Allison Mustang

8/3/2019 Allison Mustang

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KIT: Accurate Miniatures 1/48 P-51A

KIT # 3402

PRICE: $20.00

DECALS: One version

REVIEW &

PHOTOS BY: Tom Cleaver

NOTES:

HISTORY

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mailto:[email protected]



ALLISON PONIES: Modeling the Early Mustang

Myths and Truths of the Allison Mustang:

Everyone "knows" that the Mustang was the airplane designed andbuilt in 120 days for the British because North American's DutchKindelberger didn't want to build Curtiss P-40s under license. Alsothat the first Mustangs were a disappointment because they werehobbled by the god-awful Allison engine, and that the airplane onlybecame "good" when it was powered by the mighty Merlin. Right? That's the stuff in all the Mustang books, isn't it?

Well, yes, all that is in the "history books," most of which are writtenby people who prove the old saw that if you copy from one it'splagiarism, while if you copy from many it's research. Also, if themany have copied from each other, mistakes can indeed become"facts." We are only now, sixty years after the events, starting todiscover that a lot of what was written as history at the outset was"uninformed" to be generous. It was then was copied by those whofollowed, to the point that it became "the truth" because it had beenrepeated so many times.

Here's a truth from the horse's mouth about the origins of theMustang: in 1981, Edgar Schmued, designer of the Mustang, came

out to Chino for a 40th Anniversary celebration of his most famouswork at The Air Museum, "Planes of Fame." Mr. Schmued began hiscareer at the Bayerische Flugzeug Werke in Munich in 1934, and leftin late 1937 when certain political idiots started investigating aspectsof his family history. (Thank God, if World War II had to be fought, wegot to fight the morons of the Nazi Party.) As a young engineer,Schmued had been involved in most of the detail design work thatwent into the creation of the Bf-109. "I was working on a fighterdesign of my own all that time, refining it with new information,waiting for an opportunity," he said. "Yes, the Mustang was built in120 days, but I had been designing it for five years."

Furthermore, Dutch Kindelberger knew about Schmued's filing cabinetfull of drawings, and had a strong hunch it was a pretty good design,at the time he turned down the British offer to fund North American'slicense production of the P-40; an airplane Kindelberger correctly sawas being at the end of its development cycle. It might be a fight toturn the drawings into blueprints inside 120 days, but they were notstarting with "clean paper" as everyone has believed all these yearssince.

So far as the Allison-powered Mustang being a "disappointment" isconcerned, Southern California aviation legend the Rev. B.C. Reid -



who flew every kind of Mustang there was with the 107th Tac ReconSquadron of the 67th Tac Recon Group during 1943-45 - says that theP-51A Mustang was to the Mustang series what the Bf-109F was toMesserschmitt's fighter: the best combination of engine and airframefor flight harmony. "After the A-model, they kept adding weight more

than they added power," he once told me, "and the D-model was anunderpowered truck in comparison with the A-model. Its only gracewas it could fly high." The 107th TRS kept F-6As (the photo-recon P-51A) to the end of the war, and pilots like Reid chose to fly them overthe F6C (P-51C) or F6D (P-51D) whenever possible, "because youcould outperform anything under ten thousand feet in that baby."

The first Mustang Ace wasn't even flying a Mustang! 1LT Michael T.Russo of the 522nd FBS shot down five German aircraft betweenSeptember 13 and December 30, 1943, while flying something itspilots called an "Invader." The A-36A never had an "official name,"though Lt. Robert B. Walsh of the 27th Fighter-Bomber Group isgenerally credited with suggesting "Why don't we call them 'Invaders'since we're always invading places?" For an airplane that wasn't evena fighter, the A-36s of the 27th FBG managed to shoot down 53German and Italian aircraft between their introduction to combat in June 1943 and the group's transfer to P-47s in April 1944.

` The first long-range escort missions by Mustangs weren't flown outof England into Germany, they were flown from India across theIndian Ocean to Burma, a further distance than East Anglia to Berlin,

and the airplanes involved were P-51As and A-36s of the 311thFighter Group. By the end of their fights over Rangoon in November1943 - a full month before the 354th FG flew the first Mustang escortin the ETO - CAPT J.J. England of the 311th's 530th FS had 8 victories.

All of this is to say that there was "plenty of fight" in the firstMustangs. This takes away nothing from the outstandingachievements of the P-51B and P-51D, which literally won the war inthe air over Europe and broke the back of the Luftwaffe. This in turn,enabled the Normandy Invasion and the liberation of Western Europeto take place; no small achievement.

THE KIT



Until 1994, the Allison Mustang was ill-served by the kit makers. In1/72, Frog made an indifferent kit with a wing more appropriate for aP-51D. To date, modelers in 1/72 are still ill-served by the AllisonMustang offerings, which seem unable to determine such basic itemsas airframe shape, what wing to use, landing gear, etc. Without majorscratchbuilding, the 1/72 modeler is out of luck.

