First Build From a Long Hiatus...

[aqua_ta]

Hi chaps and chapesses, I haven't built a kit for about 15 years and I got a sudden itch to do one.
I am a fan of the P-51 so naturally that was my choice and I chose the Tamiya 1/48 P-51D with the blue nosed scheme.
For this build I really threw myself in at the deep end as I purchased the Eduard PE set and the Aeries wheel bay set, and having experienced the wheel bay nightmares I probably will chicken out next time..
Anyway here are a couple of pics, what may be difficult to see is the two tones of silver I used to simulate the darker aluminium shades.

 

[Wurger]

Looking really good.Keep working on.

 

[Crimea_River]

Welcome back to you obsession. Beauty job so far! That Aires wheel bay is a work of art but I scratch built mine using photos of that part as a reference.

 

[hawkeye2an]

Looking real good. Welcome to the sight. I too have recently returned to the hobby (1 year anniversary coming up in Aug). Stop by the basics section and introduce yourself to the crew. I think you'll find LOTS of help if you need it and always words of encouragement on your work.

 

[aqua_ta]

Thanks guys, what with having four kids I get little time to work on it but I'm enjoying the build especially as the Tamiya kit fits together so well.
I must admit that the wheel bay was a pig to fit since I had to sand the bay and the inner wings so thin that you could almost see daylight!
More pics soon.

 

[Airframes]

Nice work so far, look forward to more.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Welcome back to the "fold", great job so far!

 

[B-17engineer]

Is it going to be Petie 2nd?

Looks great so far!

 

[N4521U]

There is quite a mob among the Hiatus group on this site, I had been away about the same amount of time. It seems sometimes I am a closet S&M as I just can't seem to build out of the box. Looks like a fine job there mate. Where you from?

 

[Peebs]

Welcome aboard.

Its a few months of re- addiction for me, and loving every minute of it!

 

[Wayne Little]

g'day...certainly don't look like you have lost your touch! looks pretty good to me.

 

[dirkpitt289]

Good stuff

 

[Tony Hill]

Nice detailing work.

 

[tonyb]

g'day...certainly don't look like you have lost your touch!

You can say that again! Beautiful job so far.8)
Cheers,
Tony.

 

[aqua_ta]

Thanks for all the kind words.
B-17 engineer it will be Petie2nd since it was that or Nooky booky IV and my good lady wife likes the more colourful schemes, so Petie 2nd was her choice.
N4521U I hail from sunny Southampton,England and am infact just a half mile from the site of the original Supermarine works, and not far from Eastleigh airport where the prototype Spitfire flew.
After this build I was thinking of doing a 1/32 P-51D but my choices are the Dragon or the Hasegawa but they both have their faults, so which would you say is best?

 

[Lucky13]

Looking great mate!

 

[Peebs]

I have the Dragon 1:32 , purchased on a whim some months ago, before I read reviews or joined this fabulous forum. Regardless of the faults I'm still looking forward to building it

cheers
pete

 

[Airframes]

The Hasaegawa is an old kit, but goes together well. It might have it's origins in the 1960's 'Frog' kit, judging by the seat, which bears no resemblance to a Mustang seat, of any Mark, and is common to the ex- 'Frog' kits used as early Hasegawa releases.
However, apart from that, and the usual Mustang kit errors around the cockpit area, in this case being too wide, it makes into a nice model, if a bit simplified in some of the detail areas. These, in their day were quite advanced.
The Dragon kit is very good overall, and makes a beaut model, it's just a pity that they spent so much time designing gimmicks such as the working suspension on the gear legs, instead of concentrating on fit of parts. The much-publicised incorrect and heavy rivet lines is nothing much to worry about. From what I've seen, having checked mine over, there isn't much wrong with the layout, and they look acceptable under paint. The biggest problem is the fit of the internal parts - they don't!
You'll need to build a 'shelf' for the cockpit assembly to sit on, as the floor doesn't reach both sides of the inside of the fuselage. On my example, I'd intended to build it so that the cowlings could be removed to display the engine when required, but had to remove the carefully assembled and painted cowling support framework in order to get the cowlings to fit, and then glue them in place, and use some filler !
A really excellent feature is the K14 gun sight, which really looks good, but there aren't alternative parts for the earlier sight, used up to late August '44 and beyond.
In general, although the instruction diagrams are quite well produced, there are a few 'vague' areas, with, for example, the brake lines shown the wrong way around, and the location of the actual parts mountings, such as those for the engine mounts, are somewhat 'weak' in some areas. I made my own brake lines, and had to adapt some mounting points. Also, the rubbery tyres don't fit well on the rims, and had to have a bead of PVA run around them to seal them and stop them wobbling about.
That said, once done and painted, it looks very good indeed.
I have a build review written for a magazine article a few years back, (whcih I tried to send to Bill, but couldn't get it to 'go' to his e-mail address). You're welcome to a copy, although I only have my 'reject' photos left, as the originals went to the magazine. (the article was shelved due to a 'breaking news' feature, and then the interest had passed, so it wasn't published).
Sorry to interupt your thread, but thought I'd answer the question.

 

[aqua_ta]

Hi Airframes, far from interupting my thread you have helpfully answered my question.
On the face of it then, the Dragon kit's faults are either easy to fix or can be ignored and perhaps would be far easier to get a decent looking Mustang.
And yes I would like to see your review of the Dragon kit, since I've seen all the ones on the web and your take on it would be useful.
Cheers
Paul

 

[Airframes]

Both kits mentioned will produce a good looking P51D, with varying degrees of work. Although I wouldn't describe the work involved with the Dragon kit easy, it's not beyond average skill levels. It's more time consuming and frustrating, particularly the entire cockpit area, as it requires constant trial fitting, adjustments, trial fitting etc in order to achieve an acceptable result.
However, it may well be that I got a 'bad' kit, as I purchased it virtually as soon as it was released; it may be that the areas concerned have been corrected or improved. Certainly the exterior is not worth worrying about, and if the engine is to be displayed, then leaving the cowlings off is not a problem. I would suggest omitting the springs etc from the main gear legs, and cementing the 'oleos' in place at the correct height for the required 'sit' of the model - ie, empty or fully fuelled and armed, with the required compression of the oleos. Likewiase the separate trim tabs should be cemented in the neutral position - they were rarely, if ever, displaced on the ground.
Also, at least one gun bay is worthy of display, if only for the beautifully detailed ammo belts, with individual rounds and scale feed chutes. This will require the removal of the wing hatches, and some scratch-building of the internal detail on these.
Send me an e-mail address via a PM, and I'll get a copy of the article to you. As it was going to be a two-part feature, it's a bit long to post here. Same goes for you Pete.
Cheers,
Terry.