Solid Model Memories.net

Member Projects => Ken N's Project Board => Topic started by: Model Maker on March 29, 2015, 03:07:55 PM

Title: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 29, 2015, 03:07:55 PM
Outline views glued to a  piece of 2"x4" pine from a Big Box store. Section profiles ready to be cut out from cardboard.  Views and sections were generated from a CAD program where I over traced the plans obtained from the Intranet. I find this approach allows me to verify the dimensions as some intranet 3 views can be distorted. In this case some of the section reference lines in the 3 view were not in the correct locations.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on March 29, 2015, 04:08:37 PM
Looks very promising. Is this one 1/32 scale also?

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 30, 2015, 06:38:06 PM
Yes it will be 1/32 scale. I don't have the finesse yet to drop down to a smaller scale.
Title: Re: P51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 31, 2015, 01:47:56 AM
Fuselage, wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers cut out. Fuselage has the stations marked to facilitate using the templates .

Although I like to use pine for the fuselage and wings (easy to carve and plane), my preference is to use a harder wood such as poplar or maple for both stabilizers. On the Spitfire I used maple, but on this model I am trying poplar. The maple is more difficult to work with. The poplar seems to be a good compromise.. I've also include a couple of pictures on how I cut out the horizontal and vertical stabilizers to allow them to interlock when they are assembled together
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on March 31, 2015, 02:27:18 AM
Excellent build photos. There are so many ways to make the models. It is interesting to see how others do it. Thanks for posting.

Lou
Title: Re: P 51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 10, 2015, 01:08:39 AM
Progressing slowly.

First picture is of vertical and horizontal stabilizers shaped and rough sanded. Mortise cut in fuselage to lock in vertical stabilizer and to provide some additional gluing surface.
Second picture has the two stabilizers interlocked and the vertical stabilizer positioned (but not glued) in the mortise

Third picture is of a set of sanding blocks I made for the Spitfire build. They have a piece of hardwood on the bottom. Velcro is attached to the hardwood to accommodate the use of "hook and loop" sandpaper. They sure save time when sanding and quickly smooth out the surfaces. If folks are interested I can provide Lou with a copy of the plans in PDF format to post in the appropriate forum. They are simple and fun to build. As well they are comfortable and eliminate tired hands resulting from holding sandpaper to a sanding block. :)
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on April 10, 2015, 09:03:16 AM
Great progress Ken, I would be interested to see your sanding block plans, they look very useful. Regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 10, 2015, 02:27:41 PM
The Mustang looks very promising Ken. Send me the PDF and I will convert and post to the tool section at http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?board=25.0.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 11, 2015, 04:00:52 AM
Wing being set up to use back stop to plane wing taper.

The first picture shows a standard bench hook along with the backstop. In order to use a plane I required a very low back stop to allow the plane to travel over the stop to create a smooth taper along the full length of the wing. After several iterations, I finally landed on recessing a 3/4" x 3/4" piece of hardwood into a corresponding groove in a 1-1/2"W x 5-1/2"T piece of wood of appropriate length. A couple of thin wooden shims are installed at the bottom of the groove to raise and lower the backstop as required, depending on the final thickness of the of the wing tip.

The second picture shows the backstop installed on top of the bench hook. The wing is ready for tapering using a block plane which seems to work well for 1/32 scale wings. I have a couple of block planes, but have found the Groz BP605 low angle block plane to be ideal for this work. It's a little narrower and lighter than many of the block planes which allows me  taper and also shape the profile of the wing after the tapering is complete. It's not an expensive block plane, but does seem to do the job provided you keep the blade sharp.

If folks are interested in the backstop jig, I can post the plans for it.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Biggles on April 11, 2015, 05:13:08 AM
Looking good!
Biggles
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Peter on April 11, 2015, 06:11:48 AM
I be interested in seeing your plans. The more plans on the site the better.

Peter
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 16, 2015, 01:00:04 AM
Had some time tonight, so marked out and planed the wing taper using the block plane stop. The area at the root of the wing with the red squiggle will be used to create a tenon to attach the wing to the fuselage at a later point in the wing fabrication.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 16, 2015, 11:05:40 AM
That will make quick work of tapering any part. Thanks for sharing.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 19, 2015, 04:30:08 AM
Wings planed, filed and sanded to shape. Most of the material removal and shaping was accomplished with the block plane using the block plane stop.  The plane was set to take light cuts. But it's amazing how fast the material is removed. Leading edge of wing was shaped using rough and fine files. Rough sanding completed using sanding blocks with 80 and 120 grit sandpaper attached. I like to mark out the crest of the airfoil and then an area on either side as shown by the solid and dotted red lines down the length of the wing. This provides me with some references for the block plane. I then use the sanding blocks to then round out either side of the crown.

The wings will be attached to the fuselage using a mortise and tenon joint. The fuselage has been drilled to facilitate chiseling the mortise as the next step. The tenons are marked on the wings along with the material to be removed indicated by the squiggly lines.

