the rear of the handle and a tab where it attaches to the sidewall sill. It turns out that the tab is only resin flash that should be removed, while the groove in the handle accommodates a bolt. Here's how it should be attached.... While checking the new pics, I noticed that the upper "wire" is really an aluminum tube that goes into the front of the oxygen regulator (static pressure line), so I re-painted it aluminum. Behind the canopy crank the circular flashing is also aluminum most of the time (not always) and the end of the hose beside the seat is aluminum where it clips to the sidewall. Unfortunately, Tamiya screwed this item up a bit too, because the hose should attach forward of the pillar and not behind it, covering the signal lamp plug ins. Since it was installed already as per the instructions and the fit would be off against the front and rear if I re-attached it to the correct location, I just left it alone. You can't see much of it anyway since it sits behind the seat slightly, but it could have been modified earlier by heating it and rebending it so that it would fit correctly. One other thing is that on many pics I see there is a yellow colored panel that the Barracuda decal "QQ" attaches to behind the front of the oxygen hose. I'm not sure if it's accurate for Thunder Bird, but it adds a little color interest and the black font of the decal stands out quite well against it. Rather than paint it, I used some spare yellow decal film from some ordnance I have in the stash to save a lot of painting grief of such a tiny part. This next stage of the build will be very heavy with Eduard photo-etch detail all over the place. I have at least a 150 small PE parts for the engine interior, cowlings, gun bay and exterior, not to mention new resin guns from Aires that blow away the kit parts. So much for a quick OOB build! Edited August 29, 2012 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) I haven't had much time to model lately, but by the looks of the forums lately, I don't think many other guys have either as they enjoy what summer is left! One last cockpit detail to do is the gunsight. Although the Tamiya instructions call for the N-9 older optical sight for the "B" version I'm making, I wanted to be sure because the newer K-14 Gyro gunsight is so much nicer in detail- and Barracuda has a really nice resin one supplied in the cockpit upgrade kit. Barracuda also supplies a little ring in the photo-etch part of the instrument panel photo-etch parts, but it makes no mention of what it is or where it goes. After checking out several references, it turns out that Thunder Bird (it really is two separate words) does indeed have the N-9 optical gunsight, but it also has a back-up ring sight next to the optical sight on the right hand side, which is where the mystery Barracuda ring goes. How do I know? All P-51D's with this back-up sight had a front sight post that you lined up with the rear ring, just like a rifle. Here you can vaguely see it under the "s" of "Gunsight".... You might also note that it has the single circular rear-view mirror at the top of the front windscreen, which I have determined is Part number B-18, although the Tamiya instructions don't mention it anywhere. More on that later, but two mysteries are now solved. The clear part for the gunsight, Part L-2, has a nasty seam line going right through the middle of it..... So after cleaning it up as you would with a canopy seam line, I added Eduard PE to the left side of the sight which includes a toggle switch, and the Barracuda rear circular sight to the right side as per a few pics I have. This stuff isn't perfect by any means, but it does add some interesting detail to an otherwise plain looking part. Beside using liquid mask for the top of the sight glass, I left the bottom clear as well to let light shine through so that you can see the contrast. This may not be accurate, but it sure beats a black background.... I then sprayed everything with gloss black lacquer, in preparation for a few small decals. Note that I added a little bolt detail to the IP shield and then dry-brushed it to make it look well used and a bit dusty..... Having purchased two sets of Roy's stencil decals for the cockpit so that I would have spares (you WILL screw up a few!), I found a suitable decal for the left hand side and a solid white one for the level at the front, then I dry-brushed and dull coated everything..... Note the light showing through from the top of the gunsight. The front of the IP shield looks like it has a rubberized lip that is held on with several bolts at the back, so I punched a few rivet holes and pin painted them silver..... The other side, with the "bolts" painted a little bolder, which I will do to the port side as well.... The office is now complete, but it's sure a shame to hide the top half of that beautiful Barracuda instrument panel with the shroud and gunsight! Remind me later to make a front gunsight in front of the windscreen when I get to the painting stage. At this rate of progress, that will be in January! Thanks for your interest in this P-51D build. There are so many Mustangs on the go right now, I can't keep track of them all myself! Edited September 6, 2012 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mareku Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Looking realy great Chuck Keep going, mate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 unbelivable ..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Nice job on the N-9. Just one thing; the PE switch you added to the left of the gunsight should be further back, under the instrument panel's shroud, attached to the plate that holds the gunsight Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mustanger Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Great work, Chuck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Nice job on the N-9. Just one thing; the PE switch you added to the left of the gunsight should be further back, under the instrument panel's shroud, attached to the plate that holds the gunsight Thanks Christian. Serves me right for following instructions- in this case the Eduard ones which clearly show that the switch assembly should be attached to the side of the gunsight, not behind it. This will be a pain to move now, but if it's wrong, it's wrong, so back it must go! Fortunately I didn't glue the shield onto the IP or cover glass on the gunsight yet, so I can re-paint the resultant mess where it now is attached after a bit of sanding. Thanks again for steering me straight! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Hopefully some modelers out there are learning stuff about the Mustang along with me, which makes this forum so great as we exchange technical information and build ideas. I just wish I could do most things right the first time, rather re-do parts of the engine, cockpit floor, radio behind the seat, gunsight,......... As mentioned earlier, the Barracuda decals for the IP and cockpit are EXCELLENT and super thin, but since they are so tiny and the spaces in which they are supposed to stick are often very cluttered, they will roll up on themselves and turn into a tiny ball of crap if you aren't very careful. There are very few instances where you can lay them down on a droplet of water or Microset and move them around until they are in the correct position, so the best method that I have found is to slide them off the backing onto a tiny paint brush and then lay them down as accurately as possible the first time. Due to their very thin nature, they desiccate very quickly so time is of the essence. Even with extra care, you will wreck a few of them, so I highly recommend that you buy two sets of them. They aren't very expensive and Roy at Barracuda will combine shipping on multiple items. Also, for the larger decals that are supposed to fit around switches and levers, cut them up into multiple parts and then re-join them around the protrusions, followed by a bit of Microsol to melt them back together. Generally speaking, you would need a very rough surface for these decals to silver, even without Microsol. They are that good and they come off the backing in about 5 seconds with hot water. Since I needed small white lettering for the left side of the N-9 gunsight, I went back to my spare decals to find one that might look about the right size and shape. The problem is, most of these decals are a two part system where there is a black background and a corresponding white lettered foreground. As shown in the pic below along the top, H1, J1 and K1 are the back decals and H2, J2 and K2 decals are the white lettering, but you'll be hard pressed to see them without tilting them carefully under a good light to make them out. Also, in many cases, you really don't need the back decal at all if you have a smooth black surface to begin with..... Bud (Budman) emailed me the other day to tell me about a little discovery he made to help pick out the white lettering a lot better, so that you can see what it will look like before you remove it from the backing- and it will also help you decide how to cut it off the decal sheet. He simply used a black felt pen and placed a smudge on the backing behind each white decal, revealing the lettering. This might seem risky, but the ink does not go through to the decal and the lettering comes off the backing ink free. Here's an example after using his method on a few of them, although my felt pen was a little wayward when locating the correct location of each decal...... Thanks for the tip Bud! You just made picking out the tiny white decals a lot easier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Budman Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I have been using so many tips and tricks from you and others on this forum its nice to be able contribute one. Many thanks to all of you guys. :thumbsup: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Thanks to both of you. That is one great tip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 Another step backward, but all is well now. If you check the position of where I put the switch on the left side of the N-9 gunsight, it's wrong as Christian pointed out earlier, because it should be further back against the mounting bracket for the gunsight itself.... Just to prove I didn't just "wing it" and stick it any old place on the gunsight, here are the Eduard instructions which clearly show that it should be about where I glued it.... Soooo, after ripping it off, re-sanding the glue off the former mounting position, re-painting the gunsight, then adding another decal to the side, all looks like it should now. The slant on the left hand side of the switch plate even has the same angle as the IP shroud, so it really does belong back there, although from this angle it looks a little bit more forward than it really is..... From the side. Now all you see is the toggle switch.... Speaking of guns, I searched the 'net for some replacement M2 .50 Cal Brownings, because the kit ones are fairly crude and I plan on leaving the gun bay