Airfix 1/72 North AmercanP-51D Mustang A01004

[wbk666]

I could resist it no longer

Airfix's newest p-51D kept winking at me from my stash shelf and i had to see if this kit is good as everyone seems to think.

Well in a word... YES

A well shaped pilot sits in a very un-airfix detailed cockpit

The only problem is with the pilot in all the lovely detail is hidden from our view

onto the wings next, these fit together beautiful with only a slight sanding needed where they were removed from the sprue.

nicely boxed in wheel wells too.

Look at those wing roots, snug as anything with no work done to them at all :D

Then theres the two options for the flaps, i chose the "down" ones

Tail goes on with the same lack of work, this kit almost builds itself. All masked up ready to be primed tomorrow, its a struggle to stop myself sneaking back to the bench when everyons asleep LOL

I really must get another couple of these.

 

[mossiepilot]

Great begining Wayne, the office looks fab. Think I'll have to get one of these.

Tony.

 

[wbk666]

thanks, i just hope my painting skills can do it justice, this will be my first metal finish kit.

Also i need to find and equivalent acrylic for the red on the kit hopefully by vallejo. the instructions say Hu 153 i think and thats only available in enamel.

 

[Polux]

Nice kit, looking good so far.

Polux

 

[flyjoe180]

That kit looks great Wayne. Nice work on the cockpit.

 

[wbk666]

yeah, really hapy with the cockpit, shame it gets hidden.

Oh well i suppose i'll just have to buy myself another and doing it without pilot and maybe canopy open

 

[wbk666]

a coat of vallejo model air silver applied last night

never sprayed with metallics before but it seems to go on well.

a bugger to clean out of the airbrush though, may assign an airbrush just for metallics if i can pick one up cheap.

just need to find an acrylic equivalent to Hu 153

 

[flyjoe180]

Humbrol 153, 'Insignia Red'. Shouldn't be too hard to find an acrylic substitute for that. The Mustang is looking the part now, your silver paint job looks great.

 

[wbk666]

its ground to a halt at the moment, not a lot i can do until i get the red sorted.

Exhaust painted with vallejo model air Rust. doesnt look right at the moment but once its had the tamiya weathering powders applied it will be ok.

 

[colin m]

Looks great wayne, I've read lots of good reports about this new Airfix kit.

 

[wbk666]

the reports are right, its a really nice kit to work with.

 

[wbk666]

i went with Hu 60 "scarlet" in the end as its all my LMS stock and i get discount

i think it looks ok

 

[flyjoe180]

Looks great Wayne.

 

[mobear]

woohoo a redtail p51,loving this now

mobear

ps good job

 

[wbk666]

to be honest i'd use this airfix kit as the basis for any colour scheme, its as good as any other p-51 kit i've seen.

 

[Kressy13]

Nice looking Mustang. Keep up the good work.

 

[wbk666]

having never done a metal finish before do i finish it off as normal with a matt varnish or should i be doing something different?

 

[wbk666]

the red i had to use doesnt seem too bad a match and the decals went in really well.

though not all went as smoothly, the yellow bands on the wing are not as the instructions describe.

they say one piece with a certain number where as in reality they are two pieces with a totally different number.

not a massive problem for me but to someone with less experience it might trip them up.

pretty much ready for the final varnish when i can decide which to use.

 

[wbk666]

the P-51D is now finished, decided not to give it a coat of any varnish incase something went wrong lol