Academy 1/72 P-51 Mustang B/C

[jwt708]

Hello! Wanted to share my progress with the group.



Just primer here on the cockpit interior. Hindsight what it is, I feel like I should have masked off the exterior, I did not.



I glued the tail on and painted the interior colors. This was before weathering. I also overestimated my ability to paint the instrument panel so it won't be much to look at. After this I gloss coated the interior, did an oil wash (first time ever!), and then sealed it.



Not much to look at but there were a couple spots I wanted to touch up on the interior. From there I glued the two fuselage halves together and used some Frog Tape to try and hold it together. I will be getting some clamps! I also assembled the wings.

Fingers crossed that tomorrow the seam won't be too bad and I'll be getting started on the glass. Going for an open cockpit and I want to try masking off the clear parts.

 

[jwt708]

Well my taping of the fuselage and wings was not enough to get a good bond between sections. I did find a few clamps and reglued the sections, hoping for a better bond tomorrow.

 

[jwt708]

Work continues slowly. I filled the gaps (not many!), sanded, them tried to attach the wings to the fuselage. Very tight fit! Will get some pictures shortly but it's starting to look like a plane.

 

[TimM63]

Well my taping of the fuselage and wings was not enough to get a good bond between sections. I did find a few clamps and reglued the sections, hoping for a better bond tomorrow.

Clothes pins for wings and rubber bands for fuselage.

 

[jwt708]

Clothes pins for wings and rubber bands for fuselage.

Thank you!

Actually that's what I did the second time - rubber bands on the fuselage.

Clothespins would have been better than the clamps, I was worried the clamps would damage the wings so I only used them on the thicker parts.

 

[Bear43]

That's the reason I like clothespins, they are a lot more gentle on those thin areas.

 

[jwt708]

Well had some pretty severe gaps in the fuselage and at the wing roots. Used some super glue to get the wing sections back together. I'm going to wait on the fuselage until I get some extra thin cement.

 

[jwt708]

This section will be a problem for me because I don't know how to deal with it being recessed.



This part separated. I was irritated and decided to put it down before I made things worse.

It will be there tomorrow.

 

[Pantherman]

View attachment 113326

This section will be a problem for me because I don't know how to deal with it being recessed.

View attachment 113328

This part separated. I was irritated and decided to put it down before I made things worse.

It will be there tomorrow.

Always a good suggestion. Take time out. Pantherman

 

[jwt708]

Went back to this model after completing my Bulldog. Got the two fuselage sections together and started working on the landing gear. I messed up and glued one of the landing gears the wrong way!





Maybe I should remove the gear doors until after I paint them?

 

[Down Time]

Looking good!

 

[the Baron]

...Maybe I should remove the gear doors until after I paint them?

Yeah, my own preference is to leave things like that off till everything else is done, as much as is possible. They can get broken off relatively easily. Landing gear doors, landing gear, pitot tubes, ordnance loads, etc.

 

[Rob]

View attachment 113326

This section will be a problem for me because I don't know how to deal with it being recessed.

View attachment 113328

This part separated. I was irritated and decided to put it down before I made things worse.

It will be there tomorrow.

I noticed when you painted the interior you got paint on the line where you're going to glue it together later. Did you scrape off that paint before you glued? Maybe that's why you're having trouble getting the two halves to stay together? Sometimes a small piece of tape wherever you're going to glue will keep paint off it.