Thanks for the insight Will. As for me, I do not enter contest because I build for myself and myself only. I don't need or want these so called experts telling me that, a certain shade of OD/NG wasn't used from this time period to that time period, or my kit sits half a millimeter off. The real judge for me is me. I build for the historic value, the pleasure with working with my hands, a history lesson and for a small tribute to those men and women who flew these machines. To me, judging is so subjective to ones eye. You said, that the P-40 was over weathered. To me it looks spot on for a war machine. And unless they (the judges) actually flew and fought in these machines, how would they know if they were over weathered or not. Anyway, you builds are amazing and very inspirational. Keep up the great work. You may not came away with an award, but your inspirational work, techniques and in-depth how-to videos, far outweigh any plastic trophy.

Great video Will, thanks. I am currently in the throes of designing stuff in both Fusion and SW and printing on my Elegoo Saturn 2, so this is helpful. The one thing you didn't say is whether you cured the chain each time before removing it, or pulled it off first. I notice you mentioned about curing with the first(?) chain, but wasn't sure if you did it with the rest. Cheers.

Well no one can say you didn't try. Seems like you threw everything you could think of into making this work. Till somebody develops a new product this one is put to rest.

A valiant effort sir 😉👍

Re-watching this because I’m planning to do the LFD Mk.XII conversion with this kit, and realized that you 100% predicted the strategy Kotare took with their Spits. No engine, minimal parts count, great engineering and fit. I’m glad they listened to you! Love that approach and while Tamiya’s 1/32 kits are amazing, they are not simple or quick to get to paint stage. I’m happy to pay for what Kotare are producing. I really enjoy your build series, I hope you’ll start another epic one soon.

lol, : )

I would say it's down to a few things. First off 1/48th scale is really pushing this. Some models are just too fragile and flexible. You have to pick you subject accordingly. I find 1/32 and up way better. The foil and the glue seems to be the other problems you have. The kitchen foil I use works just fine and you can sand the crap out of it if you need to. I'll send you a roll if you ever consider doing this again.

I remember maybe twenty years ago reading an article about foil application geared toward car modelers. If I recall correctly, the author sometimes applied several pieces to cover compound curves (I have a vision of magazine photos of things like 1/25 chromed bumpers and air cleaners) and dealt with the inevitable wrinkles and overlaps by polishing the foiled parts with very fine steel wool and I think he might have used some sort of polishing compound. The results were spectacular, once the wrinkles were polished down and the "grain" from the polishing media obscured the pre-existing foil grain. Part of his success may have been the relatively small size of foiled car model parts compared to the relatively vast expanses of 1/48 Mustang fuselage. The problematic delta in thermal expansion between foil and styrene would be a deal-breaker even if the other issues weren't.

Great metaphor and thanks for going down this road so I never need think of it again.

Will, next time you think about throwing it away, send it to me. I'll happily pay the shipping. I will hold on to it like it's the most priced household possession. (Probably more so than if Ben Kingsley gave me his Oscar statuette he got for Gandhi). That project, even incomplete, is a piece of modeling history. It's dripping wet with your blood sweat and tears. I refuse to believe that I'm the only fan of the channel to hold this sentiment. I know throwing it in the trash or the blender can be vengefully cathartic, but resist the urge.

How come you didn't at least salvage what you could for future P-51 projects? Resin wheels, perhaps tried cutting free the cockpit etc? Even the wing, sans flaps? Viewing yon videos clearly shows your perfection in every aspect of kit construction, seems like a waste to bin other parts that at least you were satisfied with, that have met that rigorous standard of completion. That aside, your analogy about the crazy broad you have to just cut free like kicking an addiction. Spot.On. Looking forward to your next adventure Will, keep it up!

Ya know, it never fails. The parts that are never seen come out perfect.

The analogy that comes to mind for me is; Attempting to stick a worm up the backside of a ferrel cat. Try as you may to improve the outcome like straightening and freezing the worm before insertion, putting in the effort to get the cat to trust you until the moment the worm makes contact, the job will not go well. The slim chance that it might work doesn't mean it would stay that way for long. Metal foiling is not conducive in covering plastic scale model aircraft. The best solution is to model with metal like Young C Park and Rojas Bazan in large scales, 1/18, 1/15.

Sir, thank you. Been wanting to make one for myself and after 9 versions I have the set I need. On my Saturn 2, I can make approx 8 lines of 135 links. More than enough for my modelling lifetime. A trick for removing off the supports, place in near boiling hot water and then pull off the supports. I used the chitubox supports at .020 connection points and works well.

Pulled 1.5” choker cables through the bush, they suck and I agree are absolutely not floppy, or droopy, or bend worth a shit.

12 years on Abrams tanks I can tell you that the tow cables are not very droopy .. nope .. nope .. just bending them to fit into the clips sucked. Chains. Yes .. we used chains to hold the tanks to the flatcars. Yes. Chains. Not orange rope .. not wire rope. Chains.

You have done an incredible job and I really appreciate that you have shared your method, your uncertainties and your mistakes with us in such an educational way.; Bravo

Nearly pulled it off!In one.Gonna try it with my gaspatch 0.50 ammo belt.

I really appreciate all the effort you put in to showing your work. I haven't used CAD in 20 years but I got an Elegoo printer for Christmas and I'm determined to get some good use out of the thing. Your videos are a huge help, thank you.

