SPA Modeler

Styrene strip shim to fill that little gap. Perhaps some gel CA aftwards just to be sure.

Thank you both. Everything else checks out: canopy windshields—check; engine cowling—check... I just cannot make that seam go away. The kit was designed with a removable cover for the engine which I am going to glue that together tightly. I am also thinking about a closed canopy. I think this kit and aircraft will benefit aesthetically with this. Does anyone else do this? I think it would be alright. The cockpit interior will be as respectable as possible, and the seat angle and depth will be correct and the control stick will be in the right place. I am not sure about the interior walls. Hasegawa does provide several pieces to add some degree of accuracy. I was planning on using these.

John,

Reading Quang's Revell 1/32 P-51D project really paid off! First, he noted the name of the pilot in this photo!


Col. Don Blakeslee (born 1911, Fairport Harbor, Ohio, died 2008)

from the New York Times:

Col. Donald Blakeslee, one of the most decorated fighter pilots of World War II and the commander of the first American fighter squadrons to reach Berlin as the Allies ground down the German Luftwaffe, died Sept. 3 at his home in Miami. He was 90.

The cause was heart failure, said his daughter and only immediate survivor, Dawn Blakeslee. Ms. Blakeslee said she did not announce her father’s death last month because of his reluctance to talk about his achievements.

As commander of the Fourth Fighter Group of the Eighth Fighter Command, Colonel Blakeslee led three squadrons of 16 single-seat, single-engine P-51 Mustangs, each equipped with six machine guns mounted in the wings and sighted so that the bullet streams could converge on the Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulf fighters that were trying to down Allied bombers.

By war’s end, the Fourth Fighter Group was credited with destroying 1,020 German aircraft, 550 shot out of the air and 470 hit while on the ground. That total surpassed the 992 German planes taken out by the 56th Fighter Group, led by another fighter ace, Col. Hubert Zemke.

Walter J. Boyne, a former director of the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, said on Tuesday that Colonel Blakeslee was one of the cadre of commanders who “blunted the edge of the Luftwaffe” and “went on to lead the progressive destruction of the German air force.”

Blakeslee's Final Mustang



Standard 4th Fighter Group red spinner and 12 inch red nose band. Squadron code WD of 335 squadron. Colonel Don used "C" for all his assigned aircraft, saying that it stood for "chief cook and bottle washer". He also refused to name them. The red nose band was extended to 24 inches in December 1944.

Great info on Blakeslee! I usually close the canopies on my build. I just like the look of everything closed up.

That’s good work on the wing roots!

As to fuselage gaps, I’ve been a “Tamiya Putty Man”. But so far, the gaps have been thin enough that the Tamiya Putty worked pretty well. HOWEVER— I don’t much care for working with that stuff on jobs like that. Wing roots, that’s a different story. I’m thinking of taking Carlos’ advice and using a strip of Styrene next time I run into that particular issue. If you choose to go the Styrene route, I’ll be stoked to see the process and the results.

jkim wrote:Great info on Blakeslee! I usually close the canopies on my build. I just like the look of everything closed up.

Thank you! I thought about this and thought about this idea for awhile and I completely agree with you about the final look of the aircraft—buttoning up the canopy keeps an in-flight aspect as well—also canopies have rails and track mechanisms that would have to be accounted for somehow.

KennyX wrote:That’s good work on the wing roots!

As to fuselage gaps, I’ve been a “Tamiya Putty Man”. But so far, the gaps have been thin enough that the Tamiya Putty worked pretty well. HOWEVER— I don’t much care for working with that stuff on jobs like that. Wing roots, that’s a different story. I’m thinking of taking Carlos’ advice and using a strip of Styrene next time I run into that particular issue. If you choose to go the Styrene route, I’ll be stoked to see the process and the results.

Thanks very much, Kenny X. I definitely learned about Milliput from John Kim, and would consider using it on all the gaps except the largest one in the center of the fuse; even there I am sure that a Milliput solution would work. I had a bad feeling about that seam so I am grateful to have opinions!

Cheers!

Open or closed canopies look good. If you’re going to have anything open like gun bays or engine access panels, I’d say go with an open canopy just for consistency. But otherwise, all buttoned up sounds good.
The NYT background on Col Blakeslee is good, fine for the non WWII aviation buff general public, but could use a little fine tuning. BTW, the 4th Fighter Group is still around today, flying F-15Es out of Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina as their home station.

Stikpusher wrote:Open or closed canopies look good. If you’re going to have anything open like gun bays or engine access panels, I’d say go with an open canopy just for consistency. But otherwise, all buttoned up sounds good.
The NYT background on Col Blakeslee is good, fine for the non WWII aviation buff general public, but could use a little fine tuning. BTW, the 4th Fighter Group is still around today, flying F-15Es out of Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina as their home station.

You are right about the NYT article. This bio - see link below - is the real deal! The author details more of his personality in here as well—especially if you read between the lines. Not a fella to be trifled with, but a hell of a pilot and leader.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/44924