Just scored Tamiya’s P-51D Mustang in 1/72nd scale (time to re-attempt that NMF again!). They were 30% off at HL and it just followed me home!
It includes both “Dallas” and regular canopies and I can’t really tell that much of a difference-what am I missing and which do I use?
I do like the fine detail of this kit and look forward to trying it out…if I ever finish my Phantom, the Raptor, a pair of Vipers, etc. etc. etc.
one has more of a straight line shape across the top and one is more rounded; they were interchangable. see if you can find a picture of the plane you’re modelling, otherwise just pick the one you think looks cool…that upsets some people but it’s your model! if it’s as nice as the 1/48th kit you’ll really enjoy it. let us have a look when you’re done- s.
i also noticed “time to attempt nmf again!”- my last mustang was done with rub’n’buff; i squeeze a little onto a pallette, thin it with humbrol thinners and brush it on in small areas at a time -say the outer half of a wing. then i give it a quick polish with some clean tissue et voila! first time i did this was on a 1/144 connie and it looked great and the mustang was even better- it hasn’t got that grainy look that metallic paints often have, has hardly any smell during use and i did a whole p-51 in about 10 minutes. the only caution i’d sound is that liquid cement attacks this finish so use superglue-as sparingly as you can- WITHOUT accelerator- the accelerator ran down the connies fuselage and stained it and it refused to be touched up. anyway, hope this helps- s.
Whether you use “Dallas” vs “California” canopies, it really doesn’t make any difference unless you want a specific aircraft… Both canopies came from the same manufacturer and were interchanged in the field all the time… Check your ref-photos for the “right” canopy if it’s a specific bird you’re wanting to do, on a particular day…
Yes, I made a couple of attempts at NMF’s. My first was using Bare Metal Foil and just couldn’t get the hang of trying to get it to lay down over those curves. Then I removed it all and tried Testors Metalizers. It looked fantastic, but was so delicate, any masking was out of the question. I want to try Alclad products next. As far as when I’ll start this one, I don’t know. I’m trying to make myself finish a few other projects before I start another.
Updated my sig to show what I am really working on now.
Call me crazy or blind but I’ve never been able to see the difference between the two Tamiya canopies.
I use Model Masters Metalizers all the time. I found the trick with masking over them is to seal the heck out of it with either their Metalizer sealer or several coats of Future and let it dry for a few days before masking. I never had much luck with Alclad metals and am totally sure thats my fault! Alclad has a great primer/ filler...really helps with tiny scratches that you cant get rid of no matter how much you sand. That “rub-on” stuff sounds interesting…gonna have to try that…lol. Good luck.
Len
I believe the Dallas canopy has a bit flatter of a profile.
I may be mistaken, but I believe it was the canopy fitted to the P-51Ks built at North American’s Dallas factory.
The -D and -K were identical save for that and the prop, and as Hans says replacements in the field could have been either/or.
In the manufacturers drawings for the P-51D there are profiles for a cast and a blown canopy. The cast one looks more like what we normally associate with the Inglewood airplanes, and the blown canopy profiles are more like Dallas style canopy. You can’t see one of the distinctive features of the Dallas canopy in most photos, it bulges out in front profile on the sides somewhat like the F-14 or F-16, which the Inglewood canopy does mostly only near the front frame.
Here is a drawing of the two canopies with the outline of the Dallas type in black and the Inglewood type in blue. All framing was the same. Below are two photos of an airplane with the Dallas canopy, the third has the Inglewood type.
I won’t call you crazy-I sat here with both pressed to my eyeball and the differences were so slight, only a flea would really notice on the 1/72nd scale! Larger scales, perhaps!
As far as the rub’n’buff stuff, anyone else here ever use it? I wonder if HL stocks it? And do decals and paint adhere to it?
My one other question is this:
I said I wasn’t going to start this kit, yet… Why have I just spent the last 2 hours researching the Tamiya color conversions, noting everything on an index card, laid the sprues, instructions and AM Aeromaster decals I plan to use, out on my desk? Plus the required bottles of paint have been lined up on the desk and much time was spent just studying everything over and over…
I swear I’m NOT going to start this Kit! Really! I mean it! (Let’s see…when I get off work, I can dash down a bit of dinner, and then prep the cockpit parts for painting… Then I can dry fit some of the other assemblies and…) Woah!! Was I just now thinking out loud? I’m just not going to start this kit yet! No![;)][8-)]
I just recently finished a 1/48 Tam D, while the differences are slight, you can tell the canopies are different in 1/48 scale. The Hasegawa kit has both canopies as well.
email me your address and i’ll send you some rub’n’buff if you can’t find it locally. i’m on facebook- stephen spain- drop me a line on there.
Yeah, I got the 1/48 rather bland Hasegawa Swiss P-51(Don’t get your hopes up… I didn’t buy it… it was a VERY much-appreciated gift from a member here [t$t]) and the tell-tale “Dallas canopy-bulge” at the very rear, where the canopy meets the frame, is readily apparent… You can also feel it quite easily running your finger over it…