1/72 Italeri P-51D Mustang

[flyjoe180]

[ATTACH]94184.IPB[/ATTACH]

This kit had been sitting at the bottom of my stash for some time. Kit No.6807 is one of a very small range of 'Italian Special' kits and I got it cheap in a sale. I'd read bad things about the Italeri P-51D, and comparing it to new-tool Airfix Mustangs, it certainly has some obvious pitfalls.
I didn't want an Italian Mustang, so I looked at options and, via another previous purchase, discovered I had some Eagle Strike decals for the 'Checker Tail Clan' (325th FG USAAF). I selected Major Grant Smith's 'Double Nuthin'' as I had read about him already.

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The build started with the wings and cockpit. One of the well known negatives of this kit are the ill-fitting machine gun panels, which come as inserts into the leading edge. Required a lot of cleaning up and work to make them flush and tidy again:

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The cockpit was actually quite nice, albeit with absent sidewall detail. I wanted an easy build, so kept it simple here. This was perhaps the most enjoyable part of the build:

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The fuselage went together nicely, no problems here with minimal fuss with the exception of the underside area around the mid-fuselage:

[ATTACH]94189.IPB[/ATTACH]


Then the wings were fitted. You can see some filling would be required here, and those awful gun panels:

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Filling time:

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Aftermath:

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More to come...

[flyjoe180]

The canopy was masked and pre-painted in interior green:

[ATTACH]94194.IPB[/ATTACH]


Another pitfall of this kit is the windshield. It comes with part of the nose immediately forward attached. Great idea, but unfortunately it doesn't fit flush:

[ATTACH]94195.IPB[/ATTACH]


I toyed with the idea of filing the edges down to fit, but a dry test with the rear canopy section shows this is not possible. So I attached the rear part and went about blending the front section into the nose:

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Prime time:

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And then it was off for painting...

[flyjoe180]

And this is where the will to continue with this kit was tested to the limit of my patience.

A shot of Humbrol silver, all good at this point in time:

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The effect of a turpentine spill:

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The turpentine ate the paint in various places, some plastic on the wing surfaces, and also some of my filler. A few days later I lightly sanded it where I could, replaced some lost detail (except the wings, they would just have to remain smooth which is not entirely untrue for some real life P-51D Mustangs) and re primed.

[ATTACH]94202.IPB[/ATTACH]


The reapplied silver wasn't without flaws, as the turpentine had really eaten the plastic badly in some areas. This was fast becoming one of those builds that you don't want to share. I proceeded anyway. Olive drab cowl area and yellow wing tips and tail section as required for the chosen scheme, then masked off and the silver sprayed on again:

[ATTACH]94203.IPB[/ATTACH]


The result:

[ATTACH]94204.IPB[/ATTACH]

[flyjoe180]

The airframe was then mated with the landing gear and propeller assembly:

[ATTACH]94205.IPB[/ATTACH]


Then it was a gloss coat followed by decals. The gloss helped to blend the imperfections and hide some of the terrible scars the Mustang had endured. The Eagle Strike decals were very thin, I don't recall any real issues with them except for some confusion over some stencil placements:

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[flyjoe180]

Masking removed after a satin coat and the Mustang is almost ready:

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Not my best work by any means, and certainly not the enjoyable build I was seeking. The turpentine issue was my fault, but the kit as a 'simple' build is certainly no winner. The colourful markings help to detract from the terrible paint job and marks left by my mistakes.

Completed thread to follow in due course.

[Guest]

You have done a great model Joe.

The final result is really fine, and you have solved all the pitfalls with an excellent result

Very nice!

[flyjoe180]

Thanks Polux. I'll try to get some 'glamour' shots of it in the completed section later. I very nearly did not post this build, it's been sitting there looking at me for a few months ops:

[Guest]

I'm glad that you did post this one Joe - the ability to overcome problems is the mark of a good model maker I always think.

And that's a very nice Mustang!

[john i am]

Great recovery Joe I really like it well done mate

[monica]

Great recovery Joe, how close was it to finding a new home in the bin lol,

nice and clean and do like the making you have picked very well done,

[Guest]

Nicely recovered and finished Joe really like the Mustang and the way you stuck at this and turned it around, nice work.

[Dave W]

It's turned out nice despite the problems you had. I've made countless mistakes on models myself.Ive learned its best to resist the temptation to throw it at the wall (I did that once!.) and just leave it for a week or two before continuing with the build as you have done.

[Guest]

Good job on that one. I too also built this one, and I found it had problems on the machine guns as well. Good to see you managed to work around it though.

JOhn

[Alan 45]

Very nice joe and you showed some good skill there to get it back into shape nice one

If it had been me it would have been a crashed and rusted hulk

[The Migrant]

Great recovery Joe, the finished piece looks great, especially considering the turps spill. (If you can face another P-51 build I'd highly recommend the new tool Airfix kit, which is so much nicer than the Italeri kit.)