Lt. Jacques Young’s P-51D, “Jumpin’ Jacques�

[oortiz10]

I think everything’s been said about Tamiya’s Mustang, so let’s talk about my build. (It’s all about me, dangit!)

A True Details seat was used in the cockpit, and SuperScale decals were used for the markings. The sheet includes blue stripes, chevrons, and carb intake “patchesâ€, but I decided to paint my own using a custom mix of MM enamels. My stripes are a little wide when compared to some pix I found on the interweb, but that’s what I get for using the decals as a pattern. C’est la vie. The bulk of the painting was done with Alclad’s Aluminum as a base coat, while panels were picked out with different shades and mixes of Alclad colors. The kit’s pylons were modified to accept bombs and sway braces from the black hole that is my junk drawer, and the gunsight’s reflecting glass was replaced with a piece of packaging plastic. Weathering was done with Flory’s washes, pastels, and Pigma Micron pens.

Here are some pix...

Continued...

[oortiz10]

Part 2...

Like I said, this is the first of a series. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3. In the meantime, please share your comments or criticisms. My builds are usually shared in the Display Case but I’m looking for feedback to get better. Feel free to tell me what you think! I think it’s a solid 3-footer. What say you?

Thanks for lookin’,

-O

[TaiidanTomcat]

If thats a 3 footer I must build 6 footers! Very cool markings ... Can't see any thing I would critique.

[Niels]

Very nice!

[FAR148]

What a great looking Mustang Your craftsmanship is top notch and my only critiques are on the bombs and tires. Looks alittle new or too clean. The bombs could use a touch of weathering and the tire could get a dusting of pastels to highlight the tread.

Again, fantastic build

Steven L

Edited March 8, 2013 by FAR148

[Rodney]

Looks fantastic! I can't wait to see your other models.

Rodney

[chuck540z3]

Looking very nice "O"! Can't wait to see the others.

My only minor critique is that it might be a bit too clean, assuming it's a war bird. Even if it's not, there should at least be some exhaust staining along the sides, which is still very easy to do with pastels.

Edited March 8, 2013 by chuck540z3

[mungo1974]

Beautiful :wub:

[oortiz10]

Thanks for the kudos gang. Much appreciated. As for the critiques and feedback...

...my only critiques are on the bombs and tires. Looks alittle new or too clean. The bombs could use a touch of weathering and the tire could get a dusting of pastels to highlight the tread....

Steven, I tried to do a brown wash on the tires. It might a little too much on the dark side to show up against the paint. Not enough contrast. I'll consider that for my next build. The bombs were weathered, but obviously not enough. My other Mustangs won't have ordnance, but I'll keep your point in mind for my next armed warbird. I'll have to practice mucking up my bombs.

...it might be a bit too clean...there should at least be some exhaust staining along the sides...

Chuck, I thought about adding some exhaust staining, but the few pix I found of Jumpin' Jacques on the web didn't show any staining. Well, either that or it was so minimal that it didn't show up in the pix. The following two Mustangs don't show a lot of staining either, so maybe I'll go back and add some to this one.

Again, thanks for the kudos and the feedback. That's exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to share!

Cheers,

-O

[Zactoman]

Beautiful build "O"!

Great paint work and photography.

I love those markings! Does anybody know if they're available in 1/32?

My critique is about the bombs.

They look out of place on the model due to the thickness of the fins and even the fuzes. Are they taken from a different kit?

Normally I'd say lesson learned and consider this on the next build but because the rest of the model is SO nice I'd encourage you to fix them...

[oortiz10]

...My critique is about the bombs...Are they taken from a different kit?

Hey Zactoman,

Yeah, they're from another kit. My modeling budget is VERY limited, so I make due with what I have. These are taken from Revellogram's B-25. I'm not super thrilled about the bombs either, but they're what I had. I'd like to replace them if I could. I'll see if I have something else I can use. They should be easy enough to replace. They're simply held on with some fine wire that was drilled through the sway braces into the pylons. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks for lookin' and thanks for the feedback.

Cheers,

-O

[dmthamade]

Man, you ALWAYS get exceptionally smooth paint work on all your builds!! Exhaust stains would be nice. Any hint on the next two builds?

Don

BTW what is a Pigma Micron Pen?

[Jinxter13]

Oh Wow O...that is one mighty fine pony. that ordy loadout is not one you see often...are those kitted or AM.

[oortiz10]

First of all, thanks for the compliments ARC. I'm glad you like the 'stang.

Man, you ALWAYS get exceptionally smooth paint work on all your builds!! Exhaust stains would be nice. Any hint on the next two builds?

Don

BTW what is a Pigma Micron Pen?

