discussion Tamiya 1/32 P-51 D (but as a Mustang IV)

[stona]

I've talked myself into doing this kit before the one for Colin's BoB Group Build. What could possibly go wrong!

I'm not doing box and sprue shots, they are all over the internet, suffice to say that everything is up to the standard you would expect from one of Tamiya's most pricey 'uber kits'.

I've just finished knocking up the bare bones of the engine and bolted it (yes, it attaches with a bolt) to the firewall.



Even the not so sharp eyed will notice that there are a lot of bits missing from the engine, and shouldn't there be an oil tank on the firewall? Well, there are bits missing, including that oil tank. This model will be displayed closed up and that's why I have only built, rather roughly, the bits needed to attach the propeller etc. I already have a Tamiya Spitfire on which I used all the magnets to attach the various cowlings, and that Merlin can be shown. Having said that, even above you can see that Tamiya have made a wonderful job of the Merlin, it would make a fine model in itself.

Next up will be the cockpit, and that will have to be done properly!

Cheers

Steev

 

[spanner570]

Nice start Steve.
Oh, and welcome to the 'If it ain't seen, it don't get done.' Club!

Regards.
Lou Smorrels

 

[papa 695]

Nice, will watch this Steve.

 

[stona]

Oh, and welcome to the 'If it ain't seen, it don't get done.' Club!

It all started when I left the radio equipment, which would never be seen, however you displayed the model, out of an Me 262. That was years ago, but it was the first step on a slippery slope and now I find I'm tempted to leave more and more unseen and unneeded parts off or out of kits. It's terrible I tell you, terrible. I have this uncontrollable need to leave something out. I've sought help with this, but sitting in a circle with similarly afflicted people hasn't solved the problem. I have come to terms with it, after a fashion.

I am Steven, and I leave parts out of the kits I build.

There, I've said it.

 

[colin m]

I've talked myself into doing this kit before the one for Colin's BoB Group Build. What could possibly go wrong

Less than a month to finish a Tamiya 1:32, are you Dr Who ?

 

[BarryW]

I look forward to seeing your progress on this. Great kits.

 

[stona]

Less than a month to finish a Tamiya 1:32, are you Dr Who ?

Normally it would be impossible, but I have unusual amounts of time on my hands at the moment. I reckon that practically there is enough time, even without access to a TARDIS. It will depend whether I feel motivated to go and have a go at it often enough. I mean, it's a hobby, not a job! I'm not going to spend eight hours a day sat at the bench because, for me, that wouldn't be fun and would defeat the whole object of the exercise. What I can do is pop out to the bench and have a bit of a potter at almost anytime I want.

We'll see, I'm keen to start the BoB Spitfire on the start date, not least because I expect the start of The GB will be like the start of the Grand National. But, if I have to push it back a bit, I have no concerns about finishing it before the end of the GB. The Revell kit is pretty simple and I have built one before, which obviously helps.

Cheers

James 'Jamie' Macrimmon (aka Frazer Hines)

 

[flyjoe180]

It all started when I left the radio equipment, which would never be seen, however you displayed the model, out of an Me 262. That was years ago, but it was the first step on a slippery slope and now I find I'm tempted to leave more and more unseen and unneeded parts off or out of kits. It's terrible I tell you, terrible. I have this uncontrollable need to leave something out. I've sought help with this, but sitting in a circle with similarly afflicted people hasn't solved the problem. I have come to terms with it, after a fashion.

I am Steven, and I leave parts out of the kits I build.

There, I've said it.

You are among friends Steve. No point in wasting valuable time, cement and paint on unseen items.

 

[topgazza]

Loved my Airfix 1/48 P-51 so this 1/32 Tamya is looking good already

 

[stona]

Loved my Airfix 1/48 P-51 so this 1/32 Tamya is looking good already

It's been a while since I built one of Tamiya's newer kits (I know this has been around for about eight years) and I'd forgotten how good they are. I've been building kits from lesser manufacturers or resin kits from what are essentially one man bands who obviously can't be held to the same standards as a company like Tamiya (they are casting polyurethane resin for a start).
The parts hardly need any clean up, apart from the sprue attachments, and I haven't had to shave off malformed locating pins, drill out malformed locating sockets, nor have I had to adjust or re-shape a single tab, slot or anything else. So far, which isn't very far, everything fits together beautifully. The instructions also appear to have been written with the help of someone who has actually built the kit! They've even thought about which parts are formed on which sprue frames, so you don't have half a dozen on the go at the same time, and I haven't yet come across an attachment in a silly place.
As you can tell, I'm very impressed.

I should have something to show in the next couple of days.

Cheers

Steve

 

[topgazza]

They have set the bar very high. I would build Tamiya exclusively if they did ALL the models I like. But Airfix have upped their game as well. As have ICM. Good times

 

[stona]

The cockpit assembly is now more or less complete, and this I have done properly.

There is a lot of work in the cockpit of one of these kits and it looks suitably busy.



That is the kit's photo-etch harness. Not my favourite type to be honest, but I thought I'd give it a go and it looks good enough to me. I think I've got the correct electronics for my kit, apart from the wireless. A wireless is a wireless and I am so over it I can't even begin to tell you

Tamiya also do their nifty decal-clear part-panel system for the main instrument panel. It looks good, but is almost impossible to photograph, as I will now demonstrate.




The other side is rather boring!



I've done a test run, joining the two fuselage halves, and it all looks tickety-boo, so onwards and upwards!

Cheers

Steve

 

[minitnkr]

You must have a most excellent misc./spares box. Office looks very good. PaulE

 

[papa 695]

Looking sweet Steve.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I'm drooling, Steve :hungry:

 

[scottie3158]

Steve,
All looking very nice.

 

[stona]

You must have a most excellent misc./spares box. Office looks very good. PaulE

There's three options in the box, actually more than three in various combinations, but that's Tamiya's examples. There's a variety of 'black boxes' to play with. I only nicked one from another kit, but it is very similar to the US version and I'm not sure why I bothered :rolling:. I must have had an attack of keenness, but it soon wore off.

There are a couple of things that a real stickler might alter to give a true British version, but not me. I mean a reflector sight is a reflector sight and I think the Americans copied one of ours anyway.

 

[stona]

I've now crammed everything into one half of the fuselage (the instructions would have you put different bits in the two halves) and am summoning up the courage to attempt to make everything line up and join the two halves.

Probably tomorrow.



You can't see in the photograph, but that radiator assembly is ridiculously complicated, comprising all sorts of tiny photo-etch, magnets and spindles!

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

I bit the bullet and got the fuselage zipped up. Anyone who has ever built a model aircraft knows that this is a rather important step. Mess this up and you'll be fixing the knock on effects for the rest of your build.
Tamiya have you put a lot of 'stuff' in the fuselage, requiring a lot of things to line up and seat properly as you join the two halves. With many kits this can be an interesting challenge and good source of income for the swear box. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I was very impressed by how this kit just snapped together, it would stay intact without any glue!



There's still a lot of spindles, photo-etch, grommets and magnets to go, the last of which have rather annoyingly magnetised my favourite set of locking tweezers. My old science teacher, Mr Roberts, would be interested to know that smacking them on the side of my vice has not degaussed them.

Cheers

James Clerk-Maxwell.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

That's looking beautifully neat and tidy, Steve.
Makes me want to splash the cash. I've never done a 1/32 Tamiya plane -they are SOOOO expensive!
Maybe when (if) I get back off furlough and 50% salary.....:thinking: