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

[nimrod77]

Truly amazing work Chuck!! Love the oil staining, looks 100% real.

[chuck540z3]

Truly amazing work Chuck!! Love the oil staining, looks 100% real.

Thanks Nimrod.

Over 550 hits since I posted this last night and only one comment? Really? I guess it's time to put this build to bed!

Edited March 1, 2013 by chuck540z3

[Devilleader501]

Hey Chuck Thunder Bird is looking great. I really love your weathering techniques. There is one thing that bugs me though and I just think it's my OCD. But with all the weathering on the outside that makes this aircraft look so real but under the hood looks like you could eat off of it. I know you used washes and stuff under there but man the weathering job on the outside is very convincing.

I really like the oil stain on the starboard side as well. Just a thought for next time, oil stains vary in color from blacks to very dark browns depending on how broken down the oil had become before leaking out. Fresh oil could be interpreted with a pale raw sienna, while older oil could be more of a burnt umber in color, of course with black in there as well. I also add a small amount of hand soap to mine so the paint can be removed a little easier even after thoroughly dry. Sometimes I actually use used motor oil for stains as well. that goes on last right before the final clear coat though.

Over all I love the look of this Mustang. It is the finest example of the real deal I have seen yet.

[Emvar]

Thanks Nimrod.

Over 550 hits since I posted this last night and only one comment? Really? I guess it's time to put this build to bed!

Just awestruck Chuck.... That Oil staining is good to my eye don't change a thing.

[zaxos345]

Chuck good morning, you should take into account the time difference for some of us my friend ;)/>

Spectacular job Chuck, i could not wait something less from you and i was really curious of how you would achieve the salt weathering on that finish. Overall i love it, my only concern is how it looks on the wings, a bit ''hard'' as you say, probably due to light but you are the one that has her in front of your eyes and you know better. Some times (for me all the times, considering that i am total ignorant about photography)photos change everything!!!!

I love the stains and i would urge you to put some more of these to oil cooler and radiator areas, there are a lot of photos showing a lot of staining at that area, but again it is your choice.

Have a nice weekend,

John

Edited March 1, 2013 by zaxos345

[chuck540z3]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I don't intend to be a drama queen, but when you know that 500 or more modelers looked at the pics and only one person takes the time to make a comment, it makes you wonder why you do all the work of these WIP threads. I've whined about this before, I know, but it still obviously bugs me. I'm not sure I'll go to these lengths again in my next build, because the work vs. reward of feedback just isn't there any more. There appears to be less interest in WIP threads here at ARC in general in the last year, because I've noticed the same thing with other builds.

As for the oil stains Josh, I am trying to replicate the pics I see posted in the above links, which look like black is the best option, especially for scale. Also, the engine is much dirtier than you think. With the harsh lights I use to photograph my models, some of the colors like the chromate green jump out at you as super clean. I'll keep your comments in mind when I'm finished though, because I can always make things look dirtier at the end of the build. Thanks.

John, thanks for the observation on the staining on the wings. I was wondering about that myself, so since you've noticed the same thing, I'll tone the contrast down with a bit more aluminum as an overcoat, then more clear matte. It's feedback like this that helps me as I attempt to help others.

My next post will be the final product so that I can wrap this project up. Thanks for looking.

Edited March 1, 2013 by chuck540z3

[sharkey]

Really looking awesome. I might try to salt weather... hmmmmmm

[Bigasshammm]

Going to be sad to see this one end.

[11bee]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I don't intend to be a drama queen, but when you know that 500 or more modelers looked at the pics and only one person takes the time to make a comment, it makes you wonder why you do all the work of these WIP threads. I've whined about this before, I know, but it still obviously bugs me. I'm not sure I'll go to these lengths again in my next build, because the work vs. reward of feedback just isn't there any more. There appears to be less interest in WIP threads here at ARC in general in the last year, because I've noticed the same thing with other builds.

Chuck,

You've made this comment multiple times here and on other builds. I'm not sure what you need? You got 500 hits since your last update (probably more by now), if there was no interest in your build, that count would be significantly less. Most builds on this forum end up with much less views (mine included). I've never heard of anyone having problems with this. Are you saying that you need constant "atta-boys" in order to keep posting?

What I have found is that when you are looking at work at such a high level as yours, most folks can pretty much only add a "Wow, that looks great!" comment so many times before it gets to feel a bit repetitive and that may be why the comments have declined somewhat.

