Tiny update because tiny parts.
I've plumbed the wheel wells as much as I can before final assembly. The rest will be finished after painting the nmf is applied due to needing to be able to mask this area.
The layout of where the fuel and hydraulic lines is pretty easy due to having found good references. The difficult part was trying to cut lengths of lead wire to length to fit them between the ribs. I would have liked to drill holes through the ribs and run single lengths of wire from end to end, but since the were molded integrally and so close together this was not feasible, short of cutting out the ribs and making new ones with drilled holes. Not gonna happen says I. So, super glue and tedious tweezer work it was. I think it turned out decent non-the-less. So, here are the pictures.
Starboard well almost done.
Port well before plumbing commenced.
Both sides finished.
Some close up shots, the last two showing the bay doors in place but not yet glued. Notice I attempted to mark the fuel lines with red bands and one of the hydraulic lines with a blue-yellow-blue band as indicated in references. The hydraulic band is especially difficult to spot, but it is there.
Now I have to check things over and it should be time to glue all the major assemblies together.
Also, I am planning on doing a display base for my aircraft to give some context of its theatre of operation. Here is a rare color picture for your viewing pleasure of what I plan my base to look like AND the actual squadron aircraft of the one I will be replicating.
P-51D's of the 46th Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group, 7th Fighter Command, 20th Air Force at airfield No. 2, Iwo Jima 1945.
Have yet to pick a specific aircraft as of now, I am on a seemingly impossible quest to match all 50 aircraft of this squadron with their respective serial numbers, individual aircraft numbers and any personal names and/or nose art for each. I have a notebook I have been jotting my findings down in. So far I have 16 of 50 aircraft I have enough information for to model fairly accurately and about a dozen more with incomplete information. Of course there are a few I have no information on at all. Crazy? Yes, I probably am, but research is half the fun.
Also, with the display base, I am wanting to add a few small fragments of japanese aircraft amongst the tall grass for some interest. Gotta figure out how to keep this compact, subtle, yet realistic so as not to take away from the main aircraft. Want to keep it a display base, not a diorama.
Another hurdle I am thinking ahead about is the 110 gallon drop tanks these aircraft used for escorting the b-29s, as well as finding good references for the wooden hardpoints these mounted to. The kit only provides the standard hard points and the 75 gal and 108 gal paper tanks, none of which is suitable for these particular aircraft. As far as I know, there are no after market tanks of this type yet. The only ones I am aware of in 1/48 are the tanks offered in the old Monogram F-80 kit and Hobby Boss' rendition of the same aircraft, though the Hobby Boss parts are said to have alignment issues. Unfortunately, in the hundreds of unbuilt kits in my collection, I have neither of these. Any help or suggestions in this regard are welcomed. I am leaning towards getting some of the monogram tanks and makimy resin copies.
Thanks for looking in and hope it is not too wordy.