Ron's Academy 1/72 Mustang F-51D.

[spanner570]

Here's my entry. Sorry Lee, no box.
What can you expect for £5 - Delivered....

The Mustang represented by this model, nicknamed "Was that too fast" is an F-51D from the 12th FBSq,, 18th FBGp. based at Chinhae Korea in late 1952.



Cheers.
Ron

[spanner570]

No takers?
Ah well, onwards and upward......

Ready for the aluminium paint.









Cheers.
Ron

[Jim R]

That went together quickly Ron. Cockpit looks nice and the fit must have been OK 'cos I can't see no filla!!

[JR]

570 give some of us time to get here, I've been out all morning .
Very nice, when will the current Mrs Spanner be hurling this for photos ? make haste as the weather is due to change next week..

Yours 453

[yak face]

Fast work that man , these academy kits are usually a clean, trouble free build , very nice to put together . One thing , is the fin fillet a separate piece? I ask because the photo on the instructions and the decal placement drawing both show one but the model hasnt got one .

[Mini Me]

570!! stop it , you're making me look bad......you've only been at this for about 15 minutes and you went by me like I was sitting on the guard rail! Incidentally I worked with a fella at United Airlines who was a Mechanic in that Group.....showed me pictures of the birds in his outfit that were taken back in the days when I was still filling my britches! :tongue-out3:

[Ian M]

Bugger! I blinked and I missed it. lol
Tony makes a point about the tail filet doo dah. Could it be a loose part or has the seller done a fast one..

[stillp]

Give us all a chance Ron! Just saw this and you've almost finished...
Pete

[spanner570]

Thanks for the nice posts, everyone. The contents of which I've inwardly digested.

Welcome aboard to what looks like a rather short lived flight. Due entirely to the fact that this Academy kit is just superb. All I've had to do is remove the very small bits where the parts join the sprues. First time fit for every single part. One of the best I've come across and very well recommended.

Fast work that man , these academy kits are usually a clean, trouble free build , very nice to put together . One thing , is the fin fillet a separate piece? I ask because the photo on the instructions and the decal placement drawing both show one but the model hasnt got one .

Tony, your post saved the day. I've developed a bad habit of snipping off bits of the sprues that no longer contain parts and binning them. In a pathetic attempt at my own mitigation, I am used to modelling aircraft that have no fillets or which are moulded in, so missed them completely through not reading the instructions properly, Consequently, I threw away what I thought was an empty sprue. On reading your comments, I rooted around in the (Luckily) small bin in my den and there were the two small halves of the tail fillet still attached to the discarded sprue! So thank you loads. :thumb2: Tunnocks on me, if we ever get to Cosford, that is!



On with the build.....
I always brush paint my stuff, so using a nice big flat headed brush, I've first coated the aircraft. I had a choice of ordinance. Drop tanks or Napalm. For a change, I went for those abominations, the napalms. These I painted separately, then stuck on after the overall coat of Vallejo Model Air Aluminium. I then gave the top engine cowl a coat of matt black and before it dried completely, I gently 'Stroked' the damp paint with a wire brush to induce a scratched and slightly worn surface. I've also added some ever so slight streaking to the wing surfaces by laying off the wet paint in the direction of the wind flow. I've also started painting the yellow bits where required.


Here is my Mustang, with it's first coat of Vallejo Air Aluminium.











Second coat to come and then I will touch up any wayward brush marks.

Cheers and once again, a big thank you to Tony!

Ron

[Jim R]

Looking good Ron. Laying off brush strokes in the wind flow direction is a very effective technique.

rooted around in the (Luckily) small bin in my den and there were the two small halves of the tail fillet still attached to the discarded sprue!

Lucky you're an untidy b****r who doesn't empty the bin until it's overflowing :smiling:

[yak face]

Looking excellent matey , the aluminium is spot on , cheers tony

[spanner570]

Thanks Jim and Tony.


Although I could have just got away with one coat, I brushed on another!
This was before Tony mentioned the wayward fillet.









The cockpit canopy will be closed, but I thought some sort of excuse for a safety harness would not be out of place, and marginally better than now't. (Comments on a postcard to.....) I made it from the instructions paper, cut into very thin strips and marked with a sharp pencil.



I've also noticed there is a need for some 'Tidying up' of the aloominum....

Cheers.
Ron

P.S. Before I loose it again, the fillet was stuck on today, so rest easy chaps.

[Mini Me]

Bang up job on the belts 570.....light years ahead of my efforts.

[The Smythe Meister]

Oooops,
Another build I've missed until now !! Looking very nice indeed there Ron
Looks strikingly like mine's regalia..... although It's not at your advanced stage yet,good stuff mate

[adt70hk]

Ron

Sorry missed the start of this..... Work has been mental!

Coming on very nicely indeed.

Very well done.

Andrew