First cuts, I am using basswood on this one. My last basswood model was my 1/32 Spitfire that was made some 10 years ago.
Lou
Oops, forgot photos.
Lou
Look forward to updates.
Gordon
Slowly getting there. I am amazed at how soft the wood is. It is similar to hard balsa and must take care not to sand away to much. I have already destroyed a horizontal tail plane by sand off a trailing edge. This wood has been in my possession for at least 25 years.
Lou
Looking good Lou, regards Paul J.
Thank you Paul.
Lou
Looks good so far Lou! Are you doing two?
Gordon
Yes, I had enough basswood in the two pieces I had to make two full models. The wings were actually were cut from the thickest piece I had by running it vertically in my band saw. Both fuselage and tail feathers are glued and sanded ready for the wing assemblies. One wing is sanded to shape so far. Photos to follow.
Lou
Look forward to your updates.
Gordon
I made an error in positioning the horizon plane so rather than take everything apart, I cut the trailing edge and added to the leading edge. Once sanded and painted, no one will be the wiser. The main plane is being mated to the first fuselage. The other wing awaits shaping and sanding. I plan on doing one in RCAF (Mk I) colours and the other in USAAF (P-51A) scheme. The gun types and locations vary between the different versions but the airframe is the same.
Lou
Second main plane is being sanded and should be ready by the weekend. The photos show No 1's wing to fuselage joint. Like the original 1/1 scale, the fuselage is lowered on the wings.
Lou
Coming on Lou, nice work on the fuse joint. Regards Paul J.
Both wings are sanded and being test fitted. Next will be gluing followed by blending into the forward fuselage and adding trailing edge filets.
Lou
Nice recovery on tailplane. Both look great.
Gordon
Thanks. Hopefully completion by months end.
Lou
Those are looking very nice.
Thank you Ryan.
Lou
A slow return to my Mustangs Mk I. At least one will be a D-Day bird from RCAF 430 Sqn. I have decals in 1/48 but will make a copy for this solid version.
Lou
Thanks for the photos of the assembly. What filler do you use?
Fraser
I use Legage wood filler in the tube.
Lou
Both coming along nicely.
Gordon
Invasion stripes started on RCAF 430 Squadron bird. The light grey one will receive Olive Drab colours used by USAAF Mustangs. Might be done by year's end.
Lou
The black bled under the tape on the fuselage bottom of the Mustang Mk I. A bit of a touch will take place once the black paint has cured. The cannon booths have been added to the P-51A and await the cannon barrels before continuing with the painting.
The Mk I will have home made decals and the P-51A will have decals from my spares box.
Lou
Hi Lou - Looking good!!
Next time you are at a big box store or a good hardware store, see if you can pick up a roll of 3M Platinum Blue masking tape. It has a much smoother texture than the standard green and blue masking tapes and provides really sharp masking lines. Because of the smooth surface, paint has much less of a tendency to creep under the tape. It's only a couple of dollars more a roll but in my experience a much better masking tape to work with.
Looking forward to the finished models
-ken
Thank you for the tip.
Louis
It seems that there are new tapes coming from major manufactures. I bought a 3/4" roll of scotch #2080"delicate surface gentle removal washi painters tape". It's purple in color and has the same feel and tack as tamia model tape. It also produces a nice sharp line and was only a small premium over regular painters green tape.
I have Tamiya 6 mm that I save for special jobs needing the delicate touch. Otherwise I use either blue or green painter's tape.
Louis
One of the reasons I enjoy building solid models from scratch is looking for that perfect solution using whatever materials can be had. Also knowing that if I really mess up a part, I don't have to replace an entire kit, I just grab another small piece of a tree😃 I really appreciate the information sharing on this forum. Thanks,
Fraser
I do that all the time including my current 1/72 Blenheim project where I had to replace the wing.
Louis
I had a few minutes this afternoon to do some painting. The paint is still wet and will dry to a matt finish. I found an extra set of RCAF decals to go with the USAAF ones.
Louis
The RCAF Mustang will be completed first and hopefully before year's end.
Louis
Great looking paint. Very crisp detail.
Fraser
USAAF Mustang painted. I will wait a day for the paint to cure and follow up with clear gloss to facilitate decal adhesion.
Completed with time to spare.
Louis
Mustang Mk I decals are from Arrow Graphics and the P-51A from an Accurate Miniature kit .
Louis
They both look great Lou .
Looking forward to the finished result.
Cheers
Gordon
Thank you Gordon.
Louis
Aah! Aah! You just finished them.
Excellent work on both of them.
Cheers
Gordon
This will be my contribution to the 2019 poster.
Louis
Beautiful models.
Fraser
You haven't lost your touch!! Looking forward to your 2020 endeavors. - ken
Thank you Fraser and Ken.
Lou