1/48 ACC. MIN. A-36 Apache ''Piggy III''

[zaxos345]

Good evening guys, it's high time i posted something here, but it is also a high time i dealt with a model!! Anyway, before i return to my A-7H build i decided to test my abilities with another project. So i am back with a model i cope for some time now.
The kit is known to everyone 1/48 Accurate Miniatures A-36

The aftermarkets....

As well as modex masks for ''Piggy III''

the actual Piggy...

As always i begun my work from the cockpit which for this kit was wrong as Acc. Min. is based on the surviving XP-51 which was a heavily modified Mustang Mk.I, not good for the A-36. So i shaved everything out and build a new one from items from the part fret and plastic...

Painted, and weathered...

......

 

[zaxos345]

Next, landing gear legs...

Then i glued plastic strips below the dive brakes and also glued the guns before i close the wings, i test fitted and i found it difficult to put them afterwards (sorry no image of the guns!)

The small heat shrinking tubes you see on the guns is to protect them!

 

[zaxos345]

Next i dealt with the landing lights, i closed the gap with epoxy putty, i used drills to depict the light holes, i paint them glossy black, next chrome silver, all black surrounding, next i covered them with the clear part, sanding polishing and finally masking for the paint. I forgot to take pics of all the procedure

I have seen many building the A-36 model but forget to put the recognition light to the right place under the fuselage and not below the wing, so i removed them from the wing and placed them to the right place. Unfortunately i also dont have pics of all the procedure. I drilled the holes under the fuselage, painted them gloss black, chrome silver put a drop of epoxy glue on them and afterwards i panted them with the clear colors!!

it was time to glue the cockpit parts and close the fuselage...

 

[fubar57]

Nicely done John

 

[zaxos345]

I attached the wings and treat the small gaps with tamiya putty thinned with leveling thinners

next it was time for the wind screen and canopy...I separated the vacform canopy, glued some part items for detail, masked then inside and outside and painted them. It was a PITA but i think it worth the pain I also prepared the quickboost gun sight!

Finnaly, i painted the inner windshield frame with Bronze Green i added the gunsight, the seat and the windshield which is painted only from the inside...

 

[zaxos345]

I needed to putty the windscreen, for that i used miliput, the white one, i think is called fine. I trimmed it with water in order to have as less sanding as possible!
After that, as i had blurred the windscreen with the sanding, i brushed some fresh future and everything dissappeared!

Letting the puttied windscreen to cure, i dealt with the bombs. I dissolved some tamiya putty with leveling thinner and applied it with a brush over the body of the bombs to simulate the rough texture of it, then i painted them!

It was not my plan to rivet her but it seemed too plain to my eyes, so...i riveted her, i think that the outcome is much better!!!

 

[zaxos345]

Mr. surfacer 1500 black....

First i dealt with the propeller random....

After that it was time for the underside mrpaint Neutral grey 43....

...AK extreme metal aluminium first on the upper side, for chipping purposes, followed by AK work effects fluid...

And after that, different shades of mrpaint olive drab 41 followed by chipping with a toothpick and/or a small stiff brush...

After that it was time for the yellow wing bands and the code munbers. A lot and patient masking to achive that...As you can see i photocopied the insignia in order to place the montex masks accurately...and yes i am very happy with the result!! The yellow is the chrome yellow paint from my favorite enamel paints, white ensign!

 

[zaxos345]

I painted the white line on the vertical stabilizer as well as the ''P'' on both sides trying to replicate the brush leftovers.

In this image you can notice some small maps i added in the cockpit and in the map case and a small family picture on the instruments panel...

Gloss varnish, my trusty Tamiya X-22, decals, and gloss varnish again to seal everything. The detail decals are from montex, absolutely beautiful and extremely thin ones, and the insignia from fundekals, also top notch quality from cartograph!! I also assembled the spinner with the propeller, it isn't glued yet, only there for the photoes...

Nest step, wash, seal everything with semi gloss varnish, color modulation with oils and general weathering...

 

[zaxos345]

After the gloss i started with the wash....i tried to use different wash shades...in order not to get a uniform one...

After this stage i sprayed a semi matt varnish, to seal everything and i started the weathering process using only oils, (dry brush, dot filters...etc.)

I placed the exhausts and dealt with the exhaust stains, only oils here too..

As you can see i unmasked the windscreenand i put the landing gear...dont know for you but for me to place the landing on a P-51 correctly is a bit tricky!!

 

[zaxos345]

And here is the finished ''lady''. I know i own more decent photoes!!! Thaks for watching, it is nice to come back!!!
I wish you all Merry Holly Days, health and happiness!!
John

 

[fubar57]

Great weathering.

 

[zaxos345]

Thanks George!!

 

[Wurger]

Well done.

 

[Gnomey]

Looks good so far!

 

[Airframes]

Very nicely done.

 

[zaxos345]

Thank you all guys!!!

John

 

[Crimea_River]

Very nice model. I've yet to try dot filtering, Looks like you have mastered it John.

 

[zaxos345]

Thanks Andy!!!

John

 

[JKim]

Great build and QUICK too! I assume that you are posting after the build was completed? Otherwise, that'd be some kind of record in shortest time between start post and finished post!

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far!