In the background is another P-51D which is under construction at the same time.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 19, 2015, 09:06:08 AM
Turning out to be a great Mustang project. Looking forward to more updates.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D
Post by: Model Maker on April 22, 2015, 03:01:39 AM
Completed chiseling the mortise in the fuselage and tenon on the wing.

First picture shows the fuselage clamped in my carving fixture with the mortise chiseled out. The 1/32 scale allows me to utilize a couple of vices to clamp the fuselage for chiseling,  carving and sanding. The vices were purchased from Busy Bee, but are no doubt available at many woodworking supply shops. They are relatively cheap (around $15.00 cdn. each) when on sale. I mounted these to a built up base consisting of a 2x8 and two 2x6's. The base is in turn clamped into a Black & Decker Workmate.

The second picture shows the tenon carved at the end of the wing. The tenon has to be chiseled at a slight angle to ensure the wing dihedral is correct. The third picture is of the wing attached to the fuselage. Final fitting and gluing of the wing will be performed after the fuselage is rough shaped

Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 22, 2015, 03:11:14 AM
First picture is the clamping jig I use for chiseling, carving and sanding. It works well for 1/32 scale planes, but not sure it would be appropriate for some of the smaller scales. If folks are interested I can put together a set of plans and place them in the tools posting.

Second picture is of a 1/4" chisel which has been narrowed at the end to facilitate chiseling the mortise. The end was narrowed using a disk sander and frequent dipping into water to keep the steel cool. I find this approach provides a more comfortable handle than some of the smaller carving chisels. It's also easier to sharpen as there is some width in the shank.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on April 22, 2015, 08:41:20 AM
Nice work on the mortise and tenon Ken, thanks for posting the pictures of your tooling ideas, the clamping jig certainly looks useful. Regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 22, 2015, 05:11:36 PM
I never thought of clamping the end piece for fuselage carving. I think Garet did something similar for holding smaller parts and leaving a tang to hold on to. Thanks for all the great ideas.

Ken, please tell about yourself  at http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1341.0

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 22, 2015, 11:42:22 PM
Lou;

I am using the same approach as Garet. When the fuselage is initially cut out, I leave a tang approximately 3" long  and having a decent cross section of approximately 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" starting from the propeller hub. This provides the clamping area. Once the carving and sanding are complete, I cut off the tang and then attach the propeller hub. Alternately if folks wish to carve the propeller hub as an integral part of the fuselage, most of the hub shaping can be performed by removing material from the tang. At some point, the tank will need to be cut  at the tip if the propeller hub and the final hub shaping and sanding performed. Clamping the tang allows me to have better chisel and file control as both hands are available and the model strongly supported the use of my hands. Hopefully also providing less chance of a chisel nicking or cutting me.

If folks are looking for some ideas, take a look at the "Busy Bee Tools" web site. The vice which I used is the 3" drill press vice. The drill press vise has low jaws and allows the bottom of the tang to sit on metal. When the hold down clamp pushes down and the vice jaws are closed, there is absolutely no movement of the carving as the wooden tang is positively restrained vertically and horizontally. I see the drill press vice is on sale for $11.50. The hold down clamp is the 3" Jorgensen which is listed to $19.99 but which I also bought on sale. There are lots of options available and all are commodities so should be readily available through any local supply company. The acme threads on the vice and hold down clamp make rotating the fuselage simply and quick.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Peter on April 23, 2015, 04:47:01 AM
Hi Ken,

I looked up Busy Bee tools they're about 20 minutes from my house! I've never heard of of them.

Thanks

Peter
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 23, 2015, 10:55:25 AM
I have a drill press vice but never thought of using it in this fashion. Thanks.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 26, 2015, 01:47:51 AM
Sorry folks - am a little tardy on my replies.

Paul - Thanks for the feedback on the mortise and tenon. I'll try to post an illustration on the clamping jig later in the week. I won't bother dimensioning it, since the hole dimensions are specific to each manufacturer. But the general assembly may provide folks with a starting point.

Peter - Glad you were able to find a Busy Bee nearby. If you are thinking of making some of the sanding blocks, I purchased some of their 12" velcro backed sanding disks and cut them into strips to fit the blocks. There's a little bit of wastage, due to the circular shape, but the paper backing is very thick and rigid. I find the 80 and 120 grits quickly smooth the surface.

Lou - Glad I was able to provide you with another use for the drill press vice.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 26, 2015, 01:50:07 AM
Rough shaping of stabilizers and wings completed. Fuselage is clamped in carving jig and reading for shaping. Now the fun begins as everything will start to take shape together :)

Last parts to make are the propeller hub and propeller blades. I'll start these once the everything else is carved and assembled.
Title: Re: P51-D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on May 10, 2015, 07:15:50 PM
Completed rough shaping of fuselage.

