Marek raises the bar with Mustangs!

[YankeeBoy]

Some observations regarding the Brit version:

I could not get the camera behind the cockpit to fit in the space peovided. My quick and dirty solution was to (1) Not use P2a and P2B (laminated base pieces, mounting P2c (angled base piece) directly to base P1. (2) Removed the bare metal band on P5 (lens enclosure) (3) Mounted the camera assembly to the right of centerline, lens pointing slightly aft as intended. With these steps done it (barely) fit. I don't know if the camera is larger than life or what but it is certainly larger than the space allotted. This is not a problem on the P-51A version as there is no camera mounted there.

At the bottom rear corners of skin #6 there are small trapezoidal areas that must be removed in order for skin #7 to mesh properly with skin #6.

After laminating pieces K14a and K15a (cockpit side frames) I found pieces K17 to be redundant. They are laminated frames intended to go outboard of K14a and K15a and, if installed, might make assemblies too thick to fit. I suppose a K14a(or K15a)/laminate/K17 sandwich would work but I didn't see the need.

A slot needs to be cut in K15 to accommodate K10 (main Instrument panel) to allow proper fit - the location will be apparent when you are DRY-FITTING the pieces.

Regarding the color discussion earlier (and not to beat an expired equine any longer than necessary) the NA-83 Mustang I was delivered in colors that APPROXIMATED the British colors. Painting diagrams identify the colors as "Earth," "Green," and "Sky Type S." The paints used were not produced to RAF specs nor USAAF standards of the time. The same painting situation existed with other early foreign and Lend-Lease deliveries (Tomahawks, e.g.) Many (if not all) of these were repainted by the Brits with Dark Sea Grey replacing Earth or Middle Stone replacing Green (plus Azure Blue undersurfaces) for desert operations.

Later Mustang paint diagrams show colors to AN standards per ANA Bulletin No. 167 with Olive Drab 613 replacing Dark Green, Sea Grey 603 and Light Grey 602 as the main colors.

Even with the glitches noted above this is still an outstanding model and I'll be building more as soon as I get a few repaints done.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Thank you YankeeBoy. That is very valuable information, and I will try to understand what it means, as I go through the model right now with - like I said from the start - a view towards repainting it in the version "as delivered". Two points/questions:

1. Would it be at all possible for you to clarify your findings as to the faulty parts? Scans, sketches, corrections? One would like to get it right, when doing all this work anyway.

2. The historical information is very interesting to me, and you obviously got a expert knowledge. I have done a little reading-up on the Polish squadrons today, and what emerges is that the 309th originally was equipped with Lysanders, which they were supposed to avert bombers around Glasgow with. No wonder they were frustrated.

One group finally got Mustang I:s, and I trust that Marek has got it right as to the markings. As you say the NA-83 batches (and later ones, too, if one is to judge from the photos I published earlier) were DELIVERED in the pre-1942 camo scheme. Since the date was well into 1942, I presume they were repainted more or less out of the box.

No matter. I'll take this as a license to paint a brown-green-sky Mustang as it came, out of the box. Hence, it would probably be wise to omit the squadron marking for that version. What would your expert opinion be? Was there ever a Mustang I in the old scheme and squadron markings, you think?

At present I am well into going through the original scheme and changing it into the colours already discussed (ocean grey, dark green, medium sea grey, duck egg blue). If it would be possible for you to give me some hints as to the necessary PHYSICAL changes in parts, I would be ever so grateful, since I won't be able to build anything for yet a while.

This is fun, both the history bit, and fiddling with Marek's kit.

Kind regards, Leif

[Don Boose]

And fun to watch, and much to learn from you in the process.

I look forward to watching this build proceed and in the eventual debut of the Ohlssonized version.