doors off to expose the guns with LOTS of detail inside. Although there are some very nice brass barrels made by Aber, I went with resin ones by Aires because they include the gun itself with lots of resin and PE parts. Here's a pic of the Aires gun kit and the kit part side by side to show the big difference. The label in the upper left hand corner tells it all, including where to buy them.... A close up to show the gun barrel vent detail better. The reason the kit barrels are shorter is because they don't actually go all the way through to the front of the wing. I plan to change all that... And here's a pic of the Eduard PE detail for the bullets, etc. There's nothing that looks like brass better than real brass! Thanks for your continued interest, despite the glacial pace of this build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Budman Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Those guns really look good, much better than the kit pieces. I gotta get me some of that. Are the bullets tips already colored for tracer, HE and so forth? Hey, don't worry about the speed at which this build is going as nobody is forcing us to hang around. Besides, I must shamelessly admit that I can't copy your build any faster than it is going, and I ain't teasing neither!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
necron99 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks for your continued interest, despite the glacial pace of this build. After your incredible F 4 build I'll be glued here no matter how long it takes you ! Thanx for sharing Allan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Marcel111 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 WOW!!! Chuck, that cockpit is looking incredible... some of the best work I have seen. Those decals are worth it. Marcel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomcat21 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 This build is helping me be more patient with my own models, awesome stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Yoxford Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 (edited) Check out Mission Models .50 cal bullets and links My link They're 1/35 scale, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference. Nothing looks like belts of ammo like scale belts of ammo. It appears they may be OOP. Edited September 13, 2012 by Yoxford Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anders_Isaksson Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Chuck, I can't take this anymore! :o Like I don't have enough builds going on already, I am about to place an order for the Tamiya Mustang - although I considered waiting for a possible B version (who was I kidding). What I can't decide on is what AM to go with for the cockpit. I must confess that I don't like doing aircraft cockpits with all the tedious detail painting and what not. Nevertheless, in this I feel you can really appreciate the extra work done in this area and I really like to look at a cockpit that is bristling with all those large and small details like the one you have here. Just excellent, Chuck! So what am I trying to say here? Well, HGW seatbelts are a must and guess I will go for some parts of the Barracuda stuff. Having used them in a Tamiya Spitfire Mk VIII I feel Roy's stuff is excellent and very good value for money. But hey, those added Eduard PE details really look good and......... Aaaaaargh! Apologies for the long-winded post, but thanks for listening. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) Chuck, I can't take this anymore! :o What I can't decide on is what AM to go with for the cockpit. I must confess that I don't like doing aircraft cockpits with all the tedious detail painting and what not. Nevertheless, in this I feel you can really appreciate the extra work done in this area and I really like to look at a cockpit that is bristling with all those large and small details like the one you have here. So what am I trying to say here? Well, HGW seatbelts are a must and guess I will go for some parts of the Barracuda stuff. Having used them in a Tamiya Spitfire Mk VIII I feel Roy's stuff is excellent and very good value for money. But hey, those added Eduard PE details really look good and......... Aaaaaargh! Hi Anders! I'm glad I've sucked you over to the Dark Side of props! While my heart is still with 1/32 jet fighters, I like the Mustang and Spitfire just as much so I need to build both eventually, hence this build. Now that I've had a chance to really study all the AM stuff I've purchased, I'll go back over these items from my first post to maybe help guide you with your future purchases. They are: 1) Web Garden seatbelts + wood floor + dinghy, #132071. Buy them, but you can buy a set without the dinghy and wood floor, which are not necessary. Each kit has two sets of seatbelts and hardware, so you have a spare. 2) BarracudaCast Cockpit Sidewalls, # BR32012. Buy it for sure. 3) BarracudaCast Instrument Panel, # BR32013. Buy it, but you can modify the kit one into something more presentable by thinning the kit IP and not using the thick clear lenses. 4) BarracudaCast Cockpit Upgrade, # BR32014. Buy it for sure. Everything behind the seat is upgraded and you get neat stuff for the IP area. 5) BarracudaCast Paper Droptanks, # BR32016. Buy it for sure IF you want this type of tank. I have pics of Thunder Bird with them on, so I need them. 6) Grey Matters resin “Tyres”, # GMAJR3203. For this item, I think I might go with new Barracuda tires instead, which weren't available when I started this kit. These tires, however, are very well made so I'm sure I won't be disappointed. 