Super detailing Guillow's P-51D Mustang

[Skyediamonds]

Airframes:
Thank you sir. Glad to hear from you.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Viking:
Thank you. I'm currently working in the retraction gear lever. It'll be a simple affair.

 

[Gnomey]

Great work so far!

 

[Skyediamonds]

Gnomey:
Thank you sir. Working ( now) on the right side panel. I think you'll be "entertained" at some of my techniques. I'll be posting the build soon.
Cheers,
Gary

 

[special ed]

Fantastic detail work with great patience and ingenuity.

 

[Skyediamonds]

This is just a quick update to show that I've been busy working on the. right side panel. I'm almost finished. I'm really pleased with the results although I must admit that I made a few mistakes along the way (who doesn't?).

 

[Skyediamonds]

Regarding one of the main electrical panels nearest the oxygen regulator location, I could've opted for the easy way out & simply take a detailed photo of its face along with the switches & slanted "shelves" labeling what those switches are & present a nice 2-D photo. But I knew the whole modeling experience was to give the interior "Life"as well as color & depth of perception. Thus, I essentially started out with a blank piece of photographic paper that was all black.
I cut out a black piece of photographic paper. Next, I culled from my stash the smallest bolts I could find. I placed the heads of the bolts upside down & stuck them onto double-sides tape
From there, I spray painted them a thick coat of chrome in the hopes the paint would help hide the threads. The paint did an "okay" job.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Among the dozens of photos & drawings, I picked out these three to use as my reference.

 

[Skyediamonds]

From this blank photographic paper I laminated it to a medium thick piece of sheet plastic that was cut to shape & size of the electrical panel. The edges were painted gloss black to help conceal the white plastic.
A small piece of 1/16" (3 mm) thick strip of balsa was glued to the location where the electrical panel was to be located. This was because the laminated plastic/photo paper was too thin & they would've been too far recessed within the cavity.

 

[Skyediamonds]

From here, I simply cut out the appropriate labels ( I photographed at a distance to make them appear small to scale that had previously made from colored paper & dry transfer letters) & glued them to the black panel at a slight angle downwards. Afterwards, I carefully glued the tiny bolts to their respective locations to take on the appearance of switches.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Next, I used the small MictoMark punch-n-die to punch out dials. Then they were painted black along the circumference using a black paint & a small brush to help hide the white edges from the paper. Then they were glued in their respective locations.

 

[Skyediamonds]

As with the main electrical panel, I also cut out a photo of the circuit breaker cover & laminated it to a similarly cut piece of sheet plastic. Then both glued into their respective locations.

 

[Skyediamonds]

I sent an email to Wurger.

 

[Wurger]

Great !

 

[Airframes]

Excellent !

 

[special ed]

Outstanding work. The choice of screws for circuit breakers is perfect as they were threaded and held in place by a thin nut. The tiny glue bead simulates the nut perfectly.

 

[Gnomey]

Looks great so far!

 

[Skyediamonds]

Special Ed & Airframes:
I'm not quite complete but I just couldn't resist posting this picture. As all of us Mustang aficionados know, no right side panel would be complete without the traditional oxygen hose.
I'll be tweaking it before committing to gluing I place.
Cheers,

 

[Wurger]

 

[Skyediamonds]

Here is another close up of the right side panel. At least I'm happy.
I realize for the purist, the oxygen hose should not cross over the circuit breaker panel but in the interest of trying to fit things within the eyeball techniques, these thing happen. With regards to the small code box to the right with the blank red and blue placards, I could not find any reference to anything being said on the labels. So I just left them blank. If anyone could tell me, even though it may be too late to do anything about it, that would be appreciated. The canopy crank handle is next on the agenda. The right side is almost complete.
Thank you for looking in.