FG P-51D Mustang JELLY BELLY

[airdave]

http://www.airportjournals.com/Photos/0810/P/0810021_12.jpg

Let me explain:
a few weeks back, I did a "private" repaint of the FG P-51D for someone else.
I didn't own the FG Mustang kit, so this wasn't going to be something distributed to anyone else.
When this contest came be, I contacted FG and they have graciously accepted and approved my repaint of this model
and have granted me permission to build and enter it.
(They have also informed me that it will be included in future versions of the "P-51D Mustang Collection" available at FG!)

This is the repainted FG two page kit...I am unsure of the actual scale. Anyone with an understanding of the FG WSAM can probably figure it out.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv1001.jpg


I'm hopefully going to offer up two versions of this build...the basic version as it will build from FG and a slightly modified version.
The FG kits are fairly simple in their construction, I think thats what makes them so appealing...but at a small cost to assembly.
I've already seen a few things I would like to modify, so this is the perfect opportunity to try a few changes.
Anyway, heres the second set of printed pages I have produced...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2001.jpg


you may notice that unnecessary items have been removed
and the scale is slightly increased (I just took advantage of the extra room on the pages).
I am planning on assembling individual props but i am using the one piece prop asembly for that.
I've also create a photo montaged canopy with pilot.
The new repaint includes my "patented" wheel well inserts from my Tuskegee repaints (on a smaller scale)
...I'm hoping to produce a gears up and gears down version here.

I'm also experimenting with some new wing fairings...the FG fairings don't seem to make sense to me
...I'll give them a try...but I have also redesigned some fairings from the Marek P-51B design.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2002.jpg

First, simple fuselage assembly...just roll, form and glue front tab and rear tab

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2003.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2004.jpg


assembly of the forward cowling, nose cone, and lower intake

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2005.jpg

[willygoat]

That looks cool Dave! Can't wait to see that one pop into my model folder :D

[cjwalas]

Great repaint! I'd like to see a few improvements on the FG P-51 as well. Looking forward to this one being available!
Chris

[willygoat]

Make sure you shorten the landing gear legs. they are a bit too long.

[jobeaux]

Cool repaint! Looks like time to buy another model from FG!

[Alcides]

I've to say the P51 isn't my favorite plane, but after I saw your repaint I thinking about to get this one.

Very nice !!!

[airdave]

continuing with the fuselage build (I now have two planes to compare)

I have fitted the lower intake section to complete the second lower fuselage

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2006.jpg

this one was a little cleaner than my first attempt,although i am still not pleased with the gap at the rear of this part.
I tried folding and forming it, but neither attempts have yielded a great result.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2007.jpg


heres the wing underside of the "gear up" version,
its interesting how the wing assembly slots into the fuselage:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2008.jpg

and for the gear down version, I am adding my "patented" wheel well inserts!
(pilfered from my Marek Mustang repaints, and rescaled to fit this wing)

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2009.jpg

I cut out the wheel doors, and saved them for possible use.
I glued the inserts in from the backside
and added 4 layers of card, to create a thicker mounting point for the gear.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2010.jpg

[airdave]

Fiddling with the Nose Cone and props while the wing glue dries...

the kit includes two nose cones:
one for individual prop blades
and one for the spinner prop.
I didn't like the shape of the spinner cone, so I decided to use the one piece spinner prop with the other nosecone.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2011.jpg

for the second plane, I decide to try a better shape to the nosecone
(the first one was too snubnose, too bluntly formed)
so I tried to get more taper and point to the cone.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybelly012.jpg

I also decided to try the spinner prop again, but this time I cut out some angled slots into the cone...and gave each prop a little twist while assembling. Now each blade now fits into the nosecone a little deeper instead of sitting behind the nosecone.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv013.jpg

[cMags]

Looking good Dave. Did you figure out the wing fairings, a'la FG? Basically they just roll out of the fuselage and sit against the wing. You don't have a pic of the topside that I saw.

Also, here's an idea for that gap at the back of the scoop. Make a couple cuts along where the radiator "exhaust" folds down, bend it down, and add some scratch sides. I was talking to a P-51 owner at a recent air show and he was telling me that pilots used to open that up in flight for a bit of a boost (similar to a jet engine function) and could gain another 10mph at full throttle in flight. Gave them an edge in sticky situations.

[ringmaster]

The "radiator exhaust" functioned as a ram jet at full throttle. This was so secret that pilots were not informed of it. German engineers working with captured Mustangs never cough on, although they could not account for the extra speed. The same system was used on some Mosquitos and late series Spitfires.

[airdave]

more...

putting the wings together, both prints have the same problem:
got a nice curve in the upper leading edge of the wing half,
lined up the edges and wing tips for gluing

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2014.jpg

everything looks good until you get to the inboard angle change (on the leading edge of the wing)
upper and lower parts don't match.
I lined them up as close as possible, trimmed off a little excess and molded them into shape with fingers and glue!

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2015.jpg


Horiz. Tail fits together a lot better, but I added some thickness to give it more shape.
Just a few strips of cardstock, before sandwiching the tail together.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2016.jpg

and a similar thing for the vert. tail...although this time I extended the added padding to be the "connector" to the fuselage.
This part just slips into the tail end of the fuselage and is glued solid.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2017.jpg


all ready to try the second wing fit!