First picture shows the two fuselages shaped and ready for assembly with wings and stabilizers. Tangs are still intact to allow final blending and sanding of assembly in clamping jig. Material left on side of fuselage to allow shaping of fillet after wings have been glued in place.

Second picture shows tools used in rough shaping. For the Spitfires I primarily used a chisel to shape the fuselage. For this build, I instead opted to try primary shaping using files. The larger 12" file has a good bite. Not as rough as a rasp, but it quickly removes material. Final shaping performed with the finer 8" and 6" files. I used the chisel for some corner work around the canopy and removing material around the wing fillet. The files were great for  shaping the contours of the fuselage as I didn't have to worry about grain direction which can be an issue when chiseling.

The 6" digital caliper is a wonderful tool for comparing carving and 3 view dimensions. Although the really accurate calipers can be expensive. Some of the in-house brands of the big box stores can be purchased for around $20 to $25 cdn. when they go on sale. If you don't have one, maybe a possible gift for Father's Day or another special occasion.

Next step; onto assembly :)
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on May 10, 2015, 08:09:26 PM
I have used some rasps for some bigger projects. You seem to have a great knack for rough carving with them. Looking forward to more.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on May 11, 2015, 03:30:53 AM
Lou:

I started with the larger file. Then progressed to the mid size  and finished with the small file. Each smaller file size has a finer tooth patter. After shaping with the small file I performed a light sanding with 120 grit sand paper. The 6" file doesn't leave very many "teeth marks" so it didn't take a great deal of sanding to eliminate them.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on May 11, 2015, 08:51:45 AM
Great progress Ken, leaving the tang on is a great idea, avoids leaving additional marks to be sanded out while trying to hold an irregular shape. Regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Biggles on May 12, 2015, 01:23:01 AM
Ken I use files for everything!
Rough rasp first then smaller rasp, fine file then sand paper. I only use a knife for getting the shape of cock pits right.
Biggles
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on June 15, 2015, 01:49:12 AM
Started back into the build.

First picture shows wings and fuselage in wing clamping just. Prior to gluing the stabilizers and wings to the fuselage, the control surface outlines were scribed into the wings and stabilizers. It's much easier to perform the initial scribing with the components flat on the workbench. Two holes were also drilled in bottom of fuselage for eventual mounting on display stand. Three (3) holes drilled in each wing for future gun mounts. Holes will need to be tweaked to ensure they are all in line.

Second picture shows tools used for measuring and scribing the control surface outlines. I've found the backside of a hacksaw blade makes a great straight line surface to use as a guide for scribing. I use a couple of tools for scribing in the direction of the grain. A homemade scriber using a nail glued into a handle and a dental tool. Still have to perform some shaping of the dental tool. For scribing across the grain, a sharp knife seems to work best. After all surfaces have been scribed, I take the back of the knife and run it along all scribes to act as a burnisher. I'll have to re-scribe when the primer has had a final sanding. But at least I will have some initial grooves to follow. The steel bar on the right is the template used for drilling the two holes in the fuselage for the future mount. It's quite long which faciltates ensuring the holes are drill correctly on the centre line.

Third picture shows the wing clamping jig on it's own. It provides lateral clamping force to facilitate the gluing process to attache the wins to the fuselage. If folks are interested, I can place a copy of the plans in the tool posting section.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on June 15, 2015, 09:43:12 AM
Great info Ken. Please place your plans the tool section. Looking forward to more progress reports.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on October 14, 2015, 02:50:52 PM
No that Fall has arrived, time to switch back to completing the Mustang build.

The first picture captures my approach to fabricating the manifold exhausts. A thin piece of poplar was cut and a series of holes drilled (bottom left)
The material between the holes was removed (top left) using an Exacto knife. A set of manifolds was assembled using K&S brass tubing for the exhausts which were epoxied in place. Assembling the manifolds adjacent to each other allows symmetry checks to be performed during the gluing process

The second picture shows the recess carved into the fuselage to accept the manifold assembly. It is carved with an inwards taper to provide the requisite mounting angle of the manifold and exhausts.

The third picture shows the manifold glued in place.

The fuselage is now ready for final sanding and to have the tang removed.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on October 15, 2015, 06:15:25 AM
Very realistic exhaust Ken. What type of adhesive are you using?

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on October 15, 2015, 05:29:46 PM
Lou:

I use LePage's 5 minute epoxy to glue the brass tubes (exhaust pipes) into the slotted hole. Epoxy is the best option to facilitate the required metal to wood bond but any 5 minute epoxy should work well. I place the wood on top of a sheet of wax paper which prevents any epoxy on the bottom from sticking to anything. It also provides a smooth surface for the epoxy to set up against. I don't use the slower drying epoxy as it may all run out before setting up. Once the epoxy has set, I then attach the manifold to the fuselage with regular carpenter's glue since it is primarily a wood to wood bond. I could have used epoxy for this as well, but I prefer to work with the regular carpenters glue whenever possible due to the the ease of cleanup and the fact I don't need to wear protective gloves. Once the carpenters glue has dried, I use some wood filler to tidy up the joints / manifold profile as required.