If you need to see posts like this after every update, I will be happy to do so. I enjoy your builds and have learned a great deal from them. I appreciate the time you have invested to produce these updates. I would think just having 500+ views after each update would reassure you that your build is enjoyed by many members. If not, I'll be the first to tell you that your work is great, keep it up. No sarcasm intended, I truly mean it.

Looking forward to your next project.

John

[zaxos345]

John, when you see someone putting so much effort on building a kit and the double one to post his WIP so detailed and with so many tips and special info, then yes i think that you should post a "Wow, that looks great!". It is the least you can do to encourage him to continue posting this way.

Again this is my opinion.

Back to the thread!!!

John

[chuck540z3]

Chuck,

You've made this comment multiple times here and on other builds. I'm not sure what you need? You got 500 hits since your last update (probably more by now), if there was no interest in your build, that count would be significantly less. Most builds on this forum end up with much less views (mine included). I've never heard of anyone having problems with this. Are you saying that you need constant "atta-boys" in order to keep posting?

What I have found is that when you are looking at work at such a high level as yours, most folks can pretty much only add a "Wow, that looks great!" comment so many times before it gets to feel a bit repetitive and that may be why the comments have declined somewhat.

If you need to see posts like this after every update, I will be happy to do so. I enjoy your builds and have learned a great deal from them. I appreciate the time you have invested to produce these updates. I would think just having 500+ views after each update would reassure you that your build is enjoyed by many members. If not, I'll be the first to tell you that your work is great, keep it up. No sarcasm intended, I truly mean it.

Looking forward to your next project.

John

Thanks John for that feedback. I'll try to explain from my side of the computer screen, what I'm really looking for.

As most people know who post their work here, taking all the pics and trying to explain what you've done in a clear manner is a BIG job, one that takes me away from actually modeling. If I'm to continue doing this, I need something back in return, otherwise it's a huge waste of my time. Hit count is meaningless if you don't get any feedback. The "atta-boys" are nice admittedly, but what I'm really looking for is feedback to make my models better. Whether it's Christian telling me that I've painted something the wrong color or John suggesting that maybe the staining on the wings is a bit too harsh, I learn from others and I see things differently than when I posted the pics in the first place.

What I enjoy most about modeling is the artistic side of trying to create something that looks both realistic and interesting. The salt weathering and other methods I have used are often experimental, so I throw them out there for others to see- and comment on. What I see and like, isn't necessarily what most other people see and like, so I'm very curious to find out if I'm on the right track or I'm in fantasy land with what looks realistic.

Let's use the oil staining on the side of the engine as a good example. When Jari pointed out this staining earlier in this thread (again, more feedback), I was instantly attracted to it, because I think it looks really cool and interesting. Searching for similar pics of this same staining, I found that although it was common, it's not always there, likely because ground crews routinely wiped it off (?), so putting it on might be viewed as "wrong". Let's say 2 guys told me they liked it, but 4 said it looked phoney and took away from the look of the model. THAT is info I would like, because I do enter model contests and I do write build articles for magazines. If modelers don't like it, I can still remove it, even though it would be painful at this stage of the build.

As I did with my F-4E build, I have learned a lot about the P-51D Mustang in this WIP thread to make it better than if I just winged it on my own 8 months ago. However, the "work vs. reward" quotient has been lacking lately, so I understandably question whether or not it's all worth it. Hopefully that explains my side of things.

[Finn]

Hi Chuck, about the oil stain, from the looks of actual pics the stain curved, almost following the curve of the top of the wing while yours the tail end dips up. Here is another pic of Mustangs, on Iwo Jima:

P-51s

note almost all of them have the stain in various shades but they all curve if you know what i mean.

Jari

[geedubelyer]

Hi Chuck, I like the oil stain on the right fuselage side. I think it looks very convincing.

Another medium that you might experiment with on future builds is acrylic/water colour pencils. I recently played around with them on a small scale Harrier and was pleasantly surprised by the results. They can be manipulated with a damp paintbrush and easily removed if things get away from you. What I liked was the way the colour could be pushed around almost like pastel dust. I got some neat streaking using that technique so you might enjoy another "arrow in your quiver" when it comes to your favourite modelling discipline.

Moving on to the other topic mentioned recently there are a number of possible reasons why the feedback quotient is low. Firstly, I think John (zaxos) makes a reasonable point given the global time differences. I first viewed your recent update at 06:00am whilst getting ready for work. I did n't have the time to post a response and it's possible many folk might be in a similar situation?