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2018.jpg

[airdave]

First wing fit went fairly smooth...its a little tricky squeezing the wing into place.
You have to be careful not to make a complete mess of the lower "tabs" on the fuselage.

Anyway, this was my first effort with the wing fairings, which looked very odd to me.
These don't look like the Mustang fairings I have seen and used before (on marek's kits)
and don't even look like any other fairings I have seen.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2019.jpg

I could not make these things match the shape of the wing...
I tried to put a curve into the fairing,
and I could get the rear to line up with the wing (sort of)
but the front would not wrap around properly.

Another issue was the Jelly Belly graphics were hidden by the fairing.

This is about the best I could get...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2020.jpg


For the second build, I have already designed some fairings,
borrowing from the Marek kits and copying the printed fairing shape that is already on the FG Mustang fuselage.

I have already tried a test fit, and although not perfect, I like the look much better than the FG versions.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2021.jpg


oh....and I finished off the wings, by dealing with the wing tips.
There doesn't seem to be a way to close up the wing tips without folding or distorting the parts
so I added a small slit to the upper surface and overlapped the the ends creating a curve.
(you could also do a vee cut and butt glue the area)

then I just pushed the lower surface up to meet the newly curved upper,
and trimmed around the edge with scissors.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2022.jpg

[airdave]

and I started assembling the gear parts.

yes, the gear support legs do seem a little too tall (thanks willygoat)
so, I trimmed off one complete rib section from each support.

you can also see in the earlier photos, that I predrilled the wing holes for the gear.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2023.jpg

The tail gear, I glued to a small section of wood toothpick to insert into the fuselage.
(I didn't see any parts for that gear, other than the wheel itself)

For the canopy, I did a quick photo repaint (I used photos of Jelly Belly, so its accurate!)

For the other plane, I am going to try my first clear canopy!

[willygoat]

Looking great Dave!!!! Can't wait to see these babies wrapped up. They look sooo col with the Jelly Belly theme. Or, as my son would say, "That plane has jumping beans on it!" :D

[airdave]

Okay, so heres the gear in place.
the extra layers of card inside the wing really made a difference!
a blob of glue in the hole, and its a much sturdier attachment.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2024.jpg


My new wing fairings worked better...although I still need to fine tune the trailing end, make it a bit wider to cover the gap..
When you fit the wing assembly to the fuselage, you can adjust the width of the fuselage (since there are no internal formers)
and I think I squeezed it a bit too narrow.
The unfinished area of the wing is visible and would normally be covered by the wing fairing.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2025.jpg

and heres another angle, which also shows the Canopy in place:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2026.jpg


another shot showing the landing gear, and the exhaust has been fitted

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2027.jpg

and the Tail Wheel...sorry, its in the shadows...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2028.jpg

[airdave]

Heres my attempt at a clear canopy...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2029.jpg

a pretty simple one really...just cut out the paper canopy and traced it onto some acetate.
One piece, folded exactly the same as the paper one, with no glue.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2030.jpg

I just cut out the paper canopy frame and glued it to the surface of the acetate
and glued the front seams.
The complete canopy was formed into the correct shape with my fingers
and then glued to the fuselage and held in place until dry.


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2031.jpg


Obviously, I had no cockpit for this plane, so I simulated one with a photo print of an actual cockpit (glued up through the bottom of the fuselage).

[willygoat]

Looks great :D have you considered sending the new fairing piece to Chip? He might be able to put it into the other files or as an add on to the collection.

[airdave]

AND THERE SHE IS!
Sparky!!

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2032.jpg


Consider this my entry in the FG Contest!!!

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/outlawzairbrushcom/hobby%20links/jelly%20belly/jellybellyv2033.jpg

[airdave]

Looks great :D have you considered sending the new fairing piece to Chip? He might be able to put it into the other files or as an add on to the collection.

right now, its a bit of a "scratch" build thing.
it still needs more tweaking to be shared in that way.

my goal, beyond the repaint, was:
1. to try to build one model as close to FG original and
2. another with some of the mods I thought it needed
...thats why I ended up with two versions, although I kinda mixed up the "mods". lol

I think my adjustment to the nose cone (prop attachments) is also a good tweak to the model
...having the props sit behind the nosecone just doesn't look very good to me.

[cMags]

Awesome. Those look great Dave! A worthy entry indeed. :)

[airdave]

Awesome. Those look great Dave! A worthy entry indeed. :)

hey...its no where near the skill shown in your Old Crow, but thanks!

[cMags]

hey...its no where near the skill shown in your Old Crow, but thanks!

Well they're entirely different models exhibiting entirely different build purposes. Your repaint skills are excellent and you achieved not one, but two very nice models in a short time (less than a week). I took a good month on my Old Crow (just posted the final pics with all details finished) and easily have sixty, maybe even a hundred hours into it. At that slow pace I'm sure a lot of us could get a high level of details into a model - just need to find a subject we can stay interested in for that long. :p But thank you anyway, and you're welcome.