1/48 Tamiya North
American P-51D Mustang, 'Petie 2nd'
Yet another 'Petie
2nd' build, I fear. Why? Lt. Col. John C. Meyer was one of the great American
fighter pilot/commanders of WW2, and Petie 2nd is one of the
prettier schemes of the E.T.O.. 'Petie 3rd', has too much added clutter for my
taste, & the darker shade of blue on it's nose (which the 352nd began
using at the very end of 1944). Although I had the Strike Eagle markings for
'the 3rd', 'the 2nd' is plainly nicer looking (to my eye). "Petie
2nd" was damaged on the ground in early Nov, 1944 by a jeep, and
replaced by 'the 3rd' while it was being repaired. After repairs, it became
Sheldon Heyer's "Sweetie Face', coded HO-N. The Tamiya kit is a famously
great one, but it has a few flaws. One is the shape of it's prop blades. This
can be fixed in one of two ways. You can buy replacement blades from Ultracast,
or if you have an extra prop from a Monogram P-51D, with a little cleanup
(thinning, twisting), and some minor modifications to the Tamiya
spinner, it will work just as well. I did the latter, although I did use
Ultracast's exhaust on this Mustang...they're really nice. Most of the Eduard
photo etched set was used for landing gear details, instrument panel, and
little, interior, rear view mirror, but I opted for the True Details
resin seat, rather than the kit's with the photo etched belts. I used various
widths of jeweler solder, copper wire, and vinyl line for the radio, and
electrical system wiring behind the cockpit, along with the fuel tank
filler hose from a Hasegawa kit. After all that, I closed the canopy. Chiefly because
I wanted the clean look of a Mustang's 'tear drop' bubble on this model.
Click on
images below to see larger images
I decided to have the
model sans drop tanks, in a 'post-mission' configuration, once again for
the 'clean look'. I cannibalized the Hasegawa kit for the
anti-sway stabilizers on the hard point pylons. I drilled out the oleo
scissors' lightening holes, rather than cut them off for Eduard's
photo etch parts (which are too thin). I then put in the brake lines,
which thread from the outside of the gear leg (between the door), through
the scissor to the backside of the lower gear. I also added the actuator
rod (a clipped needle) for the radiator door, & the strengthening bar
deep inside the scoop inlet. The upper wing's seams (except for the gun
bays) were filled, sanded, and primed just as they were at the North
American factories. It takes a leap of faith, but it IS correct...do your
research. I drilled out the holes in the air filter plates on either side
of the lower nose, just because they look cool, and 'Mustang', although
most photos of 'Petie 2nd' shows it as having solid plates, which were a
field modification. I 'weighted' the tires with a heated blade, not being
satisfied with the appearance of the True Details resin wheels, I had used
on a P-51B. There are nicer replacement ones out there, particularly those
offered by Obsucreco, but the kit's are very good, if prepared right.
I used 'decanted'
Krylon #1601 Glossy Black for a primer-base, polishing this finally with 8000
grit cloth, before applying Alclad II in varying shades. The "Bodney
Blue" nose (the shade used for most of 1944) was a mix of Tamiya acrylics,
using various color reference photos as a guide. I used most of the Strike Eagle
decals, especially their superior stencils. These included the crew names for
Petie 3rd, which were identical in content, and placement to the ones on
'the 2nd'. I used the victory marks, 487 FS logo, and Meyer's name off the
Tamiya sheet, as these were decidedly different. Thinned Tamiya gloss black,
with a little liquid soap was used for the panel seams, while the exhaust stains
(except for the transparent Alcad blue used on the stainless plates directly behind
the stacks), and gunpowder residue were done with thinned Tamiya Smoke. All
other paint used was Testors Model Master.
Photos by Henry Popp
Michael
Presley
Click on
images below to see larger images
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