Subject: Re: Dragon P-51
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Damian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:41:06 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
ARC Air - Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.arcair.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Damian 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2013 4:43 PM
  Subject: Dragon P-51

   

  Enter the Dragon

  Dragon’s 1/32nd Scale P-51D Mustang

  By Damian Murphy

  --------------------

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  Introduction

  The iconic American fighter aircraft of World War Two, first introduced by North American Aviation at the request of the British Air Ministry in the early part of world war two, and later improved upon in the later forms of the “B,C, and D” variant for the US Army Air Corp. 

  How can anyone argue that it was one of the best, if not the best fighter aircraft of the war? With its extended range and speed it allowed the escort of large bomber formations to and from raids deep inside Germany.

  Dragons’ offering of the P-51 D is a very affordable kit compared to the likes of Tamiya, and at first look the exterior detail is fantastic. From there the kit goes downhill.

  Construction

  Don’t get me wrong here I still like the kit, but it is the fit of the kit that is disappointing. The forward windscreen is simply horrid in this department but with some simple trimming and sanding the problem can be overcome.

  The basics of the kit is a great starting point if you are willing to put in the extra work, and come on we are model builder so on you go. I decided to do a bit of scratch building in the cockpit to that end out with the old and in with the sheet plastic. 

  Here you can see the added detail of the side cockpit compartment.

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  There is many aftermarket cockpits for the mustang with some minor modification these will save you time but will cost you a bit of cash, compared to the price of a sheet of good old plastruct. I used Epoxy Sculpt for the seat belts and side storage bags, pop can metal for the foot skid plates and balsa wood for the floor itself.

  The engine has good detail but once again the fit is a problem the firewall seems to be too small so you will have to build that up and the exhausts pipes do not sit out evenly. In the end I did away with the assembly and added a plug to hold the spinner while rebuilding new pipes.

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  Painting, Markings and Weathering

  Paints used:

  Vallejo Model Acrylic Color Silver, Natural Steel, Oily Steel, Flat Red, USA Olive Drab, Black, Yellow, Model Masters Acrylic Interior Zink, Model Masters Enamel Steel and Black.

  The great part of painting a Mustang is the endless paint schemes a builder has to choose from. My decision was to represent a P-51D form the 334th FS 4th FG “Iron Ass” flown by Lt Col Oberhansly Early 1945. 

  Kits World has these decals but I printed mine out using Testors decal paper I used Photoshop and a color inkjet printer.

  Base coat paint was in Vallejo acrylic silver with a Model Masters enamel wash mix of steel and black, coated with future floor polish, decaled and then washed. Clear coat wash completed with Vallejo satin clear, weathering was dry brushed with steel and pastel black was brushed on for engine exhaust stains and gun stains. 

  This kit was not without its problems but none of them was horrible enough to want to shelf this kit for scrap. And as it turned out I would build this kit more than once. With the use of aftermarket parts it can be great, on the flip side of that is when you factor in the price of all the aftermarket kits for it, you are coming dangerously close to the better Tamiya offering. 

  The Pilot Figure is a 1/32nd scale figure of the ace Major Preddy

  Still for me with the addition of some minor scratch building it was a wonderful build. 

  Thanks and have a great build 

  Damian Murphy

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  Just delete any of the boxes below you don't need.....it's not important to include them.....they are there to give you an idea of the finished article.  It is best to limit your article to no more than 60 or so photos, so the finished webpage won't take too long to open.

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