Don

[YankeeBoy]

I'll get some photos and sketches up shortly. I just wanted to get some verbage up to alert anyone else that might be building. In the meantime, the P-51 Special Interest Group is an invaluable source of info. I did a search on "RAF Mustang" and found a model of a No. 268 Sqn. Mustang I in "sand and spinach" with good documentation.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Oh, you're good. Please, please point me a little bit closer - I already did try the RAF Mustang search on Google, and the link you provided comes up with "under construction".

Are you thinking about this one? [Source: Mustangs, Mustangs]

I would have thought this was the later colour scheme (see duck egg blue fuselage stripe & spinner), colours distorted due to aged photo. Or do you think this is the older scheme, with added stripe & spinner? If so, interesting.

Leif

[YankeeBoy]

I did the search within the P-51 Special Interest Group site. Will PM you the link.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Many, many thank, Yankeeboy! And for those of you who might be waiting for developments, here are some exquisite photos of a beautiful model, publicized just two weeks ago at the The P-51 Special Interest Group Forum. If this is at all interesting to you, no doubt you will sign up. When you're done registering, go to this link.

Herer's the gist of whats publicized there, by the builder, Colin Ford:

Subject is AG500, one of the first Mustang Mk.Is received by No.268 Squadron RAF on 18 April 1942. It was filmed on 1 May 1942 by an Air Ministry Photographic Unit camera crew, providing the visual references for this build. AG500 was coded NM-N in service with No.268 Squadron and was the personal mount of the Squadron OC, Wing Commander AF Anderson DFC. It is finished in the original NAA factory applied camouflage and markings, with the only additions being the painting of the propeller spinner, rear fuselage id band and squadron code letters in RAF Sky. In this case, because of the rear location of the factory applied fuselage roundel, the Squadron codes and aircraft id letter have been painted forward of the roundel in smaller than usual letters and as a 'block' under the cockpit and ahead of the roundel and the aircraft serial has been repainted under the tail planes. Since at the time it was photographed it was basically 'factory fresh' I have left it very un-weathered, just some exhaust staining which was evident in the stills from the newsreel.

Thank you again, YankeeBoy! This means I can go ahead and make a real historically founded repaint in my favourite colours, with notes about the pilot, etc.

Also, you and the builder Colin Ford have solved another mystery, hinted at in the previous post. The fuselage tail stripe does not always have to be duck egg blue - in this case the stripe and the spinner is the same as the bottom colour, sky, as are the squadron markings. In this short paragraph Colin Ford has provided all the relevant information: What the pattern looks like, colours and positions of markings, and a full history with a time line. Fantastic.

In addition, here's a quick one about the 268th squadron (Wikipedia):

The squadron deployed to RAF Penshurst from 4 to 8 August 1941. It started operations with the Curtiss Tomahawk in October 1941 but these were replaced in April 1942 with the more capable North American Mustang.

They flew the Mustang I and Ia all the time to 1944, converted to Hawker Typhoon which proved unsuitable, and reconverted to Mustang, this time Mustang II.

Leif

[YankeeBoy]

NOTE: This is NOT going to be a build thread. I simply wanted others who might be starting this model to be aware of some issues.

Nose section - no real problems

Cockpit underway

Will do gunsight later

Small piece of skin 6 needs to be removed

Do NOT laminate both F1 and F2. Will cause fit problems.

Things I had to do to get camera to fit. See earlier text.

Do NOT laminate both K17 and F14a.

Do NOT laminate both K17 and F15a.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Will study this closely, YankeeBoy. Already, much is clearer. Will try to incorporate this in my own repaint of the model, already in the drawing stage. Very useful. Warm thanks for all that work with the sketches. Very much clearer now.

Also, I just noticed who Colin Ford, the provider of the information above, and the builder of the beautiful model, is:

Colin Ford

ADJIDAUMO - Tail-in-Air
No.268 Squadron Royal Air Force
1940-1946 Historian by Appointment
(by the Surviving Squadron members)

[Don Boose]

The images and narrative on key aspects of the construction are extremely helpful and interesting.

And Leif: fast work on pinning down a sand and spinach Mustang I with squadron markings and excellent presentation of the material.

Don