Revell 1:48 P-51D Mustang, "Miss Marilyn II"

 This is my first post for the blog, but it's about my second completed model.

Model #1 was... well, it was my first model. Let's leave it at that.

My second completed project was a Revell P-51D Mustang in 1:48 scale. There were a lot of firsts in this kit, and a lot of lessons learned.

The Kit



This is an older kit, first released in 1978. You can certainly tell in terms of part fit and raised panel lines.

The Good

  • The plastic is good quality - firm without being brittle.
  • The two paint schemes and decal sets are quite different, giving you a real choice instead of just little details.
  • The bubble canopy had no detectable seam line.
  • The kit was less than $20 at my local hobby shop.

The Bad

  • The molding of the plastic left a lot to be desired. Prominent seam lines and flash.
  • Several of the parts weren't really the right size. In particular, the fuselage halves weren't the same size, so the fit was awkward. In addition, the front panel behind the propeller didn't match up with the resulting silhouette.
  • Details were sparse.
  • Several parts of the instructions were frustratingly vague. The parts had no locating pins, and they never showed up in the instructions again so you could check their actual position.
  • The decals were very fragile, resulting in a lot of breaks, folds, and lost bits of transfer.
  • Raised panel lines don't reflect reality, and they are a bear to weather.

The Build

Colors Used

  • Vallejo Model Air Zinc Chromate Green
  • ProAcryl Black
  • Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Mahogany
  • VMC Golden Yellow (for chromate yellow.)
  • VMC Flat Green
  • Vallejo Metal Color (VMtC) Duraluminum
  • VMtC Gunmetal
  • Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Brassy Brass
  • VGC Chainmail Silver
  • VGC Gory Red
  • VMC Flat Red
  • Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 - Black
  • Tamiya Olive Drab XF-62
  • Tamiya Panel Accent Black
  • AK Interactive Streaking Grime
  • AK Dark Brown Wash

Hardware

  • Hobby Knife
  • Plastic flush nipper
  • Sandpaper
  • Sanding sticks
  • Iwata NEO CN airbrush
  • Various brushes
  • 3D printed model building stand
  • Tamiya masking tape (6mm and 18mm)

Other Supplies

  • Tamiya Extra Thin cement
  • CA glue
  • PVA glue
  • Vallejo Acrylic Modelling Putty
  • Vallejo Airbrush Thinner
  • Tamiya x-20a
  • Vallejo Matte Varnish
  • Vallejo Satin Varnish
  • Mr. Mark Setter
  • Mr. Mark Softer
  • Turpenoid (white spirit.)
Like most aircraft kits, this one starts with the cockpit. Chromate green for most of it, then black for accents, and mahogany for wood and leather areas. A bit of AK dark brown wash to bring out the details, and some chipping with silver to show some wear on the seat.

The fuselage was a bear to put together. The two sides didn't meet up - one was definitely larger than the other. I did some filling with putty and sanding, but my patience and skill ran out before the seam was 100% gone.

Since the sides of the fuselage were going to have large curved masking and decals, I left the wing subassembly separate for the time being. Test fitting made it look like it wouldn't be a problem. This would later bite me.

I used PVA to temporarily stick on the gun compartment cover and landing gear covers. The rear landing gear and cockpit were masked with tape and sponges. I primed the exterior with Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500. It was my first time using the product, or spraying lacquers at all. I really loved it.
Once the primer was dry, I hit the body with a couple of coats of VMtC Duraluminum. Then it was time to mask for the olive drab upper body and curve.

Since I knew I needed the curve of the paint to match the curve of the red stripe decal, I scanned them in and used GIMP to clean them up and print. I used the resulting paper template to create a mask with Tamiya tape.


The resulting template worked great!

After that it was time to build the peripherals (landing gear, fuel tanks, etc) and apply decals. Unfortunately, the decals were very fragile. I had multiple instances where just the act of gently sliding them off the backing could cause tears.

I was able to correct most of these with paint (VGC Gory Red was a close match for the red accents, and VMC flat green worked great for the green around the nose cone.) The repairs blend in pretty well, and even the most obvious repairs on the long stripe are not noticeable from a couple of feet away.

I tried a bit of weathering with this one. First I did some panel lining (dark brown for the green and yellow areas, and black for the bare aluminum.) Then I picked out some fuel and oil service panels to set up with a bit of AK Streaking Grime. I also used it for some exhaust markings by the pipes. Black pigments and oil wash were used to create some soot staining around the machine guns.

What I Learned/Things to Do Differently

Since this is only the second kit I've completed since I started scale modeling, I obviously learned a ton. I think some notable lessons include:
  • Mask and spray simple geometric features like stripes, rather than use decals, if possible.
  • It's probably more trouble than it's worth to keep the wings and tail separate from the body. Both joins could have benefitted from putty work, which was impossible once things were painted.
  • Letting enamel washes dry for hours, up to overnight, is beneficial.
  • Whenever possible, leave your work covered between sessions. Dust in a real bear.
  • Tamiya acrylic paint is pretty amazing.

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