7) Eduard BIG ED photo-etch brass kit, including: • Exterior, # 32302. Buy it for sure. Wait until you see what it does for the rest of the fuselage! It also has several pieces that are superior to the kit PE stuff that I'll be using instead. • Engine, # 32307. Buy it for sure. There's LOTS more to come than what you've seen already, especially on the removable cowlings. • Interior- Early, # 32712. You don't need it if you buy the Barracuda stuff, but it does have some nice bits for the stuff behind the seat. • Seatbelts, #32731. Don't buy it, since the Web Garden ones are way better • Gun Bay- Early, # 32732. Buy it for sure. There are a LOT of parts here. • Masking Set, # JX136. I don't know about this one yet for obvious reasons. It appears to be a keeper though. Since 3 of the above kits cost about the same as the BIG Ed set, this is a much better buy if you want multiple sets and you get everything. I bought mine at Sprue Brothers here. Make sure you get either the Early or Late version, depending on your build choice. http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/edubig3310.htm Also buy the decal sheet of stencils from Fundekals for the fuselage (many more stencils than the kit) and BarracudaCals cockpit stencils and placards, which are awesome. Buy two sets of these last ones because they are tiny and fragile. The Browning guns I just bought look to be a fantastic addition as well. For reference material, I highly recommend the first and last book. 1) How to build Tamiya’s 1:32 P-51D Mustang by Brett Green. 4 builds of this kit by the experts. I think mine will be better though! 2) North American P-51 Mustang- Owners workshop Manual (Haynes). Very disappointing book, since the "workshop" stuff is minimal. 3) P-51 Mustang by Michael O’Leary. Valuable pics of the P-51 assembly during WW-II, so it might be of interest. 4) North American P-51D Mustang by Robert Peczkowski. LOTS of great photos and references- and it comes with full panel line and rivet diagrams in 1/32 scale! Total cost of all this stuff (without books) is about $275 or so, but when I spend 500+ hours on a build, the cost per hour is minimal. If you do a good job and submit it to a modeling magazine and they accept it for publishing, you actually make about $200- or at least that's how I justify spending all this money on a little plastic airplane to my wife! Hope this helps with your future purchases. Edited September 14, 2012 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anders_Isaksson Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 ... Now that I've had a chance to really study all the AM stuff I've purchased, I'll go back over these items from my first post to maybe help guide you with your future purchases. ... Hope this helps with your future purchases. Excellent rundown, Chuck! Thanks for taking the time to update your initial AM list. (I see I got the seatbelt makers mixed up as I really meant Web Garden like you mentioned.) Your approach to the various Eduard sets sure sounds logical, but still hard decisions to make. The more sets to deal with, the less chance I actually make it all the way through. But regardless of which Eduard items, I think I will go for all the Barracuda sets after all. Thanks again, Chuck! Can't wait to get the Tamiya kit now. As always, looking forward to further updates on your build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) (I see I got the seatbelt makers mixed up as I really meant Web Garden like you mentioned.) Actually, you didn't, because the HGW seatbelts are made by Web Garden (http://www.hgw.webgarden.cz/) and I think they are more recognized as HGW anyway. The easiest way to buy these is to check ebay, since they are listed there all the time. The more sets to deal with, the less chance I actually make it all the way through. I must say that all these aftermarket kits have my head spinning at times. When doing the cockpit I had the kit instructions, 3 sets of Barracuda instructions for the two resin sets and decals and another set of Eduard instructions for the cockpit PE to deal with- all at the same time. For a guy like me who can't chew gum and walk at the same time, this is a real challenge! The only way to wade through it all is to carefully plot your strategy beforehand, picking the best of each kit. For the cockpit area, use everything Barracuda, but I think cutting off and using the rear of the kit sidewalls are a nice addition not in any instructions. The Eduard PE interior kit has some neat additions behind the seat, including some nice trim to the radio I used on the Barracuda resin radio instead. It also has some pre-painted gauges I used on the floorboard in front of the seat, which I think are better than the Barracuda decals. Last night I started the lower air intake so that I can close up the fuselage, which is a very complicated piece of modeling using the kit plastic and it's own fine metal parts. Although the kit metal parts for the radiator are pretty good, the Eduard ones are way better, but you still need to use some of the kit ones because they are made of steel and necessary for the supplied magnets to do their thing. I will document all of this in due course, since I plan to post every stage of this build as I move along, even if I'm painfully slow. Edited September 14, 2012 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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