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The
Waldron dials caused some fit
problems with the
Verlinden panel, so a new instrument panel was built.
The Waldron 1/32 scale dials did not fit properly.
To solve the dilemma, I used a mixture of both 1/32 and 1/48
dials.
(The dials used were: 1/48 - #'s 6,9, 10,13,14, 15, 16, 20, 21,
and 26; 1/32 - #'s 2, 8, 18, 19, and 24).
The
cockpit rails were also discarded, but the photo etched foot pedals were
kept due to their realistic appearance and simplicity of assembly.
All cockpit control handles were made using sheet styrene,
aluminum and brass. |
The
Waldron placards were the right size for almost everything except the top
section of the lower control panel. When
parts 4, 10 and 13 were attached to part 16 and then this assembly attached to
the bottom of the instrument panel it hit the cockpit floor.
So part 16 was discarded and the rest of the parts were used.
With
this being a P-51D-5-NA I could only assume that the aircraft used the early
version radio. The kit has the later version radio, but Verlinden has the early
version. The radio boxes were
merely separated and some items added. Some
cross members were scratch built and attached at a 90' angle to the center line
of the fuselage aft of the armor plate/headrest.
The photo etched cross braces were temporarily attached to the other
cross braces and then the four radio boxes were set on it.
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Building
all of the small boxes, which fit on both sides of the cockpit, was rather
simple. Placards
were glued onto flat styrene stock, trimmed and sanded to shape.
All the cockpit control handles were made
from .010" diameter round rod stock. Dials
were added in their proper locations.. A
handmade flare gun was built for the Verlinden holder using aluminum stock.
| For
the N3 gun sight, I used a reduced copy of my 1/24 scale
plans and handmade all 21 tiny parts.
(See photo below to right with penny)
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| With
all the cockpit items completed, it was time for a dry fit.
Everything fit like a
tailor made suit. Next
came the painting and weathering so that these
parts will be ready for photography and final assembly. At
this time I began the fabrication of the oil and water radiators from
styrene and screen material. With
the photos out of the way everything was removed from the
cockpit so that work
could continue
on the fuselage.
Before
attaching the fuselage halves together, the tail wheel section was
installed onto an aluminum rod and put into place.
Then the halves of the fuselage were taped together so that the
movement of the tail wheel could be
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mobility. The tail wheel
parts fit, and they worked so I glued the fuselage halves together.
The tail wheel section was retracted and secured in
place with white glue. This
method allows you to work on the fuselage without damaging the tail wheel.
The white glue is dissolved on final assembly, then moved to its’
proper location and super glued in place.
The one piece axle and strut is attached, aligned and super glued.
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All
of the raised detail was removed and the recessed panel lines were
filled on the fuselage. The fin fillet was removed and the remaining gap filled.
Next,
the openings for the oil and water cooling vents
were cut into the underside. Two
vent doors, were built out of .015" styrene stock and two push rods
were fabricated similar to
the actuator arm on the trim tab.
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kit exhaust stacks were removed. The
shroud covers were then hollowed out and some styrene added to allow oval
holes to be made. In order to build new stacks, an alignment jig was built so
that the holes could be drilled into the backing plates. |
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| The exhaust stacks were inserted and glued into place.
Then the exhaust pipes were drilled out.
From
photos in the Mustang Book by Aero Detail #13, I knew that a new canopy
was going to be needed. It
seems that the kit canopy is missing a distinctive bulge just aft of
where the canopy fits to the windscreen.
The kit canopy was glued to the kit frame, and sanded inside and
out with180 to 320 grit
paper.
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I
used my Dremel motor tool to grind out the inside of the top front
section of the canopy which was followed by more sanding.
From this canopy and frame combination a plaster mold was
made for vac-u-forming a new canopy.
After the fist canopy was molded, I had to add some plaster
of Paris to the front top section of the mold, to give it a little
more bulge effect. My
next vac-u-formed canopy looked like what I wanted!
You will note the holes in the plaster? These
allow your vac-u-form machine to suck in the hot plastic giving a
perfect fit over the mold. |
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A
center line, a canopy frame line and
rivets are penciled in on the mold. These
are used for scribing, and masking off the canopy for painting.
After
the new canopy was pulled I sanded it with 1500 grit paper and prepared
to add the details. Use
caution when applying the rivet details as the lower edge of the canopy
frame is usually less than .010" thick.
The final sanding begins with 1200, then 1500, and 2000 grit
wet/dry sandpaper. Use
plenty of water while sanding. Use
clean water each time you switch from one grit to another.
At this point you are ready to polish it out.
I use Blue Magic for this, then follow that up with a dip in
Future. If any scratches
are noticed, wash off the Future real fast with clean water.
Repeat the sanding
with only 1500 then 2000 grit. You
have to polish the clear part again.
You may have to do this several times but the effort is worth the
time. Once you are
satisfied with a near perfect clear part, dip it into the Future several
times over the next few days. Allow
the finished canopy to dry for a few weeks before you mask it off
for painting. The acrylic gets real
hard and helps eliminate scratches.
If you get any masking tape residue on the acrylic, then it comes
off easy by using “Mineral Spirits,” (M.S.) and it will not mess up
the acrylic finish. Just
buff off the M.S. residue with a clean soft cloth.
| Verlinden's
canopy track guides were too short and did not have a track for the
canopy roller
guides to fit into, so it became necessary to scratch built new ones.
I used
square brass channel stock, and cut off one side, thus I now have a
“U” bracket. Using a
spare canopy, I built in the frame work making the patterns as work
progressed. These included
the rear track guide and roller guides which fit on each side of the
canopy near the leading edges of the front two sides.
Temporarily I glued on the two metal tracks then fit the two front
roller guides into the “U” tracks and the track guide into the
fuselage track. If everything
is properly installed onto the "work" canopy it should slide to
the closed position and slide back open.
I had to make some adjustments at this point.
Once this was accomplished it was on to making all new pieces for
the finished canopy using the patterns made from the "working"
canopy. All these parts,
including the inside of the canopy frame was painted
matte black.
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| Micro dots of super glue were used to attach the new frame work to
the inside of the finished canopy.
As
I slid the canopy forward/backward, I made sure it did not hit any of the
radio gear. |
The
prop spinner was reworked by adding the cross bar. The kits cuffed prop blades were reworked and Bill Ferrante
made the cast resin blades from my “masters”.
Happy Modeling
Rodney
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