I agree with John (BAH) to an extent too. It can be difficult to think of something original or constructive to say when things just look downright good. Although it is always nice to get a pat on the back it does n't necessarily teach us anything new but I see where you're coming from. Usually, any kind of response is better than no response, right?

I also suspect that some members feel a little intimidated when posting in one of your threads. They may consider that they are n't qualified to make observations when you already compete and write for magazines. What could they offer that you don't already know? Of course, we can all learn new stuff all the time but you can see how that might be the case can't you? You might not feel as though you are particularly a pillar of the ARC community yet your threads always top the hit parade. Some of the less experienced members might be holding back but unfortunately there is n't an awful lot you can do about that short of encouraging everyone to have their say.

One last and possibly contentious reason for a percieved lack of interest could be the proportion of members who are prop orientated. This is more likely my imagination but I'm convinced that forums have their base interests and members are often attracted to those forums because of the general feeling a place has. I get the feeling that ARC is more of a jet forum rather than a prop forum. This could be for any number of reasons but it does explain the enormous response your F-4 generated versus the corresponding showing here.

Regardless of the reasons or causes I for one have enjoyed the journey and appreciate you taking the time to show the process. I hope you continue to share your work here but fully understand your thinking if you choose not to.

Cheers

[chuck540z3]

Hi Chuck, I like the oil stain on the right fuselage side. I think it looks very convincing.

Another medium that you might experiment with on future builds is acrylic/water colour pencils. I recently played around with them on a small scale Harrier and was pleasantly surprised by the results. They can be manipulated with a damp paintbrush and easily removed if things get away from you. What I liked was the way the colour could be pushed around almost like pastel dust. I got some neat streaking using that technique so you might enjoy another "arrow in your quiver" when it comes to your favourite modelling discipline.

Thanks for the tip Guy. My wife has some of those art pencils and I never would have thought of using them. I'll give them a try.

To conclude the lack of feedback topic, I'm sure there is an element of insecurity on my part that may makes me too sensitive. I have a very narrow focus when it comes to modeling. It has to be military and it has to be interesting- to me. It could be the most fantastic modeling job in the world, but if I don't find the subject matter to my liking, I'll never look at it. This limits my views of other WIP threads to maybe only 5-10% of those posted. When viewing some of these other threads that capture my attention, I always try to make a positive comment if I like what I see. If I don't, I move on, so I suppose there's an element of wondering if others move on and don't comment in my thread because they think my work sucks! You never know....

[chuck540z3]

Hi Chuck, about the oil stain, from the looks of actual pics the stain curved, almost following the curve of the top of the wing while yours the tail end dips up. Here is another pic of Mustangs, on Iwo Jima:

P-51s

note almost all of them have the stain in various shades but they all curve if you know what i mean.

Jari

Dang- you're right!- so I'll see what I can do to tone down the curl at the end. What a great photograph! Most of those birds look almost new- and likely were.

[Janissary]

Chuck, I first want to say that your builds are very impressive and informative. A lot of people contribute to your posts and questions, which make it an even richer experience. You pay a lot of attention to detail which is very commendable. You have also commented super positively to my builds, which I greatly appreciate. Subjective opinions, thoughts similar to those you have left on my builds are precisely the things I am looking for. They help me calibrate my values in model making, and gain insights into what others think are important. From what you have just described, it seems you also value such feedback.

But I wanted to explain my personal point of view in response to your remark about effort vs feedback/reward. Even though I follow your builds, I have been reluctant to voice my opinions. This is primarily because I have felt that you put a great effort into justifying your techniques and choices in length, sometimes even before you show the pictures. That, for some reason, gives me the impression that you are sensitive to true, unadulterated critiques of your work, even if you say and believe you'd like it. I almost feel that you prepare the readers such that if they have an opinion different than what you set forth, they are taking a risk voicing that. I felt this with the salt weathering on your F-4, and also recently with the small friction with Honza's post. You pointed out there that his comments were not useful because it was too late for you to do anything about it, so serves no purpose. Those types of remarks, even if completely logical, causes me to think you react a little differently compared to most other posters out here. I also feel this sometimes in the tone of your responses to others' remarks. Let me be clear, you may not intend to come off this way, but that is the impression I get for some reason. Maybe I am wrong. That combined with you keeping track of how many hits your posts get, voicing your pride in your present and past work, personally makes it difficult for me to voice my opinion. It almost feels as if you are looking for continual patting on the back. Something makes me believe that out of those 500 views, if there were 20 responses saying how great your work is as opposed to 1, you would not have been compelled to complain about the lack of feedback. I personally don't see a great value in receiving that feedback continually.

