Pat Villarreal's F-51D

This is mostly a box stock build. I did add extra tape seatbelts over the pilot's shoulders to reach the back of the seat. Decals are box stock and settled down well with Solvaset.

For this F-51D Mustang, I wanted to do an "In Flight" build. Using brass tubing I cut two pieces with one being in the fuselage and the other at the base. I used a steel metal rod to elevate the plane. The marble base is recycled from one of my daughters' grade-school soccer trophies which they didn't want anymore. To attach the brass tube to the marble base I used Aves Axpoxie Sculpt to anchor it through the center hole and fixed the angle. The brass tube in the fuselage is secured with a drop of Super-Glue.

This is a typical Tamiya build. Good fit and engineering but some seam filling and sanding required especially for natural metal finishes.
 
For starters, I applied Mr. Surfacer 1000 gray as a base primer coat. After smoothing the primer coat with a used Bounce dryer sheet, I airbrushed Alcad RAF Speed Paint for the wings (upper and lower surfaces) and White Aluminum for the remaining surfaces. I tinted a few access panels with a home-brew mixture of Future-water-Vallejo acrylics to add some contrast to a mostly monochromatic color scheme. The black anti-glare over the nose and the red accent colors are all taped and masked with Tamiya XF colors.

Next was the decal application. After allowing them to dry overnight, I coated the F-51D with Vallejo Clear Satin to protect the decals and also prepped the surface for some subtle weathering. Ground black charcoal was applied lightly to the panel lines using a soft flat brush. Once satisfied, I did a final coat of AK Ultra Matt Clear Varnish to give it a flat finish.
 
This is a great classic kit from Tamiya. Though not perfect, it is still an awesome kit and highly recommended for everyone.