P 51 Mustang finish

[cobraman]

Can someone recommend a good spray paint to me for the silver finish on this plane ? Thanks 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Personally, I would use one of the many "chrome" paints in a spray can........that don't look like chrome anyway.

 

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

Depends on the look you're going for. Bare metal would be best represented by old Testors "aluminum plate" buffing metalizer if you have any. The cowl, below:

Edited January 17, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[jaymcminn]

I've been using Vallejo Metal Colors a lot lately. They take masking really well to duplicate shading differences between different panels. Aluminum and Duraluminium will be the two colors you'll use most. Keep in mind that Mustang wings were actually painted in aluminized lacquer from the factory, as panel gaps were filled and the whole wing coated with a heavy primer to create the smoothest possible surface. The best way to replicate this would probably be a matte aluminum paint like Tamiya XF16. 

[cobraman]

Thank you so much fellows. That buffing metalizer looks great but Long gone huh?

[cobraman]

Will any of the spray paints take or need a clear coat ?

[Ace-Garageguy]

7 minutes ago, cobraman said:

That buffing metalizer looks great but Long gone huh?

You can still find it, but most of those who have it want lotsa money. This one rattlecan is $60, but Testors metalizers were the only game in town for metal aircraft modelers for decades.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374450594973?epid=1700131514&hash=item572efea49d:g:IkUAAOSwRr5jvEfj&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoHwyo9ls990MKHsly6tGmxxvOjIDaIbHrt0Iv6ZIGR51MFFiXmI9lx2FIzXfX9GcliIAMjS3ladiYVm3UoqSKrIeocL6ui2NJ6VGiHP0gLBfh7VwmDJwMURVajRkhwvEMAOTfIcEQ1XLgltkNxW9kQPg0K%2BUB1Jg5m5GJOms5XQa6GWJfcIaIUmskNINTq5KDiRLqAwPWVsMQUu5VQS8KgQ%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9zoyoa4YQ

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice reference shots, with info on wing finish...

https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/north-american-p-51d-mustang-in-detail-revisited-part-2-wings-and-tails/

...and more discussion of the puttied-and-painted wings (my take being that late war production aircraft, or combat damaged-and-repaired aircraft likely dispensed with the time-consuming wing finish operations)

https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/82849-mustang-wing-panel-linesfrom-the-preeminent-mustang-restorers-point-of-view/page/7/

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

[gman]

Aclad's range of aluminum finishes may be a good option too:

https://alclad2.com/finishes/regular/

[cobraman]

Thank you Bill and Greg.

[GLMFAA1]

Years ago, Pactra undercoat silver worked for me, there's always aluminum foil.

greg

[cobraman]

Thanks. looks like I have a few choices.

[Matt Bacon]

Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver for the unpainted areas, and TS-17 Gloss Aluminium for the painted areas of the wing. As Bill says, chances are the paint probably got dinged up and worn, but this is what a freshly built one looks like:

https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/141825-p51-mustang-wings-painted-or-not

Personally, I think a lot of models are over-weathered. Yes, the aircraft were worked hard, but the average life of a wartime aircraft was measured in months not years, and hundreds of hours in the air, not tens of thousands. Plus a beat-up airplane is slower than one that's kept clean and smooth, and a plane that looks like that might make a pilot wonder how well the important bits under the skin are being looked after as well...

(Cue lots of pictures of famously beat-up looking airplanes...)

best,

M.

[cobraman]

Thank you ! Good info and pics.