George Preddy's P-51D 'Cripes A'Mighty 3rd'

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Basically whats on tap...

Need to get a new tailwheel... tried keeping track of it as best I could... shouldn't be hard...
Strip invasion stripe 'blocks' when I get thinner
fix paint lines
 
I was doing well and I can't lost faith in myself so I will strip ALL of the paint, all of it and in a 2 weeks or so when I get it all sorted .....should post new pics...:rolleyes:

I need to figure out my airbrush..

These are the things that make me want to throw the whole thing into the wall...

IN the meantime I may just start a easier, smaller scale aircraft or something to keep my mind off of this failure......will resume this soon............:evil:
 
I just need to take my time....

A step back....strip the paint and I should be ok...it's not that bad.
 
It's not a failure H, it's a minor set-back.
I don't think you need to strip down all the paint, probably just sand down the white, and have a good, long look at the rest, and think about how you can correct any errors. One of the hardest finishes to achieve, probably the hardest, is a metal finish. It has to be done carefully, and, after practice with the airbrush, you should be able to achieve at least a passable bare metal finish. No disrespect to aerosol spray cans, but they aren't the best tool for painting a relatively small model - large scale R/C aircraft, and cars, maybe, but not a 1/48th scale fighter. This is more true of a metal finish - believe me, over the years I've tried all sorts of things to get a good metal finish, including an aeorsol - once!
So far, the model is going reasonably well, especially considering the total number of models you have built. However, and don't be upset by this, I do think that your enthusiasm is causing you to rush things a bit. It's too easy to get carried away and want to move on to the next stage; this is how, and when, mistakes occur. Jobs are partly spoilt, parts are lost, or masking, for instance, is forgotten. It's happened to us all, and will continue to happen occassionally, so it's nothing to be ashamed of!
The thing to do now is sit back, maybe get on with something else, and then plan what needs doing, and in which order. The minute you (or anyone for that matter) open the box to start on a new kit, that is the time the planning starts. You should be looking right through the instructions, checking ahead for possible problem, or tricky areas, seeing if certain parts can be left off until later, to aid construction and painting, and avoid possible damage. Look at the various stages, and ask yourself questions, like 'If I do this, will it effect that' or 'OK, that bit can be added later, if I do xxx, as it'll make masking easier' and so on. It's a bit like planning, and implementing, a combat patrol!
Herr Doktor Professor Wojtek has the perfect statement concerning modelling, when he says it's not a race. It isn't a race, the only time element in a GB being the four month period each GB runs.
Think of it as if you were building a house to live in. You wouldn't throw up the bricks (or whatever) then slap some paint on the result, just because you wanted to see the house, the place where you are going to live, finished and standing there all built and painted. You'd want to make sure that every brick was properly set, the walls straight, the roof sound, and the paintwork pristine. Like building a house, modelling takes as long as it takes; it's not a race, it's a hobby, which should be enjoyable. Yep, we all get frustrated at times, and sometimes well p*ssed off, but that's life!
Throwing the model in the bin won't achieve anything, so have a think, and then get back to it when you feel the time is right. There is absolutely no reason that I can see why that Mustang can't turn out to be a very nice model. Look at the tools you've accumulated, and learn how to use them - they won't work by themselves, just sitting there. Practice with the airbrush, learn how the compressor works, why there might be a flow problem, spitting or whatever, and how to overcome it. Then, try painting a 'scrap' model, or an old coffeee cup, anything, in the desired colour scheme, just to see how it works out. When you're happy, then tackle the 'real thing' - it's got to be done sometime!
Cheers, chin up, and don't give in!!
 
"Slow and steady and steady and slow, that's the way to do it."

Despite what happened here Harrison it is really looking good. This is a very fixable mistake and best of all I think you learned something from it. I'm sure you've heard this before but here are a few quick tips or reminders to help prevent this from happening in the future.

- Take your time masking. The more time you spend on the masking job the less likely you will have over spray. In the grand scheme of things tape is cheap so use whatever you need to use to get it done. What I try and do is mask an area and then walk away from the model. I then give it another look afterward with fresh eyes. 9 out of 10 time I see something I missed. Masking may be time consuming and tedious but its a heck of a lot easier then stripping paint and redoing it over.

- When spraying always start with the lightest colors and work your way to the dark(side)est.

And the one I have the most trouble with...

- Multiple light coats are better than one heavy coat.

In the short time I've been here Harrison I've seen you evolve into a good modeler and you have immense passion for the hobby. I have no doubt that in due time you will evolve into a spectacular modeler and rival some of the big guys here.

Keep up the good work, kid 8)
 
Thanks very much Dirk!

I won't throw it into the bin, I just need proper supplies to make the fix and all should be good. If I had gotten any clear parts messy THEN I would be angry :lol:
 
Thanks guys appreciate it. Will get back to this because I like it myself :D but, wanted to try to get it to look a bit better.

I started a new project to keep my mind off of this one till I get some thinner and Tamiya paint
 
It's a secret :toothy5:

Just kidding, I'll post pics this weekend hopefully. It's 'hypothetically' going to turn into a RAF P-40E Engine maintenance dio...

It's the Hobbycraft P-40E, they are so kind as to remove the cowlings so the engines can be seen.

But this one is going to take a while, I need to get pictures and stuff.

But again, I need paints, thinner, and base material for that...
 
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**Cough ** Cough

Well my dad bought a quart of paint thinner for me....

Stripped the P-51 as best I could and will let it dry so I can fill gaps, sand, and other prep before test 2.
 
Next week I am promised a visit to the hobby shop...totaling up the things I need I am already over a hundred....but it's my money :lol:
 
See for me when I mess up on a model I just blow it up (burn it shoot it etc.) Its pretty fun except when you get pretty far or its a nice kit. (like Im not gonna burn the trumpeter floatplane but if its my 1/72 me 109, I will) Its always fun to make "wreck" dioramas :) As for this one your so far and its pretty recoverable so I wouldnt burn it......Btw this exact same thing almost happened to me in a way. My last model I built was this exact kit and my plane was also bare metal finish as well. I, being oblivious, thought it would "not hard" to paint an aluminum finish with a paint brush. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong and it turned it okay and kinda acceptable but not that good. Thats why I want to spray paint my B-25, my next build! Urs looks pretty good and definitely fixable.
 

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