Rescaling the Mustang I to 1/16

[Leif Ohlsson]

I have been staring for long enough now at the 40 pages of each version of the five sand- and spinach Mustang I:s rescaled to 1/16 for it to be time to let them go into the world. During the last weeks I have discovered a satisfactory amount of mistakes (my own), amended a couple of others (with the help of knowledgeable people), and added enough of comments on the pages for there to be little space left for more.

So here goes.

There are five versions, same ones as before, but now in 1/16 scale. Despite the more than doubling in size, you will notice that every page will print without problem on both A4 and US Letter paper formats (which is more than the original Marek model, or my own previous recolouring of it, did):



For this to be possible, some radical measures were necessary, like dividing up the large wing covering parts. More about how this (the most difficult part) was accomplished in a later post. Here's an overview of what the 40 pages of each version looks like (AG366 used as an example throughout):



I'd like to give you an example what some of these pages look like, so you can get a feeling of what you're getting. First things first, so page 2 starts off with acknowledging first of all the help I've got so freely from the real Mustang experts, and the encouragement of other friends here:



Already on that page, however, there is also an acknowledgement of the shortcomings of this kit. Readers who have followed this thread will be quite aware of them. It has to do with the sideview profile of the ventral air scope, and of the slightly too low positioning of the wing for this version of the Mustang.

At present, it was simply too much for me to contemplate how to deal with this without 3D-competence. It just felt like an unsurmountable mountain to take that on right now. I settled for at least acknowledging this shortcoming (present also in the original version of this model, and, as far as I know, in every other Mustang model as well, but that's not an excuse, just a clarification).

(To be continued)

[Leif Ohlsson]

I like a kit which you can read as something between a drawing and a magazine article. I don't like separate instructions very much, all that going back and forth between a compact chunk of text and looking desperately for some small part number somwhere. Instructions should be close to the parts they are dealing with:



Can't brag over having eliminated the going back and forth completely, and like YankeeBoy has pointed out previously in his test-build of the 1/33 scale version, there is no real instructions at all in the original kit. That is one reason I would categorize this kit - regardless of scale - as difficult. You need to have experience of this kind of design and building if you are to avoid the many shoals hiding in doing things in the wrong order.

It's nice to have photos of what the real thing looked like here and there, interspersing parts & text:



To hear something about how the author has reasoned when dealing with ambiguities is always nice. Here's an example, and one of what the colours look like in this version:



And, of course, a little bit of history never goes amiss:



As for the real instructions from the original kit, I have sorted them in a more logical order (methinks), and added a few options for those so inclined:



(To be continued)

[Leif Ohlsson]

I can imagine that one of the great obstacles for people who would like to build there favourite model larger, is how to deal with the fact that some parts inevitably will outgrow the paper size they have available. Wings are a prime example.

In this case the wing part took a really long time to divide up in the three parts necessary to fit onto the "universal" L4 (smallest common denominator of A4 and Letter) paper format. The reason was that I wanted to divide it "invisibly", along already existing panel lines. This is how it ended up:



The time it took is mainly due to the problem of keeping track of what happened to the various layers of panel lines, coloured fields, insignia, various details, and so on, for five versions simultaneously.

I hope I have managed to keep it together. Only today I found one place where I had forgotten to adjust a colour field properly. Here's hoping it was the last remaining mistake…

This is what the joined wing part looks like, laid out under the framework assembly:



Incidentally, this image finally gave me great confidence in that Marek knows what he's doing - everything seems to fit admirably well.

The last thing to do was to locate every place where the extra gluestrips ran across frame members like ribs and spars, and make appropriate thin recesses in these. I think I've managed that reasonably well (a first for me).

That's it. Anybody willing to make a test-build, I'll gladly send a copy. Tell me which version you like best.

Leif

[Don Boose]

I'm overwhelmed. You can't imagine how appealing I find the work that you have done, Leif. A lot of things are coming together here for me. This particular aircraft in this particular set of color (colour) schemes. All of the dialogue between two of my favorite people. Your meticulous research, contemplation, engineering, and artwork.

I look forward to discussing this with Mike and the rest of the gang at Army Heritage Days in 2 1/2 weeks (any chance of you hopping a flight over, Leif?) and would love to try to build one of these, although I can't imagine a 27-inch wingspan Mustang under construction on my desk.

It will take me a long time to read through and digest all of this, but I am certainly delighted to know that it exists.

And I am honored to have been able to provide "quiet encouragement."

Don

[GreMir]

Leif,
The amount of work (and heart) you put into this project is incredible!
Hopefully Marek will come back with Merlin engined P-51B/C and D and you will be on hand and willing to do a few recolors as well

[Leif Ohlsson]

Chris at Ecardmodels gently, but kind of firmly, suggested that it would be a good idea to make a quick testbuild of the 1-16 version before releasing it into the world. Formers tend to be tricky when enlarged, and need checking, in his experience.

Good advice.

I haven't come far enough to really determined whether formers do need a polishing not to cause trouble. But there are other aspects of the original kit, which definitely needs adjusting. Here's one:



I've read between the lines that the Mustang cockpit wasn't exactly a comfortable limousine ride, in spite of the fancy instrument panel. But this cockpit is strictly uninhabitable for anyone but a contortionist.

The seat must be placed straight onto the curved floor, if it is going to fit into the cockpit at all. The instrument panel all but touches the floor. The rudder pedals are shoved back right into the knee of the pilot, should he manage to get his feet into them at all.

This is not good. And I know where it stems from - the floor is way to high up in the fuselage. Through this thread and the contact with Bomarc I have learned that the floor of the cockpit was in fact identical to the top of the wing. And the wing, as we have learned, was already high up. So the cockpit was constrained, and you would expect the pilot to sit more or less with his legs straight out.

But the floor in this model is considerably higher up than the top of the wing. So that has to be changed. And this I can do without 3D-modeling capability. So there's one section that has got to go sent back to the drawing board with complaints from the factory floor.

Meanwhile, I'll continue this testbuild just to see what else pops up that can be remedied.

- L.

[GreMir]

Leif,
Can we count on the correced cockpit being available to the rest of us?

[Leif Ohlsson]

Of course, absolutely, what's the point otherwise...

My little plan right now is to make a decent 1/16 version. While doing that, check if enlarging causes any problems or not. If not (or if only small), reverse scaling is my plan, for those parts changed (cockpit right now, don't really anticipate anything else).

When the cockpit is done, I'll be glad to provide it here (sort of spare part, while waiting for a more complete 1/16 + 1/33 pack).

Leif

[YankeeBoy]

Leif, you might consider a newthread for the 1/16 scale version so as to not confuse the issue with the original Marek release...just a thought.

[Leif Ohlsson]

This is just a place marker, for importing posts in the previous thread about recolouring the Marek 1/33 model of the Mustang I having to do with the further development of that kit.

The original thread is Marek raises the bar with Mustangs!

The posts that follow below have to do with rescaling that kit to 1/16. In the beginning the have been cut from that thread, but soon the 1/16 development continues here.

-Leif

I have asked Chris, with his moderator's power, to effectuate the move.