New BBI Mustang!

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digger
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F-18s were around

Post by digger » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:40 pm

Many an F-18 spotted in NY trus over the last couple of months, so don't count out the P-51 showing up pretty regularly. However I would give it a couple of weeks as there is always the east coast delay....

MightyMustang
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Post by MightyMustang » Thu Dec 16, 2004 2:55 pm

I like someone else on here have been fixing some of the little bugs on my BBI Mustang. Heres what I've done so far.

1-Fixed the landing gear so its not in the extended position. Now it looks as a Mustang should when parked.
2-Painted the inside of the chin scoop and radiator black, detailed the wheel well bay.
3-Removed antenna wire because 8th AF Mustangs did not have this feature.
4-Painted a slash mark on the letter O when it should be Q.
5-Removed fake pilots name.
6-Added pitot tube and landing light thats located in the left hand wheel well.
7-Positioned drop tank pylons where they should be.

Heres whats left to do:


Detail landing gear (brake lines ect) and do some touch up job on some areas of the paint scheme. Otherwise this Mustang is fantastic and its going to be hard to beat, hear me 21st? I have come close to doing a piant scheme in the colors of the 357th fighter group or the 4th fighter group or even the 352nd but every time I sit back and look at the beautiful paint job BBI did I cant bring myself to do it, I dont want to wreck an awsome paint job!!! I have even tried contacting a website that makes decals in 1/18th scale for Big Beautiful Doll of the 78th fighter group but they have yet to contact me. Imagin what this Mustang would look like with the markings of Big Beautiful Doll? Now if I can only get ahold fo them.


:D

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Post by Teamski » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:23 pm

Hey there mighty;

What did you mean by fixing the extended gear? Did you cut down the struts?

I didn't know that 8th AF Mustangs didn't have the antenna. But Killer is a 9th AF plane, so........... :P

If you cut the struts down, you could also move the tailwheel aft a bit. It's too far forward.

Is there any way you can post a picture of your plane? I think the landing light is a great idea!!

-Ski
[url=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2869983520050168193AYuxRR][img]http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/8785/2869983520050168193S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

MightyMustang
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Post by MightyMustang » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:33 pm

Hey teamski, first I checked with the 354th fighter group.com webpage and they didnt have the antenna feature either so "Killer" didnt have the antenna. I did work on the struts and fixed them so they look very good and as for the landing light and the pitot tube I got them from an old 1/24th P-51 kit and they fit perfectly. The tail wheel? I'll leave it as is since I'm on a roll and not screwing things up. I wish I had a digital camera to post photos of my new and improved Mustang but I dont own one and that pisses me off big time but I have a freind that has one and I'll see if I can use his.


:)

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Post by Teamski » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:46 pm

Eh, it was worth a shot. Did you heat the struts to get the forward "rake" of the real thing?

-Ski
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Post by MightyMustang » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:57 pm

Thats what I did teamski and it looks awsome. If you need any suggestions on your Mustang let me know and I'll help ya out.


:)

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Post by Waltz41 » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:58 pm

MightyMustang,
question for you? where are you getting the info on the mustangs not having the antenna? you are talking about the one behind the canopy, correct? i have several pics of mustangs in the 8th AF that have them. here's a few:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p5 ... thaf/8.jpg

http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p5 ... thaf/7.jpg

http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p5 ... haf/11.jpg

http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p5 ... thaf/3.jpg

just very curious on this, hopefully i'm talking about the same thing you are.

also, i don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, if they have i'm sorry, but i was looking at killer last nite, and the machine gun ejection ports on the bottom side of the wing are really really off! no where near where they should be.

brian

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Post by Teamski » Thu Dec 16, 2004 4:03 pm

I believe Mighty is referring to the HF wire antenna. He is right, for the most part, about its use; it it difficult to find pictures of it on the plane. The ammo chutes are lined up fine, but I don't know what the other 3 slots (outboard and forward) are supposed to be, unless they are rocket mount attachement points.

-Ski
[url=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2869983520050168193AYuxRR][img]http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/8785/2869983520050168193S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/url]

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Post by MightyMustang » Thu Dec 16, 2004 7:50 pm

Well guys call me stupid or whatever you like but I did it. After alot of thought since my last post I went and repainted my BBI Mustang. What colors and what group did I base it on? Well since I'm a 357th Fighter Group nut I painted it in those colors to honor that group. Its still NMF and still has the whetherd look but it now sports a red and yellow spinner along with yellow and red checker boards. I want to name it after Gen Chuck Yeagers bird "Glammourus Glenn III" and the 1/24th decals I have for that fighter fit pretty good so I might use em' but I have yet to decide on that. I just might use the squadron codes and put a fictitious name on it of my own choice I dont know. But I will say this and thats that after everything is said and done its going to stand out really well, it already does. Why did I do it? Well the paint scheme BBI had on it just didnt do it for me, it was nice but it wasnt for me. I saw many people do this to thier 1/18th Corsairs and all so I said why not give it a try? I talked to my freind about useing his digital camera and he ok'd it so when its all polished up and finished I'll post pics of it on here because I think its going to turn out really well, and so far so good.