-ken
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on October 16, 2015, 04:15:25 PM
Thanks Ken.

Lou
Title: Re: P51-D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on November 09, 2015, 05:03:05 AM
Summer's over so it's back to the "Elf Shop". The 3 Mustangs are in different states of priming and sealing.   Thought I'd share my sealing and priming approach below. I'm horrible with rattle cans so I like to brush on the primer coats to allow wet sanding. Then when I am happy with the sanded primer, I'll switch over to the air brush to apply the top coats of paint and varnish.

The lowest Mustang (still with the natural wood finish) has a sealer coat of varathane, mixed 50 / 50 with varsol (paint thinner). Since the body and wings are pine, this should prevent any pine pitch from migrating through the paint and hopefully seal the moisture level of the wood. The thinned down varathane also penetrates the wood more than some other sealers.

The middle Mustang has been sprayed with Zinser BIN primer. This is primarily a shellac primer which is tinted white. The shellac also provides a barrier to the pine pitch. But most importantly, the shellac provides a great base for the subsequent build coats of primer to adhere to. It is however, a very thin product so is not appropriate for build coats to facilitate wet sanding out blemishes.

The top Mustang has several coats of Zinser BIN 123 water based primer. I typically brush paint two coats of white and then add two coats of grey before wet sanding.  BIN 123 is  very thick high build primer. The two coats of white serve as a warning when I am wet sanding. If I sand through the grey and expose the white, I stop sanding and add another layer of grey if required to build up the defect or add some glazing putty and then re-prime. I leave the propeller hubs white as this seems to provide a better background for yellow paint applied to the propeller tips.

One thing I miss is the self leveling capability of the old alkyd primers. Today's alkyd primers seem to dry too quickly and don't level. The BIN 123 is an acceptable leveling product and wet sands well. However, it is not good if the control surface lines need to be re-scribed as it is rubbery (even when cured) like most water based paints and primers. However, during some recent home decorating, I came across a great primer. DULUX water based alkyd primer. It seems to be very good at self leveling and leaves very few brush marks. It also behaves in a similar fashion like the old alkyd primers when I need to re-scribe a line. The only downside is it's only available in gallon (ie 4 litre) cans. Since I had some left over from my decorating, I diverted some into a couple of smaller sized cans and had one of the cans tinted grey to provide me with the ability to carry on with the two color primer approach.

I'd certainly be interested in the sealing and primer techniques used by others.

- ken
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on November 09, 2015, 12:54:21 PM
Thanks for the instructions. The Mustangs look great.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on November 09, 2015, 02:55:42 PM
Thanks Lou.

I'm looking ahead and have a question related to which aluminum paint members use. I am not good with spray cans, so will be staying away from them. In looking at the internet, Alcad II seems to be one of the preferred metalized paints. But I'd like to stay away from the lacquer if possible. Any other suggestions?
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Will on November 09, 2015, 03:57:13 PM
I usually brush paint and have had reasonable results with humbrol 11 silver or Revell (of Germany) 66 Aluminium enamels.  My other choice available locally is Games Workshop Mithril Silver (its an acrylic) which matches aluminum dope, they probably have a brighter silver in their range.
Alclad is popular with the local plastic assemblers but needs perfect finish and gloss coat, may not be great on wood?
I once primed our new hardwood front door with Aluminium Wood Primer, gave a great silver finish though I was nearly blinded when the sun came out!
Will
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on November 10, 2015, 02:02:21 AM
Metallic finish are hard to do. I have tried a few approaches, but so far the rattle can has given me my best finishes.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Biggles on November 10, 2015, 04:42:39 AM
Quote from: Model Maker on April 11, 2015, 04:00:52 AM
Wing being set up to use back stop to plane wing taper.

The first picture shows a standard bench hook along with the backstop. In order to use a plane I required a very low back stop to allow the plane to travel over the stop to create a smooth taper along the full length of the wing. After several iterations, I finally landed on recessing a 3/4" x 3/4" piece of hardwood into a corresponding groove in a 1-1/2"W x 5-1/2"T piece of wood of appropriate length. A couple of thin wooden shims are installed at the bottom of the groove to raise and lower the backstop as required, depending on the final thickness of the of the wing tip.

The second picture shows the backstop installed on top of the bench hook. The wing is ready for tapering using a block plane which seems to work well for 1/32 scale wings. I have a couple of block planes, but have found the Groz BP605 low angle block plane to be ideal for this work. It's a little narrower and lighter than many of the block planes which allows me  taper and also shape the profile of the wing after the tapering is complete. It's not an expensive block plane, but does seem to do the job provided you keep the blade sharp.

If folks are interested in the backstop jig, I can post the plans for it.



