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Eddie's Mustang


Chuckboy44

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Hi All,

I am building the Tamiya 1/32nd scale P-51D. I'm replicating the late Eddie Andreini's "Primo Branca" with the help of some excellent custom decals from Keith at Red Pegasus Decals in Columbus, OH. (I highly recommend him!)

I need to fit the belly invasion stripes flush against the underneath sides of the fuselage stars and bars. In order to do that, I'll need to make some very precise semicircular cuts in the decal paper. Can anyone give me some advice about how to do that? I have a compass that holds an Exacto knife but it's wobbly and not up to the job. Maybe I need a higher quality compass?? Any thoughts and comments are most welcome.

Best regards,

Chuck Byram

 

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Chuck:

 

Agree about Pegasus- Keith's helped me In the past!

 

If you are talking about decals for the invasion stripes, I recommend painting them rather than decals. Mask and paint a very light gray/off white and then mask and paint a almost black/dark gray

 

Dave

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I agree with David. Painting the fuselage invasion stripes is well worth the time, as most decal stripes that wrap around a curved area like that just do not want to fit properly. If you paint them, you can simply cut a tape mask the exact size and shape as the star/bar you're going to use and paint the invasion stripes around it, leaving space for the decal.

 

However, if you want to try to cut the supplied decal, I suggest using a circle template and a VERY sharp (brand new) #11 blade. That's what I use to cut almost all of my circle and semi-circle masks. You do NOT have to cut all the way through the decal paper. All you need to do is cut through the surface enough to go through the decal film. This allows you to use light pressure and have more control with less chances of errors or tearing. You can cut the paper a little outside of the decal to actually remove it from the sheet.

 

Hope this helps!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Thanks Gil and Dave!

I have had success in the past with painted stripes. I'm going to try the circle template and fresh #11 blade on the decals for this project as a skill builder kind of thing. It was also suggested to me by my old friend Bill McAllister in Dayton, OH. I had not thought of the fact that I don't need to cut all the way through the decal paper!

Many thanks,

Chuck

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Hi Chuck, while I totally agree painting is the way to go, if you are going to make cuts try looking at an Olfa Compass Cutter. It's the same concept as the Xacto in the compass, but a little sturdier and purpose-designed for cutting circles. I have used it many times to cut masks for hinomarus, and they come out nice and crisp every time. here is a link to someone that carries them (no affiliation):

http://www.adorama.com/ALVOLCMP1.html?gclid=CN-bzv_UucMCFWVp7AodsDQAug

Good luck with your project!

Paul

Edited by pmahoney
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  • 5 months later...

Belated thanks again for the advice on this topic. I went ahead and used the decals for the striping and it came out fairly well. However, comma, I now know why you guys suggested painting them and having learned my lesson the hard way, will do it your way and paint them next time!

Chuck

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