1/48 Pro-Modeler P-51B Mustang |
Gallery Article by Michael J. Vorrasi
on
Nov 3 2003
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This is my first ARC
submission. I built this model from the Monogram Pro-Modeler kit as therapy
in the days following my escape from my place of employment since 1989, the
World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001. I was pacing the house like
a wounded animal and needed something to take my mind off things. My escape had
been a close run thing and I was not yet sure how many of my co-workers had
survived, or if I still had a job. I picked up a PM kit rather than one of
the several high-priced Tamiya P-51's in the stack with the intent of just
slamming something together. Along the way, I got more serious and decided to
see if the old Monogram Mustang could still turn out a decent result. By the end
of that terrible week, I had it together and painted. The following week, I
went back to work in a temporary location and learned that all of my
coworkers in my building, the south tower, 2 WTC, survived. Unfortunately, one
department located in 1 WTC on the 94th floor was not so lucky. The first plane
had hit without warning directly on the 94th floor, and several good
friends that I had known and worked with for years perished. It was several
months before I finally got around to decaling and finishing the Mustang. Given
my mental state for most of the build, it won't win any contests, but it came
out looking respectable. I've dedicated it to the friends I lost on
September 11, 2001. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as you read
this article.
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Click on
images below to see larger images
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The
subject aircraft is a North American P-51B-7NA Mustang, serial number 43-6898,
of 334 Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th US Army
Air Force, based at Debden, Essex, UK, as she appeared on the morning of June 6,
1944. 43-6898 bears the 334 squadron code of QP, and the individual
aircraft number J, which was the personal letter of 334's executive
officer, Captain Howard "Deacon" Hively, whose assigned aircraft this
P-51B represents. The nose art was a caricature of a preacher with a Bible in
a yellow circle pointing to Capt. Hively's nine kill markings at that time,
along with the name “The Deacon.” The nose art was painted by S/Sgt.
Don Allen, who did most of 334's famous nose art. Capt. Hively's score was
eventually 12 aerial and 2.5 ground kills. “The Deacon” had her original
framed folding canopy replaced with a coveted blown one-piece Malcolm sliding
canopy, greatly increasing the pilot’s visibility.
On
June 5, 1944, the base was sealed and orders were issued to paint a series of 18
inch wide black and white stripes on the wings and fuselage of all aircraft
prior to the next day's mission. Fourth Group’s legendary commander, Col. Don
Blakeslee, briefed the group that evening. Tomorrow was to be the big day; the
invasion was at hand, D-Day. The normal mission of the Fourth was primarily
long-range escort of strategic bombers high over the Nazi Reich. On June 6th,
the entire 8th AF would, instead, assist the 9th Tactical Air Force in
support of the ground forces. In the weeks leading up to D-Day, the group had
done a lot of tactical work over coastal France. They also practiced night
flying and Captain Hively was sent to a special school to learn glide bombing
and pass the techniques on to the other pilots.
On
the sixth, there would be three missions scheduled, and the group's three
squadrons of Mustangs were to operate independently. At 0320 hours,
Col. Blakeslee would lead the first mission, taking off in the dark, a fighter
sweep by 334 and 335 squadrons to the Rouen area until 0945. Capt. Hively led
334, with Col. Don leading 335. A train was strafed and one pilot was
downed in dense cloud to be captured. Capt Clark led 336 squadron on
a high cover mission from 0635 to 1150 in the Rouen area. At 1120,
the second mission took off, with Capt. Hively again leading 334 back to
the Rouen area on a bombing mission. A troop train was bombed and then the
boys ran into 10 FW-190s preparing to land, downing four for no losses, with the
squadron returning at 1400. Meanwhile, 335 was dive bombing the Fluery
marshalling yards, and Maj. Goodson led 336 on a fighter-bomber free lance show to
the Rouen area again.
On
the final mission of the day, from 1820 to 2340 hours, Col. Blakeslee led 334
and 335 back out on a fighter patrol, with the Col. as usual, leading 335.
Captain Hively did not fly on the last mission. 334 was led by the 334's
commander, Maj. Mike Sobanski, an exiled Polish pilot flying for the USAAF.
Mike Sobanski, known in the group as "The Pole", was getting some
payback for what the Germans had done to him and his home in Warsaw in 1939. The
Pole borrowed Deacon Hively's QP*J for the final show of the big day. The planes
were reloaded and 108 gallon pressed paper cigar tanks were loaded for extended
cruising. A photo was snapped of QP*J prior to takeoff, the only one known of
the aircraft wearing its D-Day stripes. At 2035, Lt. Edward Stepp was heard over
the R/T talking to Mike Sobanski. Sobanski had hit some wires after
strafing a train and had requested his wingman look him over. Told the
damage was not serious, Sobanski reported he was attacking the next train.
A transmission was then heard "Watch those behind you white leader!"
That
evening, 4th Group pilot Capt. K.G. Smith, in a German hospital since
being shot down in March, received a phone call from a German officer. "K.G.,"
said the German, "I've got some bad news for you. Mike Sobanski was killed
today." Back at Debden, Captain Hively was promoted to Major and made
334 Squadron commander immediately.
The kit was built
straight from the box, save the substitution of a Squadron Vacuform Malcolm
canopy (sliding section only) and swapping the 75 gallon metal drop tanks for
the 108 gallon pressed paper tanks from a Monogram P-51D kit. Tamiya Olive
Drab and Neutral Gray took care of the main colors, with Polly Scale Railroad
colors white and black invasion stripes and polly Scale Caboose Red for the
nose and fin stripe. I drilled out the exhaust stacks with a pin vise and
used Aeromaster decals. Topcoat was Polly Scale clear semi-matt and flat mixed
50/50. My Sotar 20/20, Badger 100 and Badger 150 airbrushes took care of the
paint work. I weathered lightly and put some metal wear marks, being
careful not to get any on the invasion stripes, as the plane, being lost on
D-Day, was a one day butterfly. The fit was typical of
vintage Monogram kits. Wing root and canopy fit problems were the main problem
areas. Let's say that Tamiya, it ain't. That said, it still looks very much like
a P-51B should, even with its known problems of a windshield set a bit too
far back, and the belly scoop that is a bit too wide. The nose contour is much
better than the skinny nose of the original raised panel line version that
was the genesis of the Pro Modeler retooling. Given the trouble I had
with poor wing root alignment and canopy fit problems, I am not sure I'll
build another ProModeler/Monogram Mustang, but this one will always be special
for me. It helped me get through a very rough week.
Michael J. Vorrasi
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