This is how i do it to!
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on November 10, 2015, 09:55:47 PM
Mustangs look great Ken, I know what you mean about the Zinser Bin123 being rubbery even when dry, we used it on a lot of tongue and groove cladding. Regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on November 12, 2015, 03:08:52 AM
Gentlemen: - Thanks for the feedback.

Biggles - glad to hear I am not down a path which others have abandoned.

Paul & Lou - Thanks for the encouragement. Dare I say the hard part is yet to come? - Painting!!

Lou: In viewing your various threads, you certainly seemed to have mastered the spray can. I just can't get the hang of it. I suspect I am spraying too close in order to minimize over spray. I used to have the knack as a kid when I would spray my model cars with Testors. Somehow I don't seem to recall the pressures in the spray cans being as high then, so there was less overspray. But maybe the years are clouding my memory.

Will: Thanks for the great info on metallic paint options.

I don't think there would be an issue with Alcad on wood provided the wood has been properly primed and meticulously wet sanded. I've read Alcad requires a base coat to separate it from the plastic to prevent the lacquer reacting with the plastic. So I would assume applying the requisite black undercoat to a well primed solid model would provide the same base as spraying a plastic model. The Alcad shouldn't notice any difference in the base it is bonding to. But as you said, the solid would have to be perfectly sanded just as with the plastic models since Alcad highlights imperfections.

In performing some subsequent searches, I have found Vallejo has recently introduced a new line of water based metallic paints which seem to be receiving good reviews. Like Alcad, a shiny black undercoat is required to assist in creating the shine. I think I'll give these a try on at least one of the P-51's. I've also discovered Createx has a couple of water based metallics in their "Wicked" paint line so I might try these as well.

And of course, I'll try one of your recommendations. Not sure which one yet, but I'll let you know. It'll either be the Humbrol or War Games since both are locally available.

I'll keep track of my learning's in the water based world of metallics and possibly start a separate thread if I have success. If things don't work out, I can at least resort to one of the great benefits of solids. Just sand the problem away!! I can then paint all three with one of the recommendations from Will  :)

-ken
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Biggles on November 12, 2015, 03:22:08 AM
so there are 3 p-51 s?
the wings for me are the hardest part along with painting.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on November 12, 2015, 10:07:58 AM
I must try the gloss black undercoat on my next metallic finish. Thanks for the tip

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on December 04, 2015, 03:00:02 AM
Sorry Biggles for not replying sooner. Yes, there are three P-51's on the "elf bench".

After priming the two (white and natural finishes in the picture above) with the water based alkyd primer, I finally had some time wet sanded both today. Am I impressed with this product!! It wet sands wonderfully and has a good build thickness as well. Maybe not quite as thick a build as the Zinser primer, but the finish is great. Just like the old slow dry alkyd primers. I can't comment on other brands, but this Dulux brand (made by AkzoNobel) is certainly great stuff. I'd highly recommend it to those folks looking for an alternate to the rattle can primers who would like to go with a water based cleanup. I see from the Web, that AkzoNobel paints go by different brands in various countries, so hopefully if you wish to try it, it's available. It's drying time between coats is approximately 2 hrs. I'd let it dry at least 24 hrs before wet sanding. But you can certainly paint two or three coats in a day.

Next step is to apply a couple of coats of grey to the two planes currently painted with white primer and a final grey coat on the one already painted grey with the Zinser primer. In reading how aluminum finishes highlight all imperfections, I'm a little paranoid about sanding out all blemishes in the primer before applying the finish coats.

Dare I say - I'm a Happy Camper - At least today :)
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on December 23, 2015, 02:31:28 AM
Struggling a little bit with the control surface lines. I scribed them on one model so we'll have to see how it goes. In searching the Internet, some plastic modellers tape the control surface lines and then apply paint to create a recessed line when the tape is removed. Thought I'd give that a try as well.

I've completed the primer build up to remove blemishes etc. so before I perform the final wet sanding, I'll brush on a couple more coats of primer and then perform the final sanding which should result in a slight recess after the tape is removed. I used Lou's trick of placing a lined piece of paper under a glass plate to cut the tape to a consistent width. It's a little wide at 1/32", but we'll see what we can do with the airbush after the aluminum paint is sprayed on.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on December 23, 2015, 11:02:40 AM
Great looking Mustang Ken. You have captured the spirit of the aircraft.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Biggles on January 12, 2016, 04:28:59 AM
Very nice.
Biggles
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on April 17, 2019, 02:44:34 AM
Hard to believe these planes have been sitting in my basement for over 3 years, patiently waiting to be painted!

This is my first time spraying a model with metallic paint and all the stories which I read are correct. Metallics show up ALL the imperfections. Even though I thought I had sanded everything well, there were still some blemishes. Oh well, I'll have to change the addage of measure twice and cut once to sand 4 times and then sand 4 more times, next time I work on a model painted with a metallic finish.

