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Dan DeSilva
72 articles

Hasegawa 1/48 P-51D Air Commandos

December 24, 2014 · in Aviation · · 21 · 3.1K

I hope you enjoy seeing my P-51D, in an Air Commando Scheme.

I have always wanted to build a with the bazooka tubes and bombs seen in some pictures. I used the Otaki kit markings, which are not entirely correct for the airframe they depict. I was fortunate to be directed to a picture of the actual plane- I will not reproduce it here out of respect for him- I cannot reference it.

The tail numbers are the wrong size and format, and the horse is not rendered accurately either. I hope to add some exhaust staining with Tamiya Smoke in a few days. I had to rework the fuselage lightning bolts as well so they would match the picture. I took liberty to do the wing stripes in insignia Blue- something I had heard was rumoured for some of the aircraft in this group. While other photos of these planes I have seen on the internet (San Diego Museum I believe) show that they do look black, the photo of this airframe suggests the stripes are a little lighter in tone than the lightning bolts- a little artistic licence on my part.

When I first dug the kit out of the stash, I realized it was missing the windscreen, so had to thermoform a new one using another Hasegawa windscreen i had- then i realized it was oddly too wide for the second kit- I thermoformed a second windscreen- and chucked the kit part.

I deepened the wheel wells vertically-the only achilles heel of this kit in my opinion- although I did not correct the horizontal depth of the wheel well!

The finish is Testors metalizer sprayed on over a coat of white, buffed smooth, then sealed with future. I have been working on a P-47N's metallic finish the same way- it works for me.

The lighting is tough as the sun is very low in the sky at this time of year in Bermuda.

One day i will get some good photo lighting set up, but until now- old sol is all I can swing!

Reader reactions:
2  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


21 responses

  1. The photos look fine from here, Dan...as does the model. Good to hear from ya.

    • Thanks Craig! I have to take pics when I can- school holidays work out the best. I am always lurking and looking at kits on here- even if I don't always have time to comment or post!
      Merry Christmas!

  2. Very nice indeed. Well done!

  3. Hello Dan...Looks very good to me and a fine build of that Hasegawa kit. The sheen on that paint finish is quite eye-catching...very nicely done.

    • Thanks Jim, I am now wishing I had kept my other Hasegawa kits, but I had to cull at the time... I have one more Hasegawa and a few Tamiya, one Monogram- may get to them sooner than I thought after this one!

  4. Excellent skills in evidence. A well considered project. Congratulations on a fine build.

    Re photos I would suggest interior setup with a couple of simple side lights to hide background shadows and the extreme light/dark effect of daylight, to bring out the best in your model.

    • Means a lot coming from you Rob! I enjoy your work. I could have been more careful with my shooting, but I had to fit it in today- tomorrow is forecast to be pretty dreary and the next few days. I have a good spot I can shoot indoors with a spot and fill, but no time to set it up. Might try with my F-117 that i hope to post soon. Not sure the temperature of my lights are good enough...
      Dan.

  5. Sharp Mustang Dan.
    Well done.

  6. Lovely Mustang there Dan, looks sweet mate.
    Well done sir.

  7. Dan like you said above, I look here way more than I comment, but...this P-51 is truly outstanding. Very fine job you have done, unique subject and superb craftsmanship.

    I don't use the word 'awesome' often, but this one is awesome.

  8. Nice Mustang, Dan. This markings are my favorite ones on this type of aircraft

    • Thanks for this comment too. I like this particularly because of the Mustang painted on a "Mustang". Love your Snoopy image by the way! I finally got a Snoopy as the World War I flier ornament this year!
      Dan.

      • Thanks Dan, Snoopy has a meaning, i accidently smashed my red Triplane while dusting my room, so Snoopy got him, i hope i can fix that 🙁
        Your P-51 is really nice and clean, somewhat different from the usual weathering orgies, yes thats more accurate but...

  9. Awesome P-51. I built the old Otaki kit with these markings back around Christmas 1984. You did a stellar job with the Hasegawa kit!

  10. That is wicked good Dan. Great modeling.
    California Steve

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