P-51B Mustang "Old Crow" Academy 1:72

P-51B Mustang "Old Crow" Academy 1:72

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dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
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So after a few months off I'm back into modelling again with this very nice Academy kit of Bud Anderson's P-51B "Old Crow". Picked up for just £3 from Cosford show!



There are three decal options for either the Malcolm hood or birdcage canopy versions, and a choice of paper or metal drop tanks or bombs. One option is RAF, the others US. Decals look very nice, although I'll be painting the invasion stripes:



I've cleaned all the pieces up, and as usual they look very well moulded in decent quality plastic with fine surface detail:



One strange feature of the kit design is the separate tail, presumably there is another version available with slightly different features:



The one thing that's not so good about the kit is the Malcolm hood. To my eyes it's way too bulged, and the plastic is quite thick:



It's not a problem since I want to display the model with the hood open, and as usual at this scale, the standard moulding is too thick to fit in the open position. I got hold of a Pavla vacform canopy off EBay for a couple of quid. It's actually for the Hasegawa P-51 :



After half an hour's cutting and fettling, it fits perfectly, and looks like a more realistic shape:



I also picked up an Eduard Zoom p/e set, but I probably won't use all the parts. This is the first pre-coloured p/e I've used, so it will be interesting to see how I can match the cockpit colours up...



The only other mods I'm, going to make are brass tube gun barrels, wheel brake lines and replacing the solid plastic gunsight reflector with a sliver of acetate.

Yertis

18,011 posts

265 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
Hang on - what happened to that Tornado you started?

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
Yertis said:
Hang on - what happened to that Tornado you started?
I think I started a thread, but then...I can't remember what happened. I've got all the stuff I need, but I've not made a start yet. I've got loads of kits I want to build this year - not sure whether to start them all, or do one at a time.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Wednesday 7th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
I think I started a thread, but then...I can't remember what happened.
Welcome to the Old Farts' Club......rofl

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
quotequote all
mybrainhurts said:
dr_gn said:
I think I started a thread, but then...I can't remember what happened.
Welcome to the Old Farts' Club......rofl
Indeed. I'd forgotten all about that model.

Lost soul

8,712 posts

181 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
mybrainhurts said:
dr_gn said:
I think I started a thread, but then...I can't remember what happened.
Welcome to the Old Farts' Club......rofl
Indeed. I'd forgotten all about that model.
hehe

Mutley

3,178 posts

258 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
mybrainhurts said:
dr_gn said:
I think I started a thread, but then...I can't remember what happened.
Welcome to the Old Farts' Club......rofl
Indeed. I'd forgotten all about that model.
Would you be so kind as to hurry up please, I'm waiting for your build so I can follow and build me a dr_gn inspired Tonka

Although, I also have a Tuskegee P-51B waiting, so watching this thread with interest too.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
quotequote all
I'll probably do the Tornado next, but I've got a couple of F1 models to start as long terms projects too.

Mutley

3,178 posts

258 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
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thumbup Always enjoy following a Doc build.

I have a box load of starter kits, am introducing my nephew into the fun of kits this summer, so could well be inundated with glue and paint the next few months

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Thursday 8th May 2014
quotequote all
Mutley said:
thumbup Always enjoy following a Doc build.

I have a box load of starter kits, am introducing my nephew into the fun of kits this summer, so could well be inundated with glue and paint the next few months
Ha ha ta.

I'd just crash in and build a few of them to get a feel for it. If he likes it then gradually refine the techniques. With a decent quality kit that's known to go together nicely, with a bit of help most people can make a nice model I think.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Friday 9th May 2014
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Here are the assembled Eduard cockpit sides compared with the original mouldings, and the replacement bits for the instrument panel/rudder pedals:



The cockpit floor has moulded-in woodgrain. I'll remove this and use either the oil paint or a decal:


Yertis

18,011 posts

265 months

Saturday 10th May 2014
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How do they pre-colour the PE bits?

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Saturday 10th May 2014
quotequote all
Yertis said:
How do they pre-colour the PE bits?
Probably screen printed. It seems quite a brittle coating, which is going to make the seatbelts an interesting job.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Monday 12th May 2014
quotequote all
I made a start on removing the original moulded detail and thinning the cockpit sides tonight:



It's not strictly necessary, in order to fit the photo-etch, but since I'm having the canopy open, the cockpit cills would look too thick if left alone. I'm reducing wall thickness by about 25% overall (top half is nearly finished, bottom half is original thickness):



Hopefully tomorrow I can get them idential and straight, then make a start on detail painting.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
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First stages of detail painting this evening; basic colours and a coat of Klear to get rid of the porosity ready for the next stages:



They all need a dark wash, dry brushed highlights and matt coat. I'll be adding the wheel brake pipes and data plates to the u/c legs before that though.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
quotequote all
Dark wash on. 99.9% of it will be removed tomorrow hopefully:


dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Friday 16th May 2014
quotequote all
Tried to match the pre-coloured etch to the cockpit by using Tamiya pastels, but it was impossible. My initial misgivings about coloured etch are proving right. From the photo the match is perfect, but in daylight there is a distinct difference, so it will all probably have to be stripped to start again:


Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Saturday 17th May 2014
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Can you not cover the detail that you want keep (the dials etc) with PVA and then blend in the cockpit green to minimise the step in colour change?

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th May 2014
quotequote all
Red Firecracker said:
Can you not cover the detail that you want keep (the dials etc) with PVA and then blend in the cockpit green to minimise the step in colour change?
A lot of the detail is printed in the green bits. I think pva or masking fluid would remive the printing too. Its a case of mixing paint to suit. Its a pretty crap concept tbh. Resin is the best solution for adding detail.


dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,130 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th May 2014
quotequote all
I ended up mixing some yellow, blue and olive green to get a match with the etch. I made it a shade lighter to compensate for the subsquent light weathering it will get. Even so , you can see in the picture how different it is from what I believe to be the correct zinc chromate green around the tailwheel well and radiator duct. It will do. I also painted the stripes on the spinner and finished one u/c leg. I tried Bare Metal Foil on the sliders to represent chrome and it worked OK. 1:72 is a bit small for that technique though.