She looks great, Chris. I never get tired of Mustangs … greatest fighter of WWII IMO.
We DO have computers in Tennessee!! Alabama guys think they are so high tech just because they have Huntsville there. It’s just barely over the state line![:D][:D]
Be careful, and have a safe trip.
Nice NMF salty!! I am a big fan of the Cadillac of the Skies as well…
Just remember, the Tuskegee Airmen did have one ace in Lee “Buddy” Archer…I plan on building his bird when I get to my Tuskegee Mustang.
Chris, that’s one beautiful Mustang. Outstanding work. Good luck with your Aces of the Eighth project. Can’t wait to see the next one in the series!
that looks awsome
hey guys, i’m checkin’ in from the big city of Columbia TN!! and yes scott, i was surprised, these back woods people do have computers!![:p] i said that because i wasn’t sure my kin had internet access or not.
sharkskin, the seatbelts are Photo Etch belts that came from the Eduard PE cockpit set. i painted them with a plain old testors 3/0 brush friend. i should have painted the buckles too as the PE dont reflect light well enough even though it is white metal.
Jeeves, thanks for the heads up, i’ll definetly do one of those as i really like the Red Tails.
everybody, hey guys, thanks for your inspiring words, ya’ll really make modelling fun with these wonderful responses. this forum adds a new dimension to my modelling. if it weren’t for you guys, i wouldn’t have half the motivation as i do now. when i get these kinds of positive responses, it makes me want to pop another one open and get after it so i can share it with you. once again, thanks friends. later
I should mention for accuracy sake that Buddy Archer did not achieve ‘ace’ status until well after the war–his 5th kill was credited as a shared kill as the AAF did not wnt a black ace…it was only later he was given full credit. So if you model his, I just wanted you to know that. When I do his "INA the Macon Belle:, it wil have 5 kil mark on it.
Well, Salty, if you really want to tackle every Warhoss ace in the eighth, I recently ordered from Squadron a bunch of ProModeler sheets, not because I’ll ever use them, but because they were on sale for .99 cents apiece. Before I saw them, I figured I’d be lucky if they were worth a buck, but I was pleasantly surprised. Anyway, one of these sheets covers three P-51B aces from the 357th FG, including “The Shillelagh,” “Passion Wagon,” and “Pregnant Polecat.” They are Scale-Master/Detail&Scale decals, yet the register is amazingly good, as evidenced by the elegantly detailed, though tiny, nude painted above the stacks on “Passion Wagon.” The red-and-yellow checks are also quite well done. Anyway, if you don’t have it, and you want it for your project, it’s yours, bro’.
TOM
Fabulous work. And I never get bored of Mustangs!
mike, hey man, i’m kinda lazy when it comes to researching and i appreciate the tid bit. the BBD isn’t accurate as the serial # for the particular markings should have been different, and Landers name should have had the yellow background instead of the red one. i just waded off into the decals without reading all the instructions. but, many folks that see it won’t notice.
sharkskin, thanks for the offer friend, i’ll keep it in mind.
thanks modelnerd. later.
Its awsome! I think the Big Beautiful Doll is the best of all the Mustang.
Wow, Salty. That is one special looking build! I’m wondering (as I’ve never seen the Tamiya kit)…is the checkerboard on the nose a decal or hand-paint?
Is there a good technique for hand-painting something like that?
glenn, the checkerboard is a 4 piece decal. they are applied by aligning the 2 side cowling decals with the exhausts. ofcourse, these aren’t aftermarket decals, these actually came in the box with the release of tamiya’s “Eight Airforce Aces” P-51D. you definetly want to use micro sol and set when applying these decals and they will snug down really tight. apply a coat of future, apply the wash, and another coat of future, then a coat of clear flat being sure to mask off the NMF portions and they look painted on. unless you want to be fitted for a straight jack and be shipped off to the ha ha hotel, i’d stick with the decal. really, it looks like paint if you follow the routine mentioned above. i learned it by reading on this very forum and is a standard practice of my builds. later.
Hey Chris,
Love the Stang…!! Great job indeed. Your wash turned out nice and the interior is equally as good. Would you have any more pix of the interior by chance??
Flaps up, Mike
butz, i can snap some and send them to you if you would like, but its a kit pit with PE accents. i love the PE for the seat, but the rest is very scant. but, if you’d like, i can send you some more. i won’t be home till monday though. let me know. later.
She’s really a beaut Chris!! You’re doing more and more good work, and doing it faster and faster as well. I’m envious.
I can’t get any modeling done for a while when I get my modeling area walled off in the garage and then set up. Until then, I’ll work on some drawings and will be envious of builds like yours here. When are you going to have a good old crow to put up for us to gawk at?
hey josh, thanks!! i’ve wondered where you were?!! thanks for the kind words. as for “Old Crow”, she’s comin’ up pretty soon friend, i’m just practicing up til i get good at these NMF jobs so i can do her justice. the camera can hide defects pretty well!!LOL. i just recieved the superscale sheet with “Old Crow” decals so it wont be long. later.
Great job, Saltydog! I’m working on my own Big Beautiful Doll (though I’m using the inferior Revell-Monogram kit), and I’m wondering if I’m in over my head, between the NMF and the complex nose decal. I hope mine looks half as good as yours, when I’m finished!
-Jonathan
Awesome job. I have the Revell/Monogram kit and love it too. I’m not as good as you, yet I strive to get better!
thanks for the kind words Jblittle and Dortiz. i’m not that good fellows, the camera just hides all the defects well!!![:D] all you have to have is a little patience when applying the nose decal. it took me about 30 minutes to get that monster right, but with plenty of micro sol and micro set, she finally settle down in place. theres nothing to be intimidated about, just wade in there and get it done. the NMF is always tricky, but with meticulous cleaning of the surface and sanding out all scratches, you’ll be fine. hopefully, you guys have cameras and will post some pics when you are done, i’d love to see them. later.
Awesome build Saltydog!! I never get tired of looking at quality work…no matter waht the subject!
Joe