I've been furiously sticking bits and bobs into the wheel well of my Hasegawa 1/32 P-51D Mustang, in order to try and up the detail there. It is sadly lacking in the kit-standard form - it's a bit dire down there.
So I've been looking up references online, and trying to replicate a rough representation of the real-world confusion of pipes, bends, wires and equipment.
Here's what the kit looks like without any additions:
As you can see, there's not a lot happening in those Hasegawa wheel wells.
Here's what a real Mustang's wheel bay looks like:
There is a LOT of stuff in there! Source. |
And here is where I'm currently at:
I still need to make two of those piston thingees that lower the flaps, and I still need to scratch build a landing light, but I am going to leave these off until the landing gear is installed in place, otherwise I can just see myself breaking them repeatedly during construction and painting.
It's tough to make both sides look fairly organised and mirror-images of each other. My style of scratch building detail can be best summed up as "Aaargh, close enough, it's a looks-like feels-like sorta vibe", and that doesn't readily lend itself to precise replication on both wheel wells! ;)
Until next time.
Cheers,
Dave
Shep Paine has been quoted as saying, "Model only what you can see." Detailing wheel wells is a waste of time and effort.
ReplyDeleteIt is kinda satisfying though. I don't get modeling the entire interior of a tank, say, but a wheel well can be seen any time you view the underneath of an aircraft model.
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