Subject: Re: Hi Steve it's been awhile, but here's a Mustang with a difference for the Gallery!
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Alan P" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 13:15:40 -0800

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alan P 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 10:42 AM
  Subject: Hi Steve it's been awhile, but here's a Mustang with a difference for the Gallery!

  Tamiya 1/48 Mustang IVa

  by Alan Purusram
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  This is a P-51K (Mustang IVa in RAF service) of 442 (Caribou) Sqn RCAF. It was the CO James Storrar's plane and carries his initials "JAS" as a code, rather than the standard "Y2". This plane only flew one combat mission, on 9th May 1945, providing top cover during the liberation of the Channel Islands, the only British territory to be occupied by the Germans during World War 2.

  I made two changes to the plane as it appeared in May 1945 - I left the seat armour installed, even though it had been removed by this time, pending its conversion to a two-seater (the gunsight was also removed from this plane), and I added the RCAF Maple Leaf motif on the tail, even though this was only applied to a few Mustangs in the squadron and may not have appeared on Storrar's. This fitted well with our club's annual competition theme celebrating our twinned status with IPMS Ottawa, who kindly supplied the decals.

  I need say nothing about the Tamiya P-51D kit - it's a real beauty. It practically falls together, and it's the first kit I've built which didn't need any putty at all. I spruced up the cockpit with a True Details set, which was excellent value for money. Only a small amount of sanding was required to make it fit, and it builds up really nice. I used several placards and the instrument panel from the Eduard etched set which also adapted easily to the True Details pit. A late addition was the Aires gun bay set which showed how much practice I still need at cutting out panels accurately!

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  The real fun part was the painting and finishing - references suggested that the plane was a) new; and b) kept highly polished, as it was the CO's plane. So I used kitchen foil for the bare metal areas, and Gunze Mr Metal Color Metalizers for the wings and flying surfaces. I used Peter Doll's technique for staining the foil different shades by boiling strips of it with eggshells - the results were surprisingly good! I used slightly thinned PVA glue to stick on the foil, and buffed it down with cotton swabs and after drying, fine steel wool to get a nice "milled metal" finish.

          
        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here  

  Decals were from IPMS Canada's Sweating Beaver range which had great instructions and painting suggestions, and as an added bonus included resin louvred vents for the front cowling. The decals were a bit brittle and the first I have used which did not respond well to Klear (Future) as a setting agent. Nevertheless, it all went mostly to plan and came up as a reasonable rendition of Wing Commander James Storrar's mount at the end of the war in Europe.

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 10.jpg 

  Photos and text © by Alan Purusram

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