P-51 Mustang for static display

[Sai1704]

OK, you must be thinking I'm a crazy fan of Mustangs, but I can explain.
I decided that my Mustang(the first one) neither looked good nor was worthy of flying. So I stripped it of all its tissue and decided to try covering it with balsa, by the infill method, because I plan to build a fighter from the 1400 series in the near future and cover it with balsa too(inspired by David Duckett's F-15). I just though I could practice with it so I could be acquainted with the process and any tips/tricks.
After I covered a part of it, I was surprisingly satisfied and decided to finish sheeting it and then paint it for display. I finished the upper section-

and half of the bottom section-

Since this only began experimentally and I am not really sure if I'm right or wrong at certain parts, I need all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance.

[birdbuster]

1400 series is agood choice.The method of filling in the gaps with peices of balsa really makes those jets look swell.BTW,My F-16 is 'Model of the Month' right now.Tedius but it sure was worth the work.

[Sai1704]

Here is the finished bottom section. But can anyone help me in finding a way to make the under-wing intake more realistic?

[Wildpig]

The only way I know is to add more balsa and sand it to shape. A Dremel tool might help with the inside contour of the scoop.

[Mitch]

Sail,

I think the scoop looks pretty good to me. On the 400 series Guillow gives you a plastic piece for the front of the intake. The only way I think you could do better is fill the scoop with balsa, then you could sand it to a more round shape.

I think it looks fine the way it is... GOOD JOB!

Mitch

[Sai1704]

Thanks, Mitch. Btw my name is just 'Sai', minus the 'l'. No problem, you may not me familiar with that name, that's because it's indian
Birdbuster, that's a great f-16 you got there. Congratulations for getting 'model of the month'! I was curious to know what thickness of balsa you sheeted with, and how you got around any compound curves near the tail.
So, I have another doubt in my progress,
the sides of the fuselage have some rather irregular holes cut into them( I believe it is there for all the 900 series models). How do I cover them??
Also, the areas on the wing that need to be covered are rather large, so do I have to add additional stringers for those or is it fine covering it the way it is? And there's also that part between ribs W1 and W2 and the leading edge and the first spar(on the upper section of the wing) that is rather difficult to cover, because of the leading edge tapering down, if you know what I mean. Any suggestions for that as well?

[David Lewis]

To simplify the sheeting process on simple curves, such as wings, you can re-design the frame 1/32" undersize all around and then cover the outside with 1/32" sheet balsa.

For compound curves, such as substituting balsa laminations for a vac form part, I draw parallel lines 1/16" apart on the top and side view, project the shape of each layer, glue the layers of 1/16" sheet balsa together and then round off the corners of the stack. This holds the 3D shape more accurately than carving out of a solid block.

[Sai1704]

I think you might be trying to make a purse from a pig's ear.

What do you think is the pig's ear here? The construction or the sheeting, and can I rectify it

[Sai1704]

Thanks David. That made it clearer. I could buy the larger kit but you know how this started out .
Here are my finished wings. I had to rebuild them from scratch as the old ones were in a bad state. I sheeted the wings from outside (not the infill method). The wingtips are solid balsa.

[Sai1704]

I put together all parts and applied the first coat of filler. I used an acrylic wood putty which is coloured plain white.

[Goldy]

It's hard to get these little slab sided beggars to look good as a display, but you seem to be well on the way to making it look great! I have an old 900 series Typhoon that I flew to death and has been languishing in the basement for years...you may have inspired me to peel off the tissue, repair it an infill it as a display too. I look forward to your final results.

[Sai1704]

Thanks a lot, Goldy. Nice to hear you too are trying out a 900 series 'makeover'.
While I wait for my second coat to dry, I'm thinking of a color scheme. I think I'll let the primary color be silver, and refer to the scheme for other details. So far I think the 'Moonbeam McSwine' looks classy, but it has too little detail. Any suggestions?

[r wheatley]

looking good to me


Ronnie

[Goldy]

I'm sure whatever you pick for colours will look great. I like the black and white striping, but I suppose if it was me I would have to paint it in the 402 Squadron colours...a little Canadian patriotizm showing through Thanks for the inspiration!

[Sai1704]

Thanks and you're welcome, Goldy.
I decided to paint it in the Crusader color scheme.

Edited: Change in plans, I think I'll go with 'The Rebel'.