Now onto what teamski and waltz41 were talking about. Mustangs in WW 2 did not all have the antenna wire leading out of the canopy to the tail. Many squadrons did away with them when the fighter reached the groups. Mustangs already had a vf radio installed behind the pilots seat and from talking to some vets the antenna became a nusence so they pulled them off. As for the gun shell ejector slots they seem to line up alright but I'll have to take a close look at them and compare them to my P-51 manuels and books I have. Well I'm off to go back to work on a very large project and try and get some work done on a whats going to be a great looking thorobred of the skies.

Always,

MightyMustang

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Post by Waltz41 » Fri Dec 17, 2004 6:03 am

Thanks ski and mighty, i missed the boat on that, i thought you were talking about the antenna 'stick' or whatever you want to call it right between the cockpit and tail fin. now that you mentioned the wire, that makes sense.

as for the ejection ports for the guns, mine is still in the box (no room right now), so i don't have the best view, but i swear i saw ejection ports to the right and left of the guns, way too far up. i'll check again later when i can get a good look again. if you see anything too post it. much appreciated. thanks!

brian

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Post by Teamski » Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:20 am

Hey Iodine,

How's the Liberator?? The P-51 will look good in escort!! It's nice to see you around.

-Ski
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Post by aferguson » Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:31 am

I think i'm going to take the plunge and start working on my liberator this winter. I'm going to leave it as a 'D' and i am going to paint the nose and cockpit canopies to look like they are clear (blue canopy, like with wood display models).

I am going to find some easier way of covering the wings and do it in sections that approximate the panels on the real liberator's wings. I plan to cut out the windows for the waist gun positions and do a bit of interior detailing in this area and make a couple of custom crewman. But otherwise all glass areas, including turrets which i will need to scratchbuild, will be solid material that i paint to look like they are clear.

Still a ton of work to be done, even with the shortcuts. It's surprising to see how big it is, when i lay it out on my bed...


:)

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Post by Teamski » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:35 pm

You'll definately need to take a photo or two of your work Andrew......

-Ski
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Post by USCGSARdog » Sat Dec 18, 2004 1:30 pm

Aferguson- have you ever worked with thermoform plastic? That would be the perfect material to make the nose, windscreen, and turret glass from. If you already have the shape of the part you wish to make, you have most of the hard work done. Just heat the clear thermoform plastic and stretch it over the mold of the part. Let it cool and trim any excess plastic away, and you have a brand new clear part to install on the Liberator! I have used this product many times and love it. :mrgreen:

-Rob

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Post by aferguson » Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:30 pm

You don't need a vacuform machine? How can it take the exact shape of the object otherwise? Where do you get this stuff and how hot do you need to heat it?

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Post by mburduck » Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:43 pm

Sounds like a neat custom job, MM! I think I'll remove that antenna, too. Wish you had a digital camera, but as I don't have one either I can't say too much about that!

Mike

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Post by USCGSARdog » Mon Dec 20, 2004 3:41 pm

Aferguson- I'm not totally familiar with your B-24 kit, but doesn't it have a fiberglass fuselage already formed? If so just heat the thermoform plastic in an oven or hold it over a candle and pull it down over the area where the nose section and cabin areas are. Let it cool, remove from the fuselage and cut the part from the plastic sheet. To do the turrets or other small parts, make the part out of balsa wood by carving and sanding, therefore creating a "plug". Mount the plug on a short dowel and secure it in a vice. Heat the thermoform and stretch over the plug as before.

I used this stuff to make new parts (doors, windows,fuselage panels,cabin overhead window area) for my Blackhawk-Jayhawk conversion. You'll love it once you get the hang of it! (You can score it online at www.Squadron.com! :D )

-Rob

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Post by victory » Mon Dec 20, 2004 6:29 pm

Find the Bubbletop in WM and the bbi Mustang in TRU. Both stores on Lapalco in Marrero, LA.

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Post by mburduck » Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:57 am

I'll be checking TRU in NYC for the Mustang.

My local Wal-Mart now has the 190s but no bubbletops yet.

Mike

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Post by digger » Tue Dec 21, 2004 10:19 am

I'd check the outter boros. No bbi at all at Times Square as of yesterday, and the employees vowed that it will never be there again. 14th st. had some of the new figs a few days ago, but that store is rammed so any Mustangs they get would be gone in minutes....

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Question on how to put wings on BBI Mustang

Post by Razor17019 » Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:46 pm

To all those that have a BBI Mustang, give me a hand please.
I have it out of the box and am attempting to put the wings on it.
It seems like the wing is to wide. I don't get the pictograph directions.
It shows to push the width of the wing down into the slot and push in the top. But the wing seems to wide in the middle to go all the way into the slot. I don't want to force it and break the wing.
Anyone have this problem?
Anyone have a solution??
Image
To Lee R. Frakes and the B-17 Good Pickin

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Post by Teamski » Wed Dec 22, 2004 10:16 pm

I just inserted the aft part of the wing and snapped in the front tab. It was pretty tight, but no real problems. Now ask me If I will be able to get the wing off!!

-Ski
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Post by aferguson » Wed Dec 22, 2004 10:39 pm

will you be able to get the wing off?
Last edited by aferguson on Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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