I deviated from the normal model paints and used AutoAir silver and fine aluminum metal paints. The wings are painted silver and the fuselage and stabilizers are painted with the fine aluminum The paint sprayed well using the large air tip on my air brush. I think the medium tip would have plugged off quickly with the fine metallic particles in the paint. I was a little worried about how the control surface outlines would appear, but am pleasantly surprised with the results of laying down very narrow pieces of masking tape and building up the primer layers around the tape.

I've painted all three models with the same base coat metallic paints and over-sprayed with a coat of acrylic varnish to act as a separator for the next finishing steps. I've tentatively selected three different planes to model so we'll see how my masking  and airbrushing skills support my selections
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on April 17, 2019, 10:44:44 AM
Great metallic finish.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on April 27, 2019, 12:19:11 AM

Looking Good.

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 25, 2020, 02:26:52 AM
Finally have some time to work on this trio.

First one will be hopefully a reasonable facsimile of "Ferocious Frankie". Having laid down the aluminum base, I've added the green to the various fuselage and wing locations. Next is to start the masking process for the bars and stars, invasion stripes and other items. I have an old generation silhouette cutter which I picked up used on Kijiji a while ago which I use to create the paint masks.

First photo shows the mask cutouts printed on paper.

Second photo captures the method to align the stars and bars main mask. This was my second attempt as the first one was croocked. Had to sand off and respray the wing. Although the frisket is a great masking media, when it is removed from the backing sheet, it tends to wander and curl which makes placement difficult. After I had fixed the masking tape in place as a guide, the paper template was removed and the main frisket mask was put in place using the masking tape to locate the bars. Using the masking tape to guide the placement made fixing the frisket in place much easier.

Third photo shows the main outline mask in place. The infill section will be sprayed white.

Fourth photo shows the mask infill section sprayed white and the infill masks in place. The infill masks comprise of the star, two bars and the blue outline around the bars along with the material outside of the star. This was my 7th attempt to get the infill mask positioned correctly. During the first 6, I trying to keep all the infill pieces together with a couple of narrow strips of masking tape. But when the assembly was removed from the backing it was very difficult to keep the pieces in the correct location and the pieces became disconnected from each other. Remembering Einstein's definition of insanity, I finally opted to change the approach to obtain a better outcome. I borrowed the concept of placing masking tape as guides to align the assembly (this time using the outside edge of the bars) to assist in aligning the assembly inside the main mask. I also placed many small pieces of masking tape at each infill component joint. This combined approach made alignment much easier and kept the assembled infill assembly together during placement. Once the infill was in place, the masking tape pieces were removed and the portions of the infill which were to be sprayed blue were removed.

Fifth photo shows the completed stars and bars. It turned out better than I was hoping. Now that I have the technique down, only 3 more to go on this model and 8 on the other two models.

Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on March 25, 2020, 03:27:39 AM
Nice looking markings. I really like the process of designing and making the masks. Sometimes it is a challenge to figure out the masking and color sequence. 

I use removable Oracal 631 vinyl for my masks.  I also use transfer tape to apply the masks to the model. It is essentially low tack soft masking tape. Basically it peals the vinyl mask from the paper backing and holds the mask in shape. When you apply the mask, it then peals away from the vinyl without removing the mask.

Cricut and silhouette also sel oracal vinyls. Also a clear transfer tape is available if needed. It does help align the mask over a specific spot.

The vinyl also conforms well over small details ie: ribs and panel lines.

Regards Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on May 10, 2020, 05:07:51 PM
Painting on first model is complete. Have to spray with a gloss clear before adding the decals. Dare I say the masking was more than I am typically used to. Will have to come up with a slightly different approach for the next two.

I had some issues with the blue painters tape not providing the crispness along the edges so I tried some FBS vinyl masking tape which I had previously picked up. It worked perfect!! Lines were nice & crisp with no seepage underneath. The tape is a little more expensive than standard painters tape, but certainly cheaper than Tamiya. I used the orange tape which is a little stiffer than the other colours in the product range. A link to the red tape (which may be more appropriate for small scale models)is offered below. There are other colours with different pliability as well. For those of you in Canada, I've attached a link to Maple Airbrush Supplies who carry this brand of tape.

Link to FBS Video - There are other videos for the other colours of FBS tape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Hx77p8G0Q

Link to Maple Airbrush Supplies
https://www.mapleairbrushsupplies.com/search?type=product&q=masking%20tape*
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on May 10, 2020, 08:13:27 PM
The paint on you Mustang really brings it alive. The yellow looks quite vibrant. Did you paint directly over the grey primer or did you use a transition color under the yellow? Very pretty model.
Thanks
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on May 10, 2020, 09:17:31 PM
Very nicely done. Thanks for the link to masking tapes.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on May 10, 2020, 11:31:42 PM
The entire plane was painted aluminum over top of the grey primer. Then for the yellow areas I laid down a coat of white. I used a white primer for the propeller and painted the fuselage and propeller hub at the same time to ensure the yellow was applied in a consistent manner. I've been caught in the past with yellow not being sufficiently opaque to mask the effect of the colour below, so I always start with a white layer underneath any yellow paint.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on May 11, 2020, 06:29:23 PM
Thanks. Very helpful.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on May 13, 2020, 04:07:05 AM
Very nicely done ! Well Done !