No such problem exists in 1/48, where Accurate Minatures releasedthe P-51, A-36A and P-51A as the first products of this company.Additionally, the P-51 was re-released as an RAF Mustang Mk.Ia, withdifferent decals and the camera provided on a separate tree. The onlycomplaints one can have with these kits is that the propeller isincorrect for any version other than the P-51A, and is too thick as itappears on the parts tree. In addition, the instructions are difficult tofollow, and some modelers report difficulty assembling the cockpitinto the fuselage due to the engineering of the kit to be differentversions.

The kit comes with differently-molded engine cowlings to cater to the

different-shaped carburetor intakes and the weapons carried (or not)in the nose. The wings are different for each, with the P-51 equippedwith 4 20mm cannon that extend in front of the wing, the A-36 havingfour machine guns and dive brakes, and the P-51A having a wingsimilar to the A-36 minus the dive brakes. There are also differentlooks in the shape of the radiator scoops between versions. All of these differences are well met by these kits.

The cockpit provided by the kits is more than acceptable, and set anew standard for the amount and quality of detail expected "in thebox" when first released five years ago. True Details has recently

released a resin cockpit for the P-51A, which has more small detail,without making the original cockpit obsolete in any fashion. The



canopy provided, while clear, is quite thick and does not look right atall if it is cut open. Fortunately, Squadron has released vacformcanopies of both the "coffin lid" and Malcolm hood which are sobeautifully clear that a modeler can leave the Malcolm hood closedwithout spoiling any view of the cockpit within.

One of the most well-known early Mustangs is a P-51A, "Mrs. Virginia,"flown by an unknown pilot of the First Air Commando Group. Theairplane is famous primarily due to the existence of a very good air-to-air photograph of "Mrs. Virginia" flying over the Assam hills thathas been often published in books on the Mustang. The 1st ACG wasfounded and led by Colonel Phil Cochrane in the China-Burma-India Theatre. It helps that there is an aura of adventure around Cochraneand his unit: they were founded to support Orde Wingate's "Chindits"on operations behind enemy lines in Burma. Cochrane and his crew of "daredevils" were immortalized by Milton Caniff when he created thecomic strip "Terry and the Pirates," which boys of a certain age wholoved airplanes and adventure couldn't wait to get hold of in theSunday papers as they grew up.

"Flightline" is a line of decals created in the past year, mostlyinvolving Thompson Trophy Racers of the post-war period. Those of you who can't stop making P-51Bs and P-51Ds but are running out of new markings are strongly urged to contact them and get hold of some very interesting decals for the "stockers" that wowed post-waraudiences at the Cleveland Air Races. The first sheet released had

four interesting Mustangs: Paul Mantz's 1946 Bendix and Thompson Trophy winner, #46; Mantz's airplane as it appeared later, when itflew nonstop over the North Pole in 1951 as "Excalibur;" the famousP-51 with the black-and-white "razzle-dazzle" camouflage (those of you who went to the 1999 IPMS-USA National Convention had theopportunity to see a very good model made with this set); and "Mrs.Virginia."

With these decals, an example of the new True Details P-51A cockpitprovided by Squadron, and a P-51A kindly sent out by Bill Bosworth,what else could a boy do but sit down and re-create "Mrs. Virginia"?

CONSTRUCTION



The first thing I did was glue the cowlings to their individual fuselagehalves, after cutting away the structure around the cockpit that wouldbe replaced with the vacuform canopy, and set all this aside to dry. Ialso at this time masked and painted the vacuform canopy withInterior Green. I would be puttying around the join area to get properfit, and having this pre-painted guaranteed I could keep the puttyfrom being seen from the inside of the cockpit. With the cockpitready, I separated all the resin parts from their backing andassembled the cockpit sides into the proper fuselage half.

I then painted the True Details cockpit, using Gunze Sanyo H-58Interior Green. There is now information that North American mayhave used Dull Dark Green in Mustang cockpits; I have yet to hearanything definitive about early Mustangs, though I would probablynow paint the cockpit Dull Dark Green when I do another one. Tocontinue, once that was dry, I painted the "black boxes" with Tamiyasemi-gloss black, then drybrushed things with Model Master (non-buffing)Aluminum, paying particular attention to the seat and floor,since this was going to be a Mustang that was "ridden hard and hung

up wet." I then shot a thin black wash over everything to bring upmore detail.

