P-51D Mustang, Belgian Air Force *RESTART*

[Spey_Phantom]

ok, after some thought, i came up with the perfect entry for the 1 week GB  
the model im gonna use is the old Revell 1/72 P-51D Mustang, in combination with DACO Decals Spitfire decalsheet.

for color scheme, im thinking all-metal with yellow (or orange/dayglo) trim  
same as that used by the Spitfire Mk.XIVe in post-war Belgian service.

pictures of the kit and decals soon...

[Spey_Phantom]

here's a pic of the kit and the decals i will be using  
i was planning on using the newer Airfix 1/72 P-51D kit, but imholding that one back for another project.
i had the Revell kit laying here in front of me, not knowing what to do with it, since i couldnt build anything really good within a one week timeframe (taking into account personal errands/chores) i think this will have to suffice.

as for markings, im thinking 3 Smaldeel (tailcode YL-G)

but this is an old kit/moulding, so half the timewill be going into removing flash  

[Dizzyfugu]

Oh, yeah, THAT kit is horrible... but the project sounds interesting, will surely be a pretty bird. 

[KiwiZac]

This will be fun! Great idea Nils.

[Captain Canada]

Cool. I love Belgian roundels on anything, and they will look especially good on a Mustang !

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE:

looking further into the kit, it is a dog, even the landinggear is innaccurate, ive seen older kits from the 50s that were better then this one  
the cockpit is even more basic then basic, but i dont have the time to scratchbuild a good one. the propellor is horribly moulded, i had to do a lot of sanding to get the moulding errors out. im really expecting the worst for the landing gear, in my eyes this kit isnt even a mustang.

anyways, the cockpit (or what appears to be a cockpit) s already built and painted, the props in a first basic layer to, gonna detail that tomorrow. the cockpit sides and wheelbays have also recieved a first layer of cockpit green.

im gonna try to do my best to make it look good, but you can polish a turd, its still a turd  
i wish ive gone out and get an Academy or Airfix version instead  

pictures:

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE:

after a dry fit, i found that these is a HUGE gap between the wings and the fuselage, the kit it so bad, i have decided to SCRAP this build and start over with a new Airfix 1/72 P-51D "Red Tails" kit .
the Revell P-51D will be put aside, awaiting its faith, either a a side project or to be scrapped.

pulling out the Airfix kit, the first thing im gonna do is start on the cockpit assembly, from the sprues alone i can say it looks a thousand times better then the Revell version. i can believe how bad theyre P-51D is, while theyre P-51B is excellent.

[Weaver]

Brave move: best of luck with it. 

[Spey_Phantom]

Last update for today 

as i said, i pressed the reset buton this project as the Revell kit was much to bad to be any good 
so i decided to pull out the Airfix 1/72 P-51D i was saving for another project (can always get another one later).



since i have a lot of catching up to do, i will have to speed things up, so certain parts will only get one layer of paint instead of 2, the outside will still have 2 or more layers.

so, i started with the sides of the cockpit, one layer, might put on a second one tomorrow.



inside of the cockpit, first layer, second one tomorrow.



so much catching up to do 



anyway, to show you how bad the fitt is with the revell kit, just look at these gaps,
dumping this model into the rubbishbin is propably for the best 

[kitbasher]

Bad luck with the Revell P-51.  It really is a dog of a clapped out kit. But then again I think it has always been the worst if the 1/72 Mustangs - even the original Airfix P-51D.

Good luck with the current kit!

[kerick]

All those lines of rivets on the wings are not even close to reality! I'd keep the main parts for whiffing but yeah, that kit is a dog.

[Dizzyfugu]

Oh, that gaps remind me of my Heller Spitfire. Looked similar, and filling these was a PITA. 

Brave decision - good luck with the restart!

[Spey_Phantom]

UPDATE:

stayed up late last night to finish the painting on the cockpit parts, so the whole thing could be put together this morning.
the Airfix Mustang is one of the best ive ever seen, the fit is perfect and the details are excellent, cant wait to start on theyre new Tigermoth (planned as Thunderbird 6).

i just finished putting all the main parts together. what i really like about this kit, is the option to place elevated or lowered flaps 
just to have a bit of difference on the shelves, ive fitted the flaps in a lowered position. next up is the gear doors and parts of the landing gear, i hope to start on the main paintwork tonight or tomorrow 

here's a pic of how she is now:

[Spey_Phantom]

more progress 

the wheels and  the second part of the landing gear doors are painted, allong with the exhausts.



a view of the underside of the model, the Airfix kit is a recommended build, its a real gem 
i might get a few more of these in the future 



while i was looking for the paint, little Cthulhu came over to help me, so i put him on surface cleaning duty and prep the model for painting



and here we see him dry fitting the propellor.
ive painted the spinner green, to denote the aircraft is flown by 3 Smaldeel at Florennes Air Base.
(note: back in the days, the Belgian spitfires had different colored spinners to help identify the unit they were flying with)
m might have to get more voulenteer helpers for future project 

[Supertom]

Looks like the Airfix Mustang is a lot better for your sanity too. Glad it's back on track.

So is the Lego figure...The Spirit of Greg Ewald?