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on June 07, 2020, 08:05:56 PM
Thanks for all the positive feedback. This one is finally finished. The various invasion stripes took some effort to mask but they certainly add to the model.

DIY waterslide decals applied. First time I have used them. The printing went well and I thought I had sprayed light coats of lacquer to seal, but they seemed a little stiff when I applied them.

Now on to the other two.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on June 08, 2020, 09:20:27 AM
Very nice indeed Ken, regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on June 08, 2020, 04:51:46 PM
Awesome workmanship Ken.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on June 11, 2020, 04:58:01 AM
I really like the canopy colour.It looks almost transparent against the grey background! What "grey" is it?
Excellent looking model.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on June 15, 2020, 05:46:33 AM
Hi Fraser

Unfortunately there is no specific colour for the canopy. It's a mix of Tamiya white with just a drop of black which I airbrushed on follow up with a couple of coats of General Finishes water borne gloss varnish.

-ken
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on June 15, 2020, 06:40:45 PM
Is General Finish the brand name?

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on June 16, 2020, 01:55:16 AM
General Finishes is the manufacturer.

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finishes-retail/water-based-topcoats-and-sanding-sealer/high-performance-polyurethane-water

I use the water based high performance gloss varnish and thin it down with approximately 20% of the following mixture which I read about on the intranet.
   - 5 mils Golden acrylic flow release agent
   - 30 mils acrylic airbrush medium (Liquitex or equal)
   - 30 mils water

I don't feel comfortable with rattle cans these days as I don't have the control to prevent runs, so I tend to stay with using an airbrush as the sprayer and applying the preceding as a top coat or separation coat. The air brush pressure is set to approximately 20 psi and the airbrush tip is set to provide a wide pattern

I purchased a large spray tip for my badger 350 airbrush as the smaller tips tend to plug up when spraying water based varnish. I don't know how this product compares to Future, but have found it to be the best gloss varnish so far. I've used a couple of the artists gloss varnishes (Golden & Liquitex) but they seem to have a greater tendency to run. I find the mat artist varnishes don't run like the gloss varnishes, so I use these over top of the gloss as a final coat whenever I am looking for a mat finish.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on June 16, 2020, 09:23:58 PM
Thank you Ken.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on July 05, 2020, 07:34:12 PM
On to painting the next plane - "Old Crow"

Had some trepidation about painting the checkers. Struggled to develop a stencil with the correct curvature and checker size. Came close. The yellow stencil components can be seen at the top of photo 39. Since they were off a little, I had to augment with small pieces of masking tape as the pattern progressed towards the underside.

Photo shows the finished pattern. The stencils at the top are much sharper than the masking tape, which seemed to bleed a little. I'll try utilizing the stencils on the third one and switch to a different masking tape if I need to augment the stencil pattern.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on July 05, 2020, 09:37:32 PM
Looks fantastic Ken.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on July 05, 2020, 10:03:54 PM

Ken ,

Brilliant ! Love your work .

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on July 10, 2020, 10:48:54 PM
Thanks for the painting tips. Great looking models.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on September 02, 2020, 03:40:09 AM
Continued painting of the second P-51D. Stars and bars painted on fuselage & wings along with the call letters. On to the the next step of laying out the masking for the white background for the invasion stripes and tentative layout of the fuselage and front fuselage paint perimeter..

I found the 1/8" FBS red tape to be almost equivalent to the corresponding Tamiya masking tape, but definitely a better cost value. Laying out the perimeter with the narrow tape has proven to be a better approach than cutting wider tape into narrow strips. I'll attach wider tape when I overlay the masking paper.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on September 02, 2020, 05:44:50 AM
FBS tape? Looking very good.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on September 03, 2020, 03:34:34 AM
Thanks - It's getting there slowly.

FBS is a company which manufacturers various masking products. I have several of their tapes which are vinyl and have found them to be very good at preventing paint bleed along the edges. The adhesive is not too strong and doesn't leave any residue even after being in place for extended periods of time (ie weeks). I've placed a link to a video which shows some of the FBS tapes. They are a little more expensive than the 3M painters tape I have previously used which occasionally did bleed along the edge even after careful burnishing.