Don, what I like to do is use my Micro Mesh sanding pads and give my Alclad white primer a few swipes before I start spraying paint. Then, after the first light coat of paint, I sand again. Usually that's enough, but if I see some rough spots I'll repeat the sanding and spraying as needed. So far it's worked for me. It might be more work than it's worth and a waste of paint, but I'm getting satisfactory results.

A few others have mentioned exhaust stains and despite not seeing any in the pix of "Jumpin' Jacques I found, I may add some.

In regards to the hints, you already know they're gonna be Mustangs. Here's a little more...

One will be an OD over NMF fillet less -D.

Like a Jolly Rogers F-14, everyone does a Mustang in these markings.

Oh, I found the Micron pens at the art supply store. I guess they're drafting pens, but they work great for modelers. They have some really fine tipped options in a bunch of colors.

Take a look here for more info on the Micron pens: http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival

Oh Wow O...that is one mighty fine pony. that ordy loadout is not one you see often...are those kitted or AM.

The Tamiya Mustang doesn't come with any bombs, so I had to dig around in my pile to find a pair of 500 pounders. These bombs were taken from Revellogram's B-25, but as it's been said, they aren't the best options out there. Unfortunately, they were my only option.

Thanks again for lookin'. Feel free to share your thoughts and critiques, after all, that's why I posted in the Critique Corner.

Cheers,

-O

[Diego Quijano]

Nice Mustang. Well done!

Q

[Viper316]

Really nicely done! Thanks for sharing.

[toniosky]

Who cares about the stripes. Your P-51 is splendid !

[carlizle84]

Wow!!!!!!

:jaw-dropping:/>

[B_Realistic]

I like that one. Special the dull appearance of the metallic.

[Milo]

I think that's an awesome Mustang! I love the finish and the markings!

A couple of little things I've noticed, the canopy frame has a little gap (I wish Tamiya made a one-piece canopy instead of the frame/glass combo) and it looks like there's some sort of mark on it too. I've added a pic to illustrate:

Other than that, I think that's a build I'd be proud to have on my shelf!

[Sven Harjacek]

Very nice build, I love the amount of weathering you applied, looks just right.

Kind regards.

[oortiz10]

...the canopy frame has a little gap...and it looks like there's some sort of mark on it too...

Hey there Milo,

Thanks for looking and commenting on my Mustang. I think the gap you're seeing in the pic is an optical illusion. And the mark you're seeing is actually the rabbit's ear on the canopy rail.

Here's a close-up of the canopy in the closed position:

As you can see there's no gap (but there is a scratch), and the ear lines up as it should. I love the Tamiya Mustang but I'm with you. I don't like the way they did the transparencies. Really, that's my only beef with the kit.

Anyway, again, thanks everyone for looking and commenting. I appreciate the feedback. If anyone else has anything to share, good or bad, please feel free to post.

Cheers,

-O

[Boxster]

Nice work!

B

[MarkC]

as comments on the other beauties ! Im still interested in how you use the pens for weathering? can you tell us more about the way you use them.

best

Mark

[oortiz10]

as comments on the other beauties ! Im still interested in how you use the pens for weathering? can you tell us more about the way you use them.

best

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for taking an interest in my Mustangs. Let me see if I can give you an idea of how I use pens (ink) for weathering. As I mentioned in my posts, I like to use Pigma Micron pens on my builds. They come in a variety of colors, and with tips of varying sizes. I use three; two black and one brown(ish).

You can see how fine their tips are.

I use them in a couple of ways. One, I can draw heavy oil leaks and streaks directly onto the plastic.

If I wanna make 'em more subtle and give 'em a "blown" (i.e. feathered) effect, I simply use my finger, an ear bud, or a piece of paper towel and gently pull the ink in the direction I want it to go. Drying time and pressure will affect the...uh...effect.

To give a more layered look, or the illusion of newer leaks over older stains, I use both colors over one another. I like to start with the lighter color, and I simply color a patch directly onto the plastic.

Again, I pull it in the direction I want the stain to go.

Then I take my darker color, and using the same method, I lay it over the first color.

Again, drying time and pressure will change the look of the streaking.

Finally, if I want to add some really fresh leaks or heavy dripping, I can simply draw some streaks directly onto the existing staining or the plastic.

The ink will eventually dry permanent, so you have to work quickly to get the right look. The good thing is that if you're not immediately satisfied with the progress, a wet ear bud usually works to erase your "mistake". If you leave the ink on there long enough before trying to remove it, you can get some nice effects by basically rubbing the dry ink pigment into the paint. As I said, the ink's pretty durable, but I like to make sure I protect it with a clear coat. Applying the inks after the last clear coat does allow for a nice wet look to your staining, especially if your final clear is a flat coat.

Anyway Mark, I hope this answers your question and gives you an idea of how I used the pens for weathering. If there's anything else you'd like to know, don't hesitate to ask!

Cheers,

-O