Will, I was truly moved by this last episode. It is more than a plastic model which is why those of us who enjoy the hobby often have some sort of connection with the models we build - memories of our youth, connection with a loved one or family member, our love for history. I'm building the B-25 now (January 2025) and have not run into some of the challenges you did (must have gotten an improved mold). Thanks for your insights and a very entertaining video series. Bill Aicklen

Great one! Please keep this kind of video coming. I'm currently working on my 3D-printed chain with limited success, but the ideas in this and the previous video will surely help me on my next attempt. Thanks for sharing

New Video. Instantly klick like. 😊

Excellent video as always. Check LZmodels in Ireland for 1/35 scale metal chain in 3 different pitches..

Yep, that was educational. I did a lot of 2D work in Illustrator back in the day, and efficiency steps like pattern on path give me all sorts of dopamine hits. I’m resisting the urge to go down this path. I love scale modeling and I fear that 3D design and printing would just make that even less frequent. Thanks for spelling out the process, and I can honestly say I did spot the issue with the thicker support interfering with adjacent links.

Very cool. :)

Some great info & very entertaining, thanks Will 🔗

Is there a reason why you did not download the CAD files from McMaster-Carr?

Thanks Will very informative and inspiring. I am a reletivly new Fusion user and wanabe 3D resin printer of models, so following your recent videos on the latest printer with interest.

0:49 Will, when you sarcastically said _Bro,..._ I anticipated that instead of the dangers of chain towing, you were going to pre-empt people's predictable comments on the needlessness of going through the trouble of printing your own chains in lieu of the plethora of readily available mass-produced chains made of actual metal.

Very inspiring, thank you.

Awesome CAD work👍👌💪

What a great video. Thank you

Thank you for making this video.. Adding supports inside cad is foreign to me because I am used to doing it in the slicer.

amazing to see your experiences, in witch scale this chain is supposed to be?

hello!!

Those are Tsunoda pliers from Japan. They make well built and affordable tools. I have their photo etch pliers which are smooth jawed and come in handy. I’m gonna have to purchase those dental sticks because the standard AB brushes suck as you pointed out. Do you see any issues with using 99% alcohol to flush out MRP and tamiya acrylics?

Wish I would have watched this before I went on my decal printing journey. I used Hayes decal paper from Amazon and it’s thick so now I have to rewatch your other video on hiding decal edges 😂

This recording rocks Will. Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to see. You're a master.

Im absolutely loving the quality and art of your building here, but man alive please think about your camera work because i feel sick trying to focus on your subject when you are waving it around trying to hold it in frame. I know its hard. My advice is mount the camera above you higher up, but just zoom it in to counter the distance, link the camera to a monitor you can see. Either that or just zoom the camera in so it only so its frame focuses on say a certain area on your worktop, mark out the edges of the frame on your worktop so you know you can ignore your camera and everything you hold within those marks is in shot. Fix the focus to manual and lock it off, otherwise it will just flip in and out trying to focus especially when you are trying to hold it in frame. It just makes me feel sick trying to focus myself. Other than that, what you do is amazing and will def be following you along with my build!

I'm just about to purchase my first resin pretty so this has been most informative and helpful. That 10 micron is sweet

UPS is the worst company for shipping They just broke my machine and They do the packing themselves and they don't want to pay me.

Being still in amateur hour club using decals, I pretty much exclusively put softener under the decals. Even tamiya super strong which goes nuclear on decals turning them into rubber😅. Tamiya decla glue is great as well. I got NEO version of mr color stuff and it has got pva, or some other vinyl based compound. It is different to one Will has as it is all water based. I found it has little effect on softening, just adhesion.

Thanks Will, picked up a Mars 4 Ultra & Cleaning station. Your video was instrumental in that decision. I did get a 2nd opinion for no other reason than I should. Look forward to future 3D Printing videos from you with this machine.

What about aluminium tape, silver leaf or even The World's Silveriest Silver Metallic Acrylic Paint by Stuart Semple?

I’m living under a rock😇

Love it! What a fun video! Sorry about your SCI. You are still the maestro (and ninja would concur)!

Great build and variant I am making mine into late and basing it on castle Bromwich built x4650 in KLA markings. There is a personal reason as I built the wings for the restoration of this aircraft. Also a PR1 version of this kit would be interesting. I am right with you on the green and tan it's a little dull . However I am making mine the fully restored version x works if you like and a satin finish hangar queen.

Will, thanks for this (typical of your content) concise, thorough introduction to the current state of hobbyist 3D printing. Like you, I used be a Pro/E user in the mid-90's and created models for SLA printing. When I retired, I thought I had left all that technology behind and was into the organic approach to scale modeling, But I find more and more that I'd like to produce my own parts and kits including Lego knock-offs for my grandkids. How did you decide to buy the Mars Ultra 4 printer? Is it overkill for a beginner? Is there a more basic printer you'd recommend?

Tick.

Wow Will! Relating your "mule" as a crazy ex-girlfriend to end the deal was like a life lesson. Then later talking about the "other" project like another girlfriend (even if you did not say it), is how all of us have all these "projects" and how to manage them, again another life lesson shared with us, is relative to us modelers. Thanks.