Ian M' Mk.IV Mustang. Airfix 1/48.

[KarlW]

Looking at Mark’s diagram Ian, most of the airframe is actually painted with silver paint rather than polished bare metal. I would then say that the painted areas would be shinier and brighter (literally like silver paint) than the bare metal areas. These would be a duller aluminium colour.

Correct, after doing more reading today, airframe was actually filled and faired, primed zinc chromate then painted silver. So chipping from silver through zinc chromate then silver.....

[Ian M]

Looking at Mark’s diagram Ian, most of the airframe is actually painted with silver paint rather than polished bare metal. I would then say that the painted areas would be shinier and brighter (literally like silver paint) than the bare metal areas. These would be a duller aluminium colour.

Well its a good thing I am not building that one then ! LOL

If I'm going to have to paint the whole thing, I might as well do a camouflage version!
So All the panel lines and rivets need filling and sanding as well then.....
That ain't going to happen.

[Ian M]

Looking at Mark’s diagram Ian, most of the airframe is actually painted with silver paint rather than polished bare metal.

I'm no expert but that is not quite correct. The wings Yes but not the whole airframe.
Found this which puts things nice and clear.
So for the sake of this discussion:

Yes I knicked the picture from another forum. full credit to the Book and Author as shown in the picture.

[yak face]

Well its a good thing I am not building that one then ! LOL

If I'm going to have to paint the whole thing, I might as well do a camouflage version!
So All the panel lines and rivets need filling and sanding as well then.....
That ain't going to happen.

It was only the leading edges of the wings that had the joints filled Ian , and only the wings that were painted ( plus the elevators and rudder) everything else was natural aluminium , not necessarily a polished one either . Very few had a shiny finish after a few months of service, just a bright aluminium colour . Dont forget most pics we see of nat metal mustangs are restored warbirds that have been buffed to within an inch of their lives . Cheers tony

[Ian M]

well glad that's cleared up then...

[Ian M]

Right then. Have a bit of time this AM so into the cave...
Lets get this out the way: Dear Mr. Airfix, I am soooo sorry for this:

Using my new found knowledge about the faffing about drag reducing filling and smoothing of the wing rivets and panels, I set about deleting all the fine crisp detail that Airfix had made such a great job of adding.


Top of left wing.

...and the right one.
The ones I have 'missed' are the machinegun panels and other service points. Talking of. Anyone know what the groups of three 'cross like' things are and what their purpose was?

Most of the big parts are sorted already:

And now able to start throwing some paint around... When it gets here lol. I ordered some Yellow chromate for some of the areas that will be seen. The Cockpit will be Green though as even the American pilots hated sitting in the bright Yellow.. And not to mention it was rather toxic as well.
Sumising the info gleaned from the article Tim linked to, the zinc chromate was quite translucent. this affected the colour depending what it was painted over. It was, apparently, also photochromatic. The more sunlight it got the greener it got.
The green chromate used in the cockpit was made green by the addition of lamp black. (lol remember that from the 'night-black thread). I though have some cockpit green paint!

The two "sink marks" near the end of the corrugated hose are in fact details ! Beware.
The two sink marks in the recessed sides/panels are just that. sink marks. Top point for Airfix once built they are 100% out of sight!
Right now its putting smaller parts together and or cleaning them up.

Then getting them ready for primer...

Still tons of parts left on the sprues yet.

Comments as alwayz welcome.

[yak face]

Looks a lovely kit Ian , Airfix are really upping their game with their new releases.

[Ian M]

Looks a lovely kit Ian , Airfix are really upping their game with their new releases.

Hand over heart, this builds as well as any Tamiya I have done and the fit is just as good. The plastic is a bit softer but I have never really seen that as an issue.

[colin m]

I set about deleting all the fine crisp detail that Airfix had made such a great job of adding.

Braver than me. My model will depict an aircraft that has been in service for a while and hence lost all its filler. Ok, I'm lazy but look at those lovely wings - I just can't do it, I can't fill them in.

[Mickc1440]

Looking really good Ian, definitely is nicely detailed

[Ian M]

Right then folks.
Panel lines. Here we are building away and we accidently get a micron of filler in a panel line. Befor you can say Ballcocks, half the panel lines in the kit are full of the stuff and the only way its coming out again is with a panel scriber. Except when that is what you want to do.
As shown on the photo in my last post, the detail to be deleted was given a very carefully applied coat of filler. This was left to cure over night and then sanded back, Then fill all the bits that came out, in again. Wait, sand hmm.... prime. first the panel lines then the whole wing, then the panel lines again. and again..... then once more. Wet sanded back to smooth things off. 90% of the detail is gone.... so that will have to do. The bottom might get done tomorrow
Any how:

Almost gone, but can just be made out...Will get another primer coat once glued to the fuselage.

I'm quite glad this is getting painted painted and not painted bare metal. lol. More scratches than a flea bitten dog.

He is what the underside looks like after sanding. The two buff dots are fillers for the holes for the tank mounts... I sort of ran one over with the chair.... ops.

I guess I dont need to paint the tanks now lol. This lot is mostly waiting for a coat of gloss black base...the rest will be getting ordinary silver paint or white Alu Alclad II
Some of the last bits in need of primer...

then its mask the canopies.... yeah!
To be continued....

[Tim Marlow]

Going along very well Ian. Brave of you to delete all that great detail. But it will make your build stand out amongst the crowd….

[yak face]

Nice work Ian , cheers tony

[Ian M]

Cheers chaps. It did hurt a bit. lol.
I find that this "simple" build is throwing all kinds of curve balls at me!
Latest snippet gleaned off the interweb. direct from a pilot that fly's a 'stang in response to the laminar flow thing with the panels and rivets all being flat and filled, then painted...
"Toward the end of the war, they where so busy getting them off the assembly line and to the front, the wings often just had the rivets smoothed over and that was it"..... NOOOOOOOooooooooooo.

NEVER research a build. just do it. lol.

[Ian M]

NOOOOOooooo! (2,0)

Think I forgot something
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Hmm thought I turned this picture round...