I thought your F-4 build was out of this world, but I was not particularly drawn to its painting. I had some thoughts I could have said then, but decided not to, fearing that would cause an unnecessary tension in the air with so many people liking it. What it comes down to is then personal preferences. If I feel one way about a result, but know that as far as basics go there is nothing wrong about it, I don't comment. You are a masterful builder that gets all the basics right, so whatever is left would be my personal taste, and I hesitate voicing it.

You have all the right to be extremely proud of your work because you have built a lot of great models while providing incredible educational materials for all of us. So far, I accepted the situation as it was. However, John's comment in response to your post prompted me to write this, because I too felt that counting hits, requesting constant feedback etc. are not traits I would want to associate with a grand master builder like you. I apologize if I have offended you and anyone else, but I was compelled to voice my opinion as I had this thought at the back of my mind for a while now.

[HOLMES]

Moving on to the other topic mentioned recently there are a number of possible reasons why the feedback quotient is low. Firstly, I think John (zaxos) makes a reasonable point given the global time differences. I first viewed your recent update at 06:00am whilst getting ready for work. I did n't have the time to post a response and it's possible many folk might be in a similar situation?

I don't get a chance till later. <_</> Too busy either asleep or getting ready.

I also suspect that some members feel a little intimidated when posting in one of your threads. They may consider that they are n't qualified to make observations when you already compete and write for magazines.

I recently said that exactly that..that I feel quite intimidated to post in builds where I see advice and technical data and lots of great tips and "how to..."

From other more experienced model kit assemblers and modelers. I don't hardly post in geedubelyers simply because of that but

Do read it and admire work....there are far more better people posting on his builds talking"shop" and Telling him how to do his { insert plastic kit part} to do this or that so MY inane comments would be dismissed as yeah thanks but I don't give Anything in way of how to as I am not qualified as geedubelyer stated.sometimes I want to but feel it won't be correct.

I feel such a idiot with MY. ...that looks great or whatever...

BUT Chuck I do read what you do and have admired it and even posted inane posts..I have not been on ARC of Late as much but when I do it's to view RFI section.

By the way latest updates et. Are exemplary.

Edited March 1, 2013 by HOLMES

[chuck540z3]

But I wanted to explain my personal point of view in response to your remark about effort vs feedback/reward. Even though I follow your builds, I have been reluctant to voice my opinions. This is primarily because I have felt that you put a great effort into justifying your techniques and choices in length, sometimes even before you show the pictures. That, for some reason, gives me the impression that you are sensitive to true, unadulterated critiques of your work, even if you say and believe you'd like it. I almost feel that you prepare the readers such that if they have an opinion different than what you set forth, they are taking a risk voicing that. I felt this with the salt weathering on your F-4, and also recently with the small friction with Honza's post. You pointed out there that his comments were not useful because it was too late for you to do anything about it, so serves no purpose. Those types of remarks, even if completely logical, causes me to think you react a little differently compared to most other posters out here. I also feel this sometimes in the tone of your responses to others' remarks. Let me be clear, you may not intend to come off this way, but that is the impression I get for some reason. Maybe I am wrong. That combined with you keeping track of how many hits your posts get, voicing your pride in your present and past work, personally makes it difficult for me to voice my opinion. It almost feels as if you are looking for continual patting on the back. Something makes me believe that out of those 500 views, if there were 20 responses saying how great your work is as opposed to 1, you would not have been compelled to complain about the lack of feedback. I personally don't see a great value in receiving that feedback continually.

I thought your F-4 build was out of this world, but I was not particularly drawn to its painting. I had some thoughts I could have said then, but decided not to, fearing that would cause an unnecessary tension in the air with so many people liking it. What it comes down to is then personal preferences. If I feel one way about a result, but know that as far as basics go there is nothing wrong about it, I don't comment. You are a masterful builder that gets all the basics right, so whatever is left would be my personal taste, and I hesitate voicing it.

You have all the right to be extremely proud of your work because you have built a lot of great models while providing incredible educational materials for all of us. So far, I accepted the situation as it was. However, John's comment in response to your post prompted me to write this, because I too felt that counting hits, requesting constant feedback etc. are not traits I would want to associate with a grand master builder like you. I apologize if I have offended you and anyone else, but I was compelled to voice my opinion as I had this thought at the back of my mind for a while now.

