I think everything’s been said about Tamiya’s 1/48 Mustang, so let’s talk about my build. (It’s all about me, dangit!)
A True Details seat was used in the cockpit, and SuperScale decals were used for the markings. The sheet includes blue stripes, chevrons, and carb intake “patches”, but I decided to paint my own using a custom mix of MM enamels. My stripes are a little wide when compared to some pix I found on the interweb, but that’s what I get for using the decals as a pattern. C’est la vie. The bulk of the painting was done with Alclad’s Aluminum as a base coat, while panels were picked out with different shades and mixes of Alclad colors. The kit’s pylons were modified to accept bombs and sway braces from the black hole that is my junk drawer, and the gunsight’s reflecting glass was replaced with a piece of packaging plastic. Weathering was done with Flory’s washes, pastels, and Pigma Micron pens.
Here are some pix…
This is the first of a series. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3. In the meantime, please share your comments or criticisms. Feel free to tell me what you think! I think it’s a solid 3-footer. What say you?
The Tamiya 1/48 kit is a favorite of mine, but you’ve done a stellar job with it - just stunning! You are obviously very experienced with the airbrush. I have not yet gone to Alclad yet, but am building the 1/32 Mustang so that will likely be my first try. Also really like your weathering, so I’m saving your photos to use as a reference. Really nicely done, and thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to see the rest of your pictures.
CNicoll, you’ll find that Alclad’s much easier than you think. I used to be intimidated by NMFs, but now I enjoy doin’ 'em. The trick is to make sure your plastic is prepped (i.e. no imperfections) and your primer’s butter smooth. I like to use Alclad’s white primer.
Anyway, thanks for lookin’ gang. Stay tuned for more Mustangs!
That’s a really nice build. I’m lacking in armament knowledge. I was wondering about the bombs on the wings. What size are they? I’m putting one 1000 Lb. on my SBD - 5 Dauntless and I’m wondering if the yellow stripe should be on it. It is one of the Aircraft Carrier Birds. ( Check my SBD - 5 thread ). Any info will be greatly appreciated. Once again, great job on the '51. Bob
I’m not an expert on WWII ordnance either, but I’ll share what I know. The bombs I used are 500 pounders. In regards to the stripes, it’s my understanding that if the bomb was live, it had yellow stripes. I think the number of stripes varied; it wasn’t standardized. I’ve seen pix of bombs with the whole front end painted yellow, both ends painted yellow, numbers of stripes ranging from 1 to 3 on either the front end,or both ends. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I even remember seeing a whole bomb (minus the fin assembly) painted yellow.
Hopefully I was helpful and that someone can answer your questions more definitively.
Thanks again for lookin’!
-O
NOTE: I found the pic of the yellow bombs. Click on the link below and scroll through the slideshow to the 12th photo.
