The P51-D Mustang by itself is already a WW2 legend. The Tuskegee airmen made their heraldic red nose-and-tail Mustangs the stuff of Air Force mystique and immortal fame. Theirs was a story of sacrifice and heroism in the face of racial discrimination at home and fierce air combat against determined German opponents.The 332nd Fighter Group earned their nickname “Red-Tail Angels” from grateful bomber crews who were saved by the Mustangs that stuck close to them. This project is my tribute to these brave men.
This 1/48th scale Tamiya kit was issued in conjunction with the release of the movie “Red Tails”. Hub Hobby Center in Richfield MN commissioned this project as an out-of-box build, meaning straight from the kit with no after-market parts. The Tamiya kit is well-engineered despite being 2 decades-old with great molded detail. Having previously built a similar kit in my post China Mustang, I decided to concentrate on the paint job this time. I chose the livery of the “Duchess Arlene” used by Lt. Robert W. Williams of the 100th FS, 332nd FG.
Once the fuselage was fully assembled, I primed the model in Alclad high gloss black primer. This protects the plastic from the metal lacquer and provides a very smooth surface. Since this is the end of winter here, the air is still pretty dry and I had a constant battle to keep dust off the primed model. Since this battle wasn’t always successful, I had to sandpaper several trouble spots and apply the primer in two installments.
Next came the metal lacquer itself which is Alclad air-frame aluminum. This finish provides and almost mirror-quality high polished aluminum. While purist will argue that Mustangs were in a more silvery metal finish, I wanted to make this one for pure beauty and different from China Mustang.
Next, I masked off sections of the fuselage to apply Model Master aluminum metalizer to provide a slightly more matt contrast to the high gloss panels. This provides a patchwork look with different metal parts seen in real aircraft. This is followed in succession by olive drab for the anti-glare panel in front of the cockpit and yellow identification stripes on both sides of the wing roots. This paint scheme used A LOT of masking tape.
Although the kit came with red decals for the cowling, I chose to apply paint throughout to get a more uniform look. Finally, the signature color of insignia red gets applied to the nose, tail and wing tips. Red is always a tricky color to spray as it tends to be highly visible if the over-spray caught onto surrounding parts and also it tends to be pinkish on aluminum if the coverage was less than total. At the end of it all, I could breathe again!
Next came the decals. Tamiya decals are pretty good and they go on easily to the bare metal paintwork.
I sealed the decals and paintwork under several layers of varnish and left the fuselage to dry for a long time.
While waiting, this is a good time to work on the fiddly, small but important bits of the aircraft. These parts, like the fuel tanks and propeller blades, have their own little decals to be applied as well.
Then, in the final leg, the undercarriage assembly and fuel drop tanks get applied to the aircraft. The canopy is finally attached and we are finally done. The other difference in this project was that I prepared the paint job with a thick layer of protective varnish so that some handling of the kit is possible since there wasn’t going to be a base. I kept weathering to a minimum to focus on the beautiful color scheme as though the aircraft was in an exhibition. Enjoy the pictures.
Paul,
Everyone loves the P-51D – but you’ve made this one look like Jane Russell (to use an appropriate period reference). Simply the sexiest-looking model I’ve ever seen.
Congratulations!
Dave Hardy
Hi Dave,
Good to hear from you. Thanks for the compliments.
Paul
Hi Dave. Forgive an old man’s (sixty two) ignorance. I’m what you’d all call a newbie & I’ve not build & painted a model since my childhood. Being older & having lots more patience, I am going to build & paint a P51 mustang in the colours of the Tuskegee fliers. In particular Roscoe Browns aircraft ‘Bunnie’. I would like to use the Tamiya acrylic paints. Therefore, the correct colour numbers for the ‘aluminium’ fuselage, the right ‘green’ for the engine cover, the correct ‘red’ for the obvious & also the correct ‘yellow’ gor the wing stripes. As I’m obviously not a professional, I can live with some small variants in minor colours. Oh yes, one more thing, the correct colours for the seat & interior of cockpit. It’s a big ask I know, but I’ve looked on the net & don’t seem to be able to find the colours I need. I wish I could have bought an original ‘Tuskegee’ model but just couldn’t find one, so I’ve settled for a P51D 8Th AF. I ‘know’ I’m not going to get the 100% correct end product, but it’ll be damn close enough for this aged beginner. Any help will be very gratefully received. Thanks in advance.
Hello Gary,
USAAF cockpit interior is a color that Tamiya isn’t very good at, but you can get Model Masters acrylic Interior Green FS34151 for the walls, floor, except the instrument panel, which is black. You can see some pretty clear shots in my other Mustang post: https://www.paulooimodelworks.com/aces-high-p51d-mustang-old-crow/
Good luck.
Many thanks indeed, & very grateful for your response, good luck to you, regards, Garry.
Very sophisticated and mature craftsmanship indeed!
I am looking for a desk size model of the Tuskagee airman P 51 D mustang…much like your model , but suitable for a lawyer’s office conference room desk. Do you make these for order or where can I find one with your exquisite detail and realism. It can be on wheels, or mounted.
Hello Don,
Yes, I do make these to order. Just send your specification to my email at [email protected]. Also, the particular model you see in this website is actually on sale by Hub Hobby Center at Richfield MN if you happen to be in the Twin Cities area. You can also call 612-866-9575 and ask for Harry Nehls.
Paul
I’ve been looking for a colour scheme for this model and found your post. It’s just what I need for my P51 Tamiya.
Hello Martin,
Glad you made the connection! Good luck with the build of this gorgeous aircraft.
Paul