1/32 P-51D-5-NA

"The Duck" 

by Rodney Williams
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Part1

According to "Warbirds Worldwide" book #28 there is only one photo of Emerson's P-051D-5-NA.  this picture, which was published in their book #28, was taken from a B-17 during the war.  Mike Meek, a member of IPMS/Silicon Valley, loaned me his copy of the book so that I could take some close-up pictures.  The Story in the book says that Emerson flew the aircraft but while on Stateside leave around July'44, the aircraft was assigned to another pilot.  Before his return to Europe he was promoted to Captain.  Then on December 25th, 1944, in his new aircraft, Capt. Donald R. Emerson was killed in action.  This means that "Captian" Donald R. Emerson never flew this particular P-51D-5-NA.  

Now, what I.D. should be put on the model?  Lieutenant or Captain!  Remember, never trust art drawings!!  In the new Mustang book #13 by Aero Detail on page 54 the drawing shows this particular P-51, serial number 413317, as being number 413917.  To add to the confusion the enlarged "Duck" drawing is not exactly like the small one on the side of the aircraft and neither one looks exactly like the one on the real airplane.  The pictures made from Mike Meek's book also showed that the "Donald Duck" is different from the Superscale decal sheet #32-6.  Moreover, the Text with the drawings is labeled Major Emerson, September 1944.  The call letters of "VF*B" on the fuselage are, however, correct.

Before we begin building we must talk about handmade parts and superglue.  Well, when speaking of handmade parts be assured that, that is just what they are - handmade.  The tools used to create these parts consist of 2 Dremel motors, several files - ranging from a rough bastard cut to a superfine #6 cut - Flex-I-Files, cutting knives, and my brain.  There is no drill press or machinist lathe, but maybe someday.  As for superglue, it is for building, filling - gaps and seams - and tacking parts together.  I use the thin for tacking and the thick for filling.  (Here is a modeling tip to use when using Zip-Kicker.  attach  

Work on this particular Mustang begins with the fuselage instead of the usual wheel wells and wings.  The client wanted the rudder and other flying surfaces off set.  This made it necessary to remove the rudder from both halves of the fuselage.  To accomplish this the halves were taped and the rudder section was tacked with superglue.  this method gives you the correct angle for the rudder once it has been separated from the fuselage.

The leading edge of the rudder was filled with white styrene and sanded to shape.  A new trim tab was fashioned from .090" flat styrene after the kit tab was cut away.  tHen an angle plate was made from .050" aluminum.  It was glued into a pre-recessed location at the bottom of the trim tab.  Next a hole was drilled into the forward area of the rudder.  Inserted into this hole is a piece of .030"o.d. / .015" i.d. stainless steel tubing.  An actuator arm was fashioned by using a piece of .015" o.d. brass rod flattened on the end and filed to shape.  Then a -101" diameter hole was drilled in the flattened end of the brass rod.  Into this hole and the matching hole in the plate on the trim tab insert a piece of .010" o.d. white styrene rod.  The rod is then cut to length and mushroomed over using a heating iron.  

Now we move to the inside of the fuselage.  the rib sections and the tailwheel well are constructed using flat styrene stock.  As for the carburetor air scoop intake I used 1/2" round tube.  The holes for the air filters on both sides of the fuselage were drilled out then thinned to scale.  Attached into these holes is fine stainless steel screen.  As a side note on the use of screen for detailing, never place a screen inside the carburetor air scoop intake as there never was one installed in this location.

While working on the inside details I decided to build in transportation supports.  These come in handy when traveling to and from contests.  Just make front and back support brackets in your model carrying box, remove the prop and rudder, insert tubing through 

The tailwheel assembly from the kit was tossed out keeping only the tire.  To this was added  anew rim, built from telescoping aluminum tubing, and an axle and support shaft crafted from .060" o.d. round brass rod.  The rest of the assembly was made from styrene and aluminum.  The doors were fashioned from .005" thick aluminum sheet stock (beer / cola cans) and styrene.  Before joining the fuselage the tailwheel got it's first coat of paint.

