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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

Tamiya P-51D, easy bake & shake.


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Well, my fleet of P-40’s pissed in my cornflakes again! So m taking a sanity break to do something that does not require too much effort, other than the 350+ parts. Which isn’t a big deal as long as they go together without pain. And to further make it easy, no decals, no painted NMF. I am building their plated version, which combined with tamiya surface and fit quality, hopefully will be a stunner.

 

So here is what I'm building...

 

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I’ll also be using the HGW wet transfers, and Brassin wheels & tires, and finally, Montex paint masks.

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I got started a few nights ago by screwing it all up. Yes, I used the Spitfire parts on the Mustang engine. Thankfully, it was only a couple of hours after I glued them on that I noticed and was able to pry off the offending parts. After fixing, I added ignition tubing, drilled holes to add ignition wires, oil lines, and coolant tubing. I am also going to try and replicate the linkages for the carb and boost controller.

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I'll be following your build with great interest, I'm sure there's a lot I can learn from it.

I have a couple of Tamiya Spits, Mustangs and Corsairs in my stash, but shy away from building one them. They're engines are too beautiful IMHO to be hidden unterneath some covers, but adding detail to them for me is like waiting for my Mother in Law to visit.

So I'm looking forward to further progress.

Lothar

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Yep, me too. I'm following this one with serious interest. I remeber "chromed" plastic on model cars and truck kits from the 70s, and the big plastic bare spot that always was present after the parts were cut off the sprues.

When this kit came out, I thought it was a typical Tamiya toy gimmick. So we'll see in real time.

Build on, Sir!

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To be honest, this stuff is not like other model chrome. This really looks like aluminum in person, and Tamiya’s addendum in the instructions, says you can buff the finish. I imagine this is some kind of vapor deposition of aluminum. You will see as I get farther along. There are a few seams to contend with, I will probably have to paint leading edges. I will se what that entails, possibly Molitow or Xtream Metals. I will do some experimenting later. I will be either painting or using HGW wet transfers for all markings, so no need to worry about carrier film. 

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15 minutes ago, 1to1scale said:

my 6yo was off annoying the dog or setting fire to bugs, I don’t know...

Good thing he wasn't annoying the bugs and setting fire to the dog! :lol:

As for the Merlin, the wiring looks good. You may want to test fit the cowling frames to make sure it clears them though. I know that's been an issue for some folks. 

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Small update...I spent a few hours yesterday and today doing a little painting, still have more detail painting to go before I can start weathering, and then need to fit a pilot to the cockpit. Next I need to find a paint that matches the plated finish, I tried my metal air colors and found a couple that are sort of close, but I’m going to spray out some Xtream Metal and see how they look. 

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