Thanks for your comments and views. It's informative to hear how others may view my "cyber personality" in our little modeling world here at ARC. Most of what you write is likely correct, I'm sad to say, so no offense is taken. I apologize and I'll try to be more tactful in the future.

As for the painting of my F-4 or anything else that you or anybody else doesn't like, I like to use the 80/20 rule, because there's no way your work will appeal to 100% of the viewers out there, but if 80% like it, you're doing pretty good. Most people liked that paint job, but I know that it's not for everyone. I did it because I want my models to be unique and I believe it represented a realistic looking weathered F-4E in Germany in 1980.

You are very correct that I often prepare my posts before I show what I've done to corroborate my work, especially if it might be viewed as controversial. The engine oil stains above are a perfect example of that. Before somebody tells me they are way out to lunch, I like to prove that they are not only possible, but likely with a front line P-51D war bird. This doesn't mean that I want no part of criticism of same if I still got it wrong. Jari has already pointed out that the stain doesn't swoop up at the end- and he's right. I plan to fix that thanks to his feedback.

As far as me keeping track of my hit count, the reason I did that this morning was to find out whether or not anybody had even viewed my work from last night- hence the lack of feedback. You have to admit, one response out of 550 views is pretty darn low, so I believe I am justified in wondering if these WIP threads are worth the effort.

[oppenheimerj]

Hi Chuck, let see if i can make myself clear with my poor english, i am guilty and i confess that i am one of those hundreds that view your builds, in 36 pages you have posted i wrote just once, that is nothing if you compare it to the thounsand times i have cheked your builds, since the F-4 to the P-51,

I agree with you on how frustrating is that you put out that much effort in showing how you build your magnificient models and no one even say a simple two words like GOOD JOB, that is why i stopped to post WIP of my model and just show them after they are done

I have been a silence admiror of your work and this bird is a how to do mine when i start it some day, and i know you have commented on my builds and i appreciate it very much.

GREAT JOB Chuck

Jorge

[chuck540z3]

I recently said that exactly that..that I feel quite intimidated to post in builds where I see advice and technical data and lots of great tips and "how to..."

From other more experienced model kit assemblers and modelers. I don't hardly post in geedubelyers simply because of that but

Do read it and admire work....there are far more better people posting on his builds talking"shop" and Telling him how to do his { insert plastic kit part} to do this or that so MY inane comments would be dismissed as yeah thanks but I don't give Anything in way of how to as I am not qualified as geedubelyer stated.sometimes I want to but feel it won't be correct.

I feel such a idiot with MY. ...that looks great or whatever...

BUT Chuck I do read what you do and have admired it and even posted inane posts..I have not been on ARC of Late as much but when I do it's to view RFI section.

By the way latest updates et. Are exemplary.

Hi Holmes. Thanks for the comments and you have NOTHING to worry about when it comes to providing feedback. You support EVERYONE here and we appreciate it!

Hi Chuck, let see if i can make myself clear with my poor english, i am guilty and i confess that i am one of those hundreds that view your builds, in 36 pages you have posted i wrote just once, that is nothing if you compare it to the thounsand times i have cheked your builds, since the F-4 to the P-51,

I agree with you on how frustrating is that you put out that much effort in showing how you build your magnificient models and no one even say a simple two words like GOOD JOB, that is why i stopped to post WIP of my model and just show them after they are done

I have been a silence admiror of your work and this bird is a how to do mine when i start it some day, and i know you have commented on my builds and i appreciate it very much.

GREAT JOB Chuck

Jorge

Thank you very much Jorge! I really appreciate your comments and I have always admired your builds (your Blackhawk chopper is magnificent!). It's also nice to see that there are some who understand my views, although I appreciate the above views of others that I was not aware of before.

Edited March 1, 2013 by chuck540z3

[tourist]

Terrific!

You managed to get a dirty looking Mustang and kept it realistic.

I particularly like the fact that the metal retains a bit of a sheen under all the dirt, that's a difficult thing to properly balance.

[oortiz10]

Chuck,

For what it's worth, I enjoy following your builds but I'm hesitant to give my feedback. As mentioned earlier, I don't feel that I'm contributing much to your build by adding another "atta boy". Instead I'd rather post when I have a question or can provide some "valuable" info.

To that end, I noticed your work with the oil staining. Weathering, especially fluid streaking, is something I've struggled with in the past. I think I'm finally reaching a point where I'm coming into my own with my methods. One thing I've found that works for me is using ink pens for these streaks. I've been using Pigma's Micron lines in black and brown. They take a while to dry so they're easy to push around with a damp earbud, brush, or tissue. Once they're dry they're pretty durable, so they're easy to build up. Not trying to hijack your thread, but I'm pretty happy with the results I've gotten on two of my Mustangs...