I then assembled the fuselage halves per kit instructions, andattached the wing and horizontal stabilizers. There is a point to noticehere about the wing: Accurate Minatures provides the wing with theflaps up. Most Merlin Mustangs sit on the ground with their flaps downto avoid keeping the hydraulic system pressurized. The AllisonMustang, which was lighter in structure overall, is mostly seen withthe flaps up. This also means that the center wheel well doors are up. These doors are only down when cycling to retract the gear, or when

the hydraulic system is de-pressurized. Otherwise, they would blockthe radiator cooling intake and an overheated engine due to that was



considered an offense worthy of a $50 fine for the pilot so stupid as todo so - and that was in the days when $50 was a substantial sum! So,when assembling your wing, if you are keeping the flaps up, cut off the mounting tabs of the wheel well doors and glue them in the "up"position.

You must "Future" the vacuform canopy before using it, since you aregoing to use cyanoacrylate around it, and "Futuring" is the only wayto guard against fogging the canopy. (You may want to try any of several brands of non-fogging superglues. They work quite well - Ed )

Carefully cut away the canopy from its base with a brand-new sharp#11 blade. You will also want to cut away the side panel and upper"coffin lid" at this time if you plan to have the canopy open. Test-fitthe canopy and trim as necessary to get a good fit.

The canopy is then glued to the airframe; do this a bit at a time,applying the C-A with a blade tip, so that you can get everything to fitas closely as possible. If you are lucky and it fits close, then useGunze "Mr. Surfacer" to fill any gaps. If you weren't that good in yourinstallation, you will need to apply putty as sparingly as possiblealong the join line. Then very carefully sand it away when thoroughlydry; your goal here is to scratch the window panels as little aspossible, though if you are unsuccessful you can paint another coat of Future over the scratches to remove them.

PAINT & DECALS



"Mrs. Virginia" is a well-used airplane, to say the least. The airplanewas flown in the tropics and is badly sun-faded. I first painted thelower surfaces Tamiya XF-52 "Neutral Grey." I then painted the uppersurfaces with Gunze Sanyo H-52 Olive Drab. Once the original "basecolor" was dry, it was time to "fade" the paint.

Looking at color photographs of USAAF aircraft of the period, one seesthat the sun fading effect is most prominent on the upper surfaces of the wings and horizontal stabilizer, and the upper part of thefuselage. It also seems that the paint fades differently on differentpanels (without the "shadow effect" modelers so love nowadays),

which may be due to different kinds of metal creating differentconditions under the hot tropic sun. Also, fabric fades differently thanmetal.

I started with a cupful of standard H-52 Olive drab, and an open bottleof Gunze Sanyo H-85 "Sail Color," a very light tan. I put in a brushfulof "Sail Color" and started around the lower sides of thefuselage,spraying lightly. Some panels got a bit more than others, butone could still see the underlying color. I left the area underneath thehorizontal stabilizer alone, since this would have been protected from

the sun.



Another brushful of Sail Color into the mix, and I moved up the sidesof the fuselage airbrushing lightly as I had, and "blotching" here andthere, creating larger and more prominent areas of this shade. I alsobegan "blotching" on the wing and horizontal stabilizer uppersurfaces, and the vertical fin. With the paint at this intensity, I painted

the whole fabric-covered rudder, which would have faded differentlyfrom the metal surfaces.

Another brushful of Sail Color with a bit of flat yellow in the mix and Iwas ready for the upper surfaces. I did leave a bit of the "darker"blotchiness around panel lines, and faded things differently frompanel to panel, getting the flaps and ailerons differently also. I shotthe fabric-covered elevators to maximize the fading effect. Maximumeffect was also applied to the spine of the fuselage and the nose areaaround the carb intake. Satisfied with the "fade," I let everything dry. Ipainted the rudder, horizontal stabilizer tips and the prop spinner withModel Master Aluminum (non-buffing), then shot the model with Testor's Glosscote.

It's hard to tell, looking at the photograph of "Mrs. Virginia" whetheror not the serial number is visible on the fuselage under the stripesand exhaust grime. I decided it was, but not completely; I applied theserial number decal, let it dry, then over painted it with Olive Drabthat was darker than the surrounding area, while still letting bits of the underlying numbers show through. Once dry, I shot this withGlosscote. I then applied the fuselage stripes; these come as a large

decal for either side, and go on easily with water on the surface toallow them to be moved around to final position. I mopped up theexcess water with tissue, then applied a good coat of Micro-Sol, andset things aside to dry.

Once this was done, I used the Aeromaster national insignia, sincethese are already nicely faded, with a dark blue surround where thered was over-painted. I then applied the rest of the insignias, usingonly the "Mrs. Virginia" for the left side (though Flightline providesthem for both sides).

Once everything was dry, I recovered the model with Glosscote, thenwith Dullcote brought down as flat as possible with three thin coats of my special mix.

The one thing one notices about "Mrs. Virginia" is that this just