1/32 Trumpeter P-51B Mustang “ Shangri La”
This is 1/32 Trumpeter P-51B Mustang with the markings of Shangri La” flown by “Don” Gentile 336 th FS, 4th FG Debden England April 1944.
Trumpeter’s kit have a lot of issues. It required tones of corrections and modifications. Despite this whole painful process, I'm still not sure about the result. Hope that it resembles P-51B.
After markets products I have used are as follows:
-Aires cockpit set
-Eduard seatbelts
-Aires wheel well set
-Aerocraft corrected exhausts
-Aerocraft rear doghouse canopy correction set
-Tamiya flaps
-Quickboost spinner and propeller blades
-Barracudacast wheels
-Resicast lens
-Kits World decals
Apart from these modifications, I had to make some corrections.
-The rivets on the wing surfaces were eliminated.
-Wrong panels fixed
-Incorrectly located landing light has been fixed
-Wrongly located wing tip lights have been fixed
-Gun Barrel have been relocated and corrected.
-Amnution loading panel shortened
-Landing legs shortened by approximately 1mm.
Paints are Gunze Sangyo acrylics
Happy Modelling
Well, you turned that sow's ear into a silk purse! All that extra work produced an outstanding model.
Thanks a lot Chas @chasbunch
I think you have gotten this kit as close to being a P-51B as anyone has ever gotten with this "disappointing" kit. Definitely a triumph of talent and persistence over plastic.
Thanks a lot Tom @tcinla
Hope that we will have a perfect (or slightly defective) new generation 1/32 P-51B kit soon
With all of those corrections and changes this is almost a scratch build. Great work. Looks as good as it could be.
Thanks a lot Mark @markhedrick
Hey Tolga @tolgaul,
I think you have achieved an amazing result with this. Your P-51B looks fantastic.
And the challenges you have overcome, only make you more experienced and an even better modeller and that's what it's all about. You have achieved things that I don't even know I need to learn yet 🙂
Well done mate.
Thanks a lot Scott @scottiya
A stunning aircraft. @tolgaul
Thanks John @jdtruby
You took the most out of this kit that has its issues, Tolga! The result is outstanding!
Congratulations!
Thanks a lot Spiros @fiveten
Despite all the challenges, you turned this kit into a wonderful Mustang, Tolga @tolgaul
Well done.
Thanks a lot John @johnb
Looks fantastic. It's such a shame here isn't a good 1/32 version of this plane. So many D's out there but the B's/C's were real game changers.
Like that you show the inboard clamshell gear doors closed which is correct! Did they gradually drop while sitting and the pilot had to close them before takeoff?
Thanks a lot Ross @ross4.
For the gear doors position, I have attached my reference picture below.
Btw here is an explanation that I found in forums years ago
After engine shutdown, the normal procedure was to fully lower the flaps. On Merlin-engined P-51s that relieved the pressure in the hydraulic system, thus the inner doors would bleed down because there were no positive up-locks on the inner gear doors.
Yes, there are photographs of Merlin-engined P-51s with the inner gear doors up, but either those photos were taken immediately after shutdown, or the ground crew pushed the door closed for whatever reason. Inner doors closed on the ground was not the 'normal' position.
Allison-engined P-51s had positive up-locks on the inner gear doors, so those were normally up when parked.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Your extended efforts paid off, as usual. Great job, Tolga
Thanks a lot Gary @gwskat
I love this paiting!
Thanks
A beautiful rendition of the classic fast-back pony! Well done.
Thanks Greg @gkittinger