I have a third 'stang in the pile and I'm kicking the idea of using your "salt sludge" method. I'm wondering which salt method, your sludge method or the "standard" technique, would look best in 1/48.

Anyway, keep up the great work and please continue posting progress of your build(s). They're very helpful, informative, and inspiring for modelers like me.

Cheers,

-O

[blunce]

Soooo, I tried to replicate something similar to the top pic, using acrylic artist paint diluted with water. Thankfully you can remove this stain with a damp Q-tip, because I screwed it up about 25 times before I got something that I thought looked reasonably realistic. After an hour or two drying however, it's really stuck there.

It seems you deleted the part of the above post where you said "(since it's stuck on there so much) if you don't like it, don't tell me."

So I didn't, because, as others have posted, the ARC of you stain does not match the airflow of the wing. One other thing I noticed, is that the vertical drips are perpendicular to the airframe, and not the ground like they should be. However, you originally asked not to be told since at this point it was not fixable, and knowing the research you do, you may have had a valid reason for doing it that way.

And though I haven't read all the response to the topic of no responses, I agree with others that say there is likely a factor of intimidation or not feeling qualified to "correct" a high caliber model such as yourself. How many of us have ever made the cover of FSM or even had any of our models published within the mags? Probably very few. I can understand you wanting feedback and replies, but I think we should model for our own gratification and not the kudos from others.

We've all learned tons from you Chuck, and I'm sure for every one person who posts, there's 50 more who have taken something away from you WIP's.

Build on!

Edited March 1, 2013 by blunce

[chuck540z3]

It seems you deleted the part of the above post where you said "(since it's stuck on there so much) if you don't like it, don't tell me."

So I didn't, because, as others have posted, the ARC of you stain does not match the airflow of the wing. One other thing I noticed, is that the vertical drips are perpendicular to the airframe, and not the ground like they should be. However, you originally asked not to be told since at this point it was not fixable, and knowing the research you do, you may have had a valid reason for doing it that way.

Hi Brian,

I specifically deleted that comment after Jari pointed one of the problems, to encourage feedback about the oil stain rather than stifle it. When I first posted that I was fairly sick and tired of trying to get it right, but I've obviously changed my mind since then.

I discovered the vertical problem after staining the model when it was level, rather than on it's wheels tilted, so I tried to get more staining that went straight down at the correct angle. Unfortunately I didn't remove some of the older staining which now goes forward a bit, so I'll try to do that tonight when I fix the "swirl". Thanks for the tip.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback today and I would like to consider this "feedback topic" closed!

Edited March 2, 2013 by chuck540z3

[Janissary]

Thanks for your comments and views. It's informative to hear how others may view my "cyber personality" in our little modeling world here at ARC. Most of what you write is likely correct, I'm sad to say, so no offense is taken. I apologize and I'll try to be more tactful in the future.

As for the painting of my F-4 or anything else that you or anybody else doesn't like, I like to use the 80/20 rule, because there's no way your work will appeal to 100% of the viewers out there, but if 80% like it, you're doing pretty good. Most people liked that paint job, but I know that it's not for everyone. I did it because I want my models to be unique and I believe it represented a realistic looking weathered F-4E in Germany in 1980.

You are very correct that I often prepare my posts before I show what I've done to corroborate my work, especially if it might be viewed as controversial. The engine oil stains above are a perfect example of that. Before somebody tells me they are way out to lunch, I like to prove that they are not only possible, but likely with a front line P-51D war bird. This doesn't mean that I want no part of criticism of same if I still got it wrong. Jari has already pointed out that the stain doesn't swoop up at the end- and he's right. I plan to fix that thanks to his feedback.

As far as me keeping track of my hit count, the reason I did that this morning was to find out whether or not anybody had even viewed my work from last night- hence the lack of feedback. You have to admit, one response out of 550 views is pretty darn low, so I believe I am justified in wondering if these WIP threads are worth the effort.

I appreciate you approach my comments with such class. Even if you may observe a decline in feedback, I know I learn quite a bit from your topics. As I said, these are particularly useful because in addition to your research, many experts chime in with resources and experiences, which makes for a much richer learning experience.

I look forward to the completion. Unfortunately, all I know about P-51s is coming through this build, so there is admittedly nothing I can add, except I greatly admire your craftsmanship.