Next came the tail plane.  The two halves of the stabilizer / elevator were joined together then all of the raised rivets, panel lines and access doors were removed.  Then the trailing edges were thinned to scale.  Using pencil lines to draw on the elevator I took my jeweler's saw with an extra fine blade I separated the elevators from the stabilizers.  At this point the trailing edge of the stabilizer and the leading edge of the elevator were filled with styrene and sanded to shape.  A new trim tab, built out of styrene, was added.  It included the cutouts, hinges etc. 

Once the sanding was completed - I used up to 1500 grit wet / dry sandpaper - it was time to replace the panel lines. rivets and access doors.  After drawing the lines for rivets, panels and doors, masking tape is butted together leaving a small gap for the scribing tool.  Each panel line is scribed three times.  For the rivets, I use a sharpened needle point .010" diameter drill bit to push gently into the plastic.  Once these applications are completed the area is resanded with 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper.

Since my tri-tool scribing template has no rectangular patterns I use templates made from .005" aluminum can stock.  These were made by drawing the desired patterns on the aluminum, scribing around them, then drilling .015" holes in the 4 corners.  Next an "X" is cut into the aluminum, a .30" diameter hole drilled in the center  

The cockpit was constructed using some parts from a Verlinden cockpit kit, the kit cockpit and many scratch built detail parts.  The Verlinden kit supplied the floor, seat and lower section of armor plate.  These were joined by the kits upper section of armor plate/head rest.  Some extra styrene was added to the floor so that it would fit snugly into the fuselage.  Fellow IPMS/Silicon Valley Scale Modelers Club member Jim Lewis, showed me how to simulate cloth/canvas by using facial tissue and white glue.  So I used it to make the cushion for the back of the seat.  Nylon ribbon was used as belt straps along with the buckles from the Verlinden kit.  Their stick was also used. 

There is no fuselage gas tank supplied in the Hasegawa kit, so this will have to be scratch built.  You will also need to scratch up a rack for the radio gear as the kit only gives a solid panel.

Verlinden's photoetched instrument panel was chosen, however their dials were exchanged for Waldron's dials.  The Verlinden photoetched dial covers were missing three bezels, so these had to be made using styrene stock.  The Waldron dials caused some fit problems with the Verlinden panel, so a new panel was laid out using a mix of both 1/32 and 1/48 dials.  (The dials used were: 1/48 - #'s 6,9, 10,13,14, 15, 16, 20, 21, and 26; 1/32 - #'s 2, 8, 18, 19, and 24).  the cockpit rails were also discarded, but the photoetched foot pedals were kept due to their realistic appearance and simplicity of assembly.  All cockpit control handles were made using sheet styrene, aluminium 

The Waldron placards were the right size for almost everything except the top section of the lower control panel.  When parts 4, 10 and 13 were attached to part 16 and then this assembly attached to the bottom of the instrument panel it hit the cockpit floor.  So part 16 was discarded and the rest of the parts were used.

With this being a P-51D-5-NA I could only assume that the aircraft used the early version radio.  The kit has the later version radio, but Verlinden has the early version.  The radio boxes were merely separated and some items added.  Also some cross members were scratchbuilt and attached at a 90' angle to the center line of the fuselage aft of the armor plate/headrest.  The photoetched cross braces were temporarily attached to the other cross braces and then the four radio boxes were set on.

Building all of the small boxes, which fit on both sides of the cockpit, was rather simple.  The placards were glued onto flat styrene stock, trimmed and sanded to shape.  the handles were made from .010" rod stock and the dials added.  A handmade flare gun was built 

For the N3 gunsight, I used a reduced copy of my 1/24 plans and handmade all 21 tiny parts.

