Crossing the Finish Line
These are a few test shots of the nearly finished model of “Mrs. Bonnie,” a P-51K flown by William Dunham during WWII.
I’m pretty pleased with the result, despite a few setbacks and errors. I think it’s safe to say that we all go through ups and downs with an artistic endeavor. Perhaps that is the appeal, beyond the fun of it: to nevertheless succeed at completing a project and doing so in a satisfying way.
The Tamiya 1/32 P-51 kit is superbly engineered, meaning that building it was absolute fun. Two things I would criticize. The canopy has a seam requiring removal and this needs to be done carefully - I inadvertently caused one to crack while removing the seam. Further, painting the frame ended up being a bear, so I would have designed the canopy as a separate part from the frame. The second thing is minor, but I would not include vinyl tires for the landing gear. That’s just goofy.
Painting was my least favorite thing about model building until this kit. I learned many things about how to apply paint with an airbrush, how to properly apply gloss and flat coats, how to add decals, and so forth. Before this kit, I “winged it,” so to speak. Also, space subjects, especially those that are fictional, mean one can get away with a simpler approach to painting the exterior. Not so with airplanes, it seems. This aircraft is covered with bare metal and painted aluminum, and I picked this particular aircraft for its colors, meaning it was going to be a fun painting challenge.
There are a few things I’d do differently, and that’s the other part of the fun - learning new things and applying the lessons learned to the next project. I will be more careful with painting in the future, for one thing. Though I used Alclad II metallic paints, I did use Bare Metal Foil here and there, and not in a particularly clever way, so I won’t do that again. Chipped paint is a cool effect, one I think I executed well, but next time I intend to layout the colored paint over the metallic paint and, using another product between, actually wear through the upper paint layer to produce the desired effect.
Weathering is my favorite thing to do, and maybe I go a bit overboard. But for a WWII aircraft, one can easily get away with that. I used washes for the first time and loved this effect, especially when supplemented with powders and chalks.
Next will be to add the aerial antenna running through the canopy to the tail. After a few more touchups, I will build the diorama featuring four guys, a jeep, a sandy surface with shrubs, and Marston mat panels. I look forward to building the jeep, as I’ve never built a ground vehicle before. The four guys will be another new thing for me; the first figure is done and I think the result is satisfactory.
So, while the plane is almost done, there is much remaining before the project is actually complete!
