Ace Of Spades Tamiya 1/32 Scale P-51D Mustang, BUILDING HAS BEGUN!

ModelMakerMike said:
Ace!
I feel your pain!
:(
I have done similar things.....Painted excruciating details....that end up never being seen, HOWEVER, You have shown all of us that great engine work, we have seen it, appreciated it, and were impressed. You know it's in there, WE know it's in there....That may not be consolation enough, but better than no-one EVER seeing all the hard work you did on it! ;D
My heart broke a little bit for ya when I read your post about gluing the cowling on.....

You are tearing this build up! I mean going through it quickly!
Don't get discouraged!
If there is a bogie on your 6, we'll handle it!!!!!
;D ;D ;D

thanks bud, no bogie on my six anymore... i think he is just a flaming part of the scenery... i took my time to take a breather... and i can fix all the issues i am having no problem, still wont be able to show the engine, but with all the other amazing details this kit comes with, i don't think that will be a issue, the cockpit still looks amazing, that was accomplishment for me, making it look so real, and it will be competitive with everyone ellses work when she is done, i will be happy with her.
 
TRM said:
Playing a little catch-up here, since I was off all day yesterday!! Really going to town on this ACE!!!

Patience is the key my friend!!! It is a shame the engine will be unseen, but you know it was done!!! Always better to step back and take a breather no and then...clear the cobwebs and come back to it!!! Rested eyes see things a lot better!!! Your getting there....keep it rolling!! ;)

thats right, as the greates aces say, sometimes if your in a fight you cant win, you got to exit the fight, and if you can't win the fight go home and fight another day, or find a way to win the fight, in this case i have... and i will win!
 
PROGRESS!
screw all this discuragement, its down in flames... progress is here guys... this time with the wings, it is one little step, that took a lot of effort!

HISTORY LESSON!
the one feature of the P-51 Mustang that probably distinguished it from every other fighter in its class, and probably what made it such a stellar performer, was its wings. as many of you may know the P-51 featured Laminar flow wings, which reduced drag, with very little sacrifice to lift, to no sacrifice to lift at higher speeds. its thickest point instead of being more towards the leading edge, was focused more towards the center... and it had some slight curvature too the bottom. this allowed smoother air flow over the wings, once again with little sacrifice to lift.



you see every little rib.... i had to glue every little one... Gendels thank you so much for the tweezers... LOL! the warn weathering scratches where done with some dry brushed model masters Aluminum, the interior green done with Model Masters Acrylics... and the lines where done with model masters aluminom and Testers rubber...

DSCF2251.jpg

each little exhaust tip was glued into the shroud... one buy irritating one, not a issue, if this takes weeks, so be it, it will be done right, and it will be done right the first time, if i DIE TRYING!!! aves apoxie sculpt will fix that stupid seem, or maybe some MR surficer.. once again THANK YOU GRENDELS!

DSCF2252.jpg
 
Coming in a bit late here Ace. Gee, you're really making some huge strides on this build. Looking good man! Sorry you had a few issues but hey, that's all a standard part of the hobby eh? The important thing is that you took a break to recharge and refocus. Looks like you are back in the zone now! Keep up the the good work and keep the updates coming. I will enjoy seeing this beast come together!
 
Late to the show on this Ace..., you have been a busy man!
Bummer about that engine, that was looking sharp! Looks like you got a solid handle on everything else. This one is gonna be sweet!!!!
 
Are you going to shave the rivets from the wings like most operational p51s? I think tamiya molded them as they came from the factory, but surely with all the other modifications atom fusion made, the wing would be smooth in order to reduce drag and get the most from the laminar flow wings.
 
@Fumblethumbs
it was a good idea to take a break

@Myke
better late than never...

@whiskee
Atom Fusion made few modifications too his aircraft, besides the paint on his last P-51D Mustang, the black orange and red one, there where only a few differences. Later P-51s where equipped with all sorts of extra "Upgrades", such as a Gyroscopic Gunsights... all sorts of these upgrades added weight too the mustang, degrading its performance. Atom only added upgrades that benefited the aircrafts performance. the mirrors that some pilots added too the top of the canopy he rejected, but he never did anything more that any other pilot would have done...

there are rivets in the wings, but they are very fine... yes, the mustangs wings where very smooth, i think they put something over the wings to make the panel lines smaller and hide the rivets, making the wings smooth... what i could do is sand the wings down... get rid of the rivets, plan to do that, but not now... just building her, one little step at the time, lots to doo before i did that.
 
Yea i would just LIGHTLY sand the wings down a bit and let a coat of paint do the rest..
 
Firepower!

Armament
6 wing mounted Browning AN/M2 .50 Caliber machine guns, 400 rounds per gun in the inward pair of guns, 270 rounds per gun in the outboard and center pairs of guns, a total of 1,880 rounds of ammunition if fully loaded with ammunition.

AN/M2 .50 Caliber machine gun
Caliber (.50 Caliber 12.7MM "1/2 inch")
Rate of fire (750-800RPM)
Muzzle Velocity (2,700FPS)
Munitions available. (BMG Ball, Tracer, Armor Piercing, API Armor Piercing Incendiary.)

DSCF2253.jpg
guns are done guys... well almost, a little more work here and there, and then it will be done, i have the wings mostly assembled.
 
Oh is that ever cool Ace! This kit is something else eh! I assume Tamiyas Spitfire and Zero 1/32 kits are just as awesome??
 
fumblethumbs said:
Oh is that ever cool Ace! This kit is something else eh! I assume Tamiyas Spitfire and Zero 1/32 kits are just as awesome??

i have seen the Tamiya 1/32 spitfire, it is really nice as well... yes, but this is still not done... in fact i plan to do some touch ups before i go to bed... so more in a hour so guys... XD
 
Myke said:
Awesome. You are wasting no time on this.

Are the barrels a separate part?

no... but, the machine guns come in halves and parts for them as well... you have to assemble them buy hand, then put them in, this kit is very detailed and very down to the little detail, the details themselves at times have to be installed.

what i am sort of dissapointed with though, where there is photo etch... you don't even get to see the nice photo etch details, in the gun assembly there are photo etch parts... but for some reason they make it so you cant see the photo etch parts. ???
 
sorry bud XD

anyhow, i did a few little touch ups... and here is what the guns look like now.
DSCF2254.jpg
think this looks a little better don't you guys?

ok here is my progress so far... i would say the airplane is almost.... half done.
DSCF2255.jpg
 
Looking good Ace. Man that scale is just awesome.

You know what they say. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
 
Hi again, Dan,

I´m amazed, you´re modelling @ awesome speed... ;) take it easy, or you´ll finish her before weekend! ;D

I have a doubt, Dan: are you going to model her with the landing gear either retracted or down ??

As I can see almost all of your planes are displayed in "fliying" mode (gear retracted - I´m of the opinion that planes look more "natural" if displayed fliying)... then you have the option to get one of this:

http://flightpose.com/

Keep on, Dan ;)
RG
 
Jelly said:
Hi again, Dan,

I´m amazed, you´re modelling @ awesome speed... ;) take it easy, or you´ll finish her before weekend! ;D

I have a doubt, Dan: are you going to model her with the landing gear either retracted or down ??

As I can see almost all of your planes are displayed in "fliying" mode (gear retracted - I´m of the opinion that planes look more "natural" if displayed fliying)... then you have the option to get one of this:

http://flightpose.com/

Keep on, Dan ;)
RG

my answer is... both... the kit comes with a option of either... and i am going to do my best for both.. if not gear down, beacuse i want to put it in a glass display case when i can.
 
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