With all the cockpit items complete it is time for a dry fit.  everything fit like a tailor made suit.  Next comes the painting and weathering so that these parts will be ready for photography and final assembly.  Also at this time I fabricated the oil and water radiators from styrene and screen material.  With the photos out of the way everything was removed from the cockpit so that work could continue on the fuselage.  Before attaching the fuselage halves together, the tail wheel section was installed onto an aluminum rod and put into place.  Then the halves were taped together so that the movement of the tail wheel could be checked.  With the fuselage halves glued together the tail wheel section is retracted and secured in place with white glue.  this method allows you to work on the fuselage without damaging the tail wheel.  The white glue is dissolved on final assembly and the one piece axle and strut is attached, aligned and glued.

All of the raised detail was removed and recessed lines filled.  Also the fin fillet was removed and the remaining gap filled.  Next openings for the oil and water cooling vents were cut into the underside.  Two vent doors, built out of .015" styrene stock and two push rods, fabricated similar to the actuator arm on the trim tab, were then scratchbuilt.

The kit exhaust stacks are for the birds, so they were removed.  The shroud covers were then hollowed out and some styrene added to allow oval holes to be made.  In order to build new stacks, an alignment jig was built so that holes could be 

From photos in the Mustang Book by Aero Detail #13, I knew that a new canopy was going to be neded.  It seems that the kit canopy is missing a distinctive bulge just aft of where the cnaopy fits to the windscreen.  the kit canopy was glued to the frame, sanded inside and out with 180 to 320 grit paper.  Next a Dremel tool was used to grind out the inside of the canopy which was followed by more sanding.  From this a plaster mold was made for vacuforming a new canopy.  Using .030" clear plastic and after several attempts I finally achieved the desired bulge.  You will note holes in the plastes.  these allow your vacuform machine to suck in the hot plastic giving a perfect fit over the mold.

A center line, canopy frame and rivets are penciled in on the mold.  These are used as either scribing guides or masking guides depending on personal preference.

After the new canopy was pulled I sanded it with 1500 grit paper and prepared to add details.  Use caution when applying the rivet details as the lower edge of the canopy frame is usually less than .010" thick.  The final sanding begins with 1200 grit then 1500 grit then 2000.  At this point you are ready to polish it out.  I use Blue Magic for this then follow that up with a dip in Future.  If any scratches are noticed, repeat the sanding - this time with only 1500 then 2000 polishing procedure.  Remember to wash off the Future between each polishing.  You may have to do this several times but the effort is worth the time.  Allow the finished canopy to dry for a few weeks before you mask it off  for painting. 

Verlinden's canopy track guides were too short and did not have a track for the canopy roller guides to fit into, so it became necessary to scratchbuild new ones.  I used square brass channel stock.  Using a spare canopy, I built in the frame work making the patterns as work progressed.  These included the rear track guide and roller guides which fit on each side of the canopy near the leading edges of the front two sides.  Temporarily glue on the two metal tracks then fit the two front roller guides into the tracks and the track guide into the fuselage track.  If everything is properly installed onto the "work" canopy it should slide to the closed position and slide back open.  I had to make some adjustments at this point.  Once this was accomplished it was on to making all bew pieces for the finished canopy

 using the patterns made with the "working" canopy.  Micro dots of 

The prop spinner was reworked by adding the cross bar.  At the same time the kits cuffed blades were reworked and Bill Ferrante made the casting from my master.

With the problems I found in the markings my client lined up Woody Vondracek to produce a totally new dry transfer set of markings.  I have been working with Woody on the markings and with our 6th proof set we think everything is to perfection.  To redraw the Duck I used tracing paper and followed the dot outline on the photo.  The mount was the most troublesome part.  As a side bar, Woody Vondracek owns Precision Dry Transfers and plans to add this set to his line of quality transfers.  His sample dry transfers are worth their weight in gold.  In my years of modeling I have not seen this quality in any decal set.

Part2

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