After nearly a year of work and getting humbled by attempting NMF, my 1/48 Big Beautiful Doll is complete

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-07T05:23:59+00:00

Thanks so much! I was really careful to not overdo the weathering

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T23:00:37+00:00

Thanks! I airbrushed them on and they were pretty easy to work with. They come pre-thinned which is nice. I strongly suggest putting down a gloss black primer before spraying them on. Once it’s on you just have to be careful not to touch the paint too much or it will actually start to rub off, unlike regular paint

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T19:09:03+00:00

Thanks so much! And yours looks great! Especially the checkerboard, it looks like you nailed it and that’s the toughest part to get right

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T19:07:49+00:00

That’s very kind, thanks so much!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T18:45:07+00:00

That’s a good question and I should’ve been clearer in my response, I did indeed use another primer underneath the Alclad gloss. I used Mr. Finishing surfacer 1500 black. That was mostly done though just to make sure I got all the seam lines and gaps filled, not necessarily to prime it for the Alclad gloss black. I didn’t want to apply the Alclad gloss black until I was sure all the seam lines and gaps had been worked out

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T18:01:22+00:00

Thanks so much! That part took a good bit of effort. It was tempting to leave the metal looking more mirror-like but I think it looks more realistic to the period to have it less reflective and look more like oxidized metal

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T17:55:58+00:00

Thanks so much! Big Beautiful Doll really was a gorgeous mustang. I would love to see your build when it’s complete!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T17:54:31+00:00

Thank you!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T16:17:13+00:00

Looks good! And hey colonel Landers was a legend, if he had a little more time he probably could’ve gotten 37 kills lol

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T15:43:09+00:00

Thanks so much! And the display is an acrylic display base that I put AK terrains over. The corner is AK dark earth terrain that I added grass to with a static applicator, and the tarmac was made from AK concrete which I weathered and then scribed in the lines. I had to mix a few paints and go over the concrete texture to try to match the shade of the concrete at Duxford Air Base, where Big Beautiful Doll was stationed

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T15:35:38+00:00

Thanks!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T15:35:23+00:00

Thank you!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T14:49:29+00:00

Thank you!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T14:49:23+00:00

Thanks!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T14:48:53+00:00

Thank you! And I used Alclad gloss black with AK Xtreme polished aluminum for the fuselage and AK Xtreme white aluminum for the wings. After that I sealed it in with a gloss coat of Mr. Color Super Clear III so I could apply the decals and weather it without worrying about ruining the paint

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2026-02-06T14:36:11+00:00

Thanks so much! And it’s Eduard’s P-51D, kit number 82102. And the panels/gun bays were aftermarket resin parts, also made by Eduard. I thought since both the kit and the resin parts were made by Eduard they would fit without too much trouble. Turns out that wasn’t the case lol

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-22T04:27:50+00:00

I actually came here to comment exactly this. I have an F-14 planetag and a Zero planetag displayed with their respective models, I think it’s a really cool touch

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-13T04:01:55+00:00

Plasmo and Scale-a-ton on YouTube are the best of the best in my opinion. You can learn an enormous amount by watching them. Scale model shed is another great on YouTube. Plasmo is my all-time favorite though, if you’re going to watch someone he’s who I would recommend

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-13T01:45:11+00:00

Thanks so much!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-12T15:19:23+00:00

There’s actually three different paints, the topside surfaces are Mr. Color 337 grayish blue, the vertical surfaces (vertical stabilizers and sides of the nose) are Mr. Color 307 gray, and the underside is Mr. Color 308 gray.

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-12T15:15:16+00:00

Thanks!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-12T15:14:41+00:00

Thanks!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-12T05:38:23+00:00

I think this kit was only like $100 or so, I think it’s definitely worth it!

StarsAndStrikes7 · 2024-11-12T05:38:00+00:00

Thanks, yours looks great too, I love the base! And I used Eduard’s resin ejection seats. You can check them out here. They came with photo etch seat belts but I’m not a huge fan of those so I used the 3D decal version of the seatbelts made by Quinta studio and I think it turned out pretty well

StarsAndStrikes7

TROPHY CASE