I tried the FBS stencil paper on my Silhouette cutter, but found it wanted to curl after being removed from the cutting pad and was difficult to align in the correct location when the pieces were large. So I will stick with my Frisket for most paint stencils and use the FBS stencil paper for camouflage patters etc. and smaller stencils. The FBS stencil paper didn't bleed and was a little more forgiving on compound curve surfaces compared to the Frisket material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3zDOInIex4
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on September 03, 2020, 05:56:21 AM
Thank you for the reply. Honestly I had not heard of this material before. As the video shows, it looks like a top-end masking material. Usually up here in Canada, these can can be hard to source (if you don't know who to ask...) Well guess what, the FBS main facility is within a few miles of my home! Go figure...the nearest retail is just down the road. Looks like I have a supply trip to plan ;) ;)
Thanks for the info and the link to the video.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Jim on September 03, 2020, 03:48:26 PM
In a word: WOW!
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on September 04, 2020, 03:34:21 AM

Ditto :  WOW !

Cheers

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on September 04, 2020, 05:48:24 AM
Fraser;

If you will be making a trip to the store, you may also wish to look at the FBS ProMask.

My wife has an old Honda with the peeling clear coat issue. I bought a matching spray paint bomb from a local auto supply shop with the intent to over- spray the damaged area after wet sanding to remove the affected clear coat. I saw this masking product when I ordered my last couple of rolls of FBS tape as it looked like a good idea based on the video link below. It worked great on the car.

For the context of this forum this forum, I used some of it to mask the P-51D to protect areas of the model from over-spray when airbrushing the stars and bars. Having the taped edge was great. But most importantly I found the paper weight to be the best I've every used for over-spray protection. It just seemed to "flow" much better than post-its or regular paper etc. as it's a thinner (ie lighter) paper than these. I was able to use the taped edge to start an area, cut off the excess paper and use the excess on other areas of the model using pieces of roll masking tape to hold it in place. A 12" long piece covers a lot of area on a 1/32 scale model.

Something to consider if you are heading out. It's not very expensive and you may find it easier to work with than other over-spray protection materials.

-ken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gUSMgBsVKw
https://www.mapleairbrushsupplies.com/collections/tape-masking/products/promask?variant=13356831683
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on September 05, 2020, 10:58:44 PM
Thanks for the info on the masking paper. I have been using thin tissue used for stuffing gift baskets. It confirms really well except it is quite delicate and is definitely not water proof it does well for overspray masking. I'll see if I can get some of the paper you described.
Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on September 28, 2020, 01:52:12 AM
Second model ready to leave the spray paint booth. A little touch up here & there required. I'm continually amazed at how well the Silhouette machine cuts the stencil media. The flares on the letters turned out much better than I expected.

Decals have been printed and are drying prior to clear coat. Once the decals have been applied, will apply a couple of clear gloss coats to the entire mode to protect everything.

I read in a recent post, some folks have a problem with DIY decals. I haven't created many, but in doing my research I came across a few postings which indicated the decals should dry at least 24 hrs. after printing before spraying the sealer coat and the clear sealer should also dry at least 24 hrs. after spraying before water soaking. Not sure if this is any assistance or not. Hopefully if I follow these rules I will be a happy camper with the decal results.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on September 28, 2020, 04:00:42 PM
Awesome workmanship Ken.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on September 28, 2020, 09:21:37 PM

Outstanding model . Well Done ! Ken

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on October 18, 2020, 09:33:43 PM
Second model rolled out today.

Thanks gentlemen for the positive feedback!! It's greatly appreciated. But I still have a way to go to arise to both your level of detail.

On to finishing the 3rd and final one.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on October 18, 2020, 09:41:30 PM
Excellent P-51 Ken. Your markings are spot on.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on October 25, 2020, 08:00:14 PM

Looks great Ken. Looking forward to No 3

Cheers

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 07, 2021, 01:03:45 AM
Number 3 finally finished today.

One for me and two as gifts. Lots of enjoyment carving and painting these. Starting to get the hang of a smooth clear finish using an airbrush. Still not quite as smooth as clear from a rattle can. But I am not able to control the rattle can spray as well as the airbrush so at least I don't get runs in the clear coat.

Next model, I will try a different airbrush with a slightly larger tip which hopefully will provide a smoother finish.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: lastvautour on March 07, 2021, 01:33:19 PM
Great Mustangs Ken. Looking forward to your next project.

Lou
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: buccfan on March 07, 2021, 09:27:39 PM
Excellent model Ken, lovely finish on the paintwork. I have a scan and cut machine, I might try cutting my decals for one of my models. Regards Paul J.
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Boomerang on March 13, 2021, 03:18:15 AM

Absolutely Brilliant Ken .

3 terrific models. Well Done

Gordon
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Gearup on March 19, 2021, 12:11:42 AM
Fantastic looking trio of P51's. Well done!

Fraser
Title: Re: P-51D Mustang
Post by: Model Maker on March 20, 2021, 08:38:07 PM
Thanks Gentlemen for all your support. I certainly improved my masking and airbrushing skills with these 3 models. But still have a long way to go on the learning curve.

I have a few models roughed out and waiting to be completed.  F4-Phantom, F8-U, Mosquito, 3 Halifax's and plans for a P-38. After all the masking and painting with the P-51's I have a hankering to make some shavings / sawdust.