i thought this would fit into the “painting” part of the painting and airbrushing subject. this is my first venture into aftermarket parts so i thought id live up to my fsm posts title. this is the true details cockpit for the tamiya 1/48 P-51D. i love the set except for the instrument panel is very weak in my opinion. but the side walls and seat more than make up for that lost detail that wont be seen much anyway. ill have to admit, im kinda proud of my effort here. this is the first of many P-51Ds in a “aces of the ETO” collection that i intend to put in a display cabinet ive been building. ive been in the hobby since july of 03 and have sent around a half dozen models to the “airbrush fodder” pile(i like to experiment and practice on cheaper models until i feel confident i can get serious with one). i painted this cockpit over the weekend and have to admit, i thouroughly enjoyed myself. i havent glued any of this up yet, im just trying to see if it fits properly. what do you think? later.
In one year you’ve become a better master of details than I have in 15… still I love to build and hopefully one day theyll look as nice as what you have going… very sweet
Looks great mate, be proud. I have a Tamiya Mustang build coming up next and the True Details set is going in. Was it much of a hassle to fit, I haven’t used a resin set before? I have an Eduard Zoom set for this kit as well so I plan on trying to use the instrument panel from that (which looks great) and the resin set for the rest of the 'pit. Mine will be an Aussie P51, No. 3 squadron, Italy 1945. Keep posting on the build, I’ve gotta get myself a digital camera so I can join the fun.
snowy, the true details cockpit is as snug as a bug in a rug in the tamiya kit my friend. the only “bashing” you have to do is sand the kits cockpit sidewall detail flat in order to make room for the excellent looking td sidewalls. i made quick work of that with a dremel tool and a light touch. the seat and the trim wheels are my favorite two details of the set. i bought 4 detail sets from squadron: true detail, black box, aires, and eduard photo etch cockpit set. i thought about stealing a few parts from each and mix matching because each set seems to have a week link in it. i even thought about what you talked about with the pe instrument panel, but by the time you get the gun sight and the windscreen in place the instrument panel isnt that visible. i think the aires set is cool as well as it has pe parts as well. the all resin detail sets make my eyes cross trying to paint all those parts in place. i plan to order some ultracast wheels soon. actually, i need to purchase a magnifying glass with the light on it that attaches to my workbench. i scoped one out at office max for $20. thanks for the compliments fellows, it encourages me to head on back to the workbench. later.
i would hardly consider myself a master my friend, but thanks for the compliment anyway. like i say, i have about a half a dozen “starts” that somewhere along the line became airbrush fodder. one of them was a tamiya F-4U corsair[V][V]!! i had come so far with this jewel and it was looking sweet. i was going to display it on the ground when i thought to myself, i dont have a single available shelf in here!! so i tried to remove the flaps so i could position them in the up position and thats when it became airbrush fodder. it was disasterous. i had spent alot of time with that project only to see it trashed. later.
Excellent job on the Stang interior. If you really want to go crazy, might add some wiring detail to the radio. When you order the Ultracast wheels, also check out their replacement props (the stock Tamiya are slightly out of scale) and the replacement flaps, another minor weakpoint in the stock Tamiya kit. Your well on your way to a great model. Your Aces of the ETO sounds like a great long term project. I started an Aces of the Eighth AF collection some time ago and am still adding to it now & then. Keep us posted as the model progresses. Thanks for sharing.
hey richard, ive thought about doing some wiring in the wheel wells like i see in the Warbird Issue of FSM. what size wire do i use? as far as the radio is concerned, i dont have any ref. pics of the radio section of the stangs in WWII. all the pics i have of the cockpit are restored versions and none of them have the headrest or the radio. if you have some pics you could share and maybe a quick lesson in the wiring thing, i would be more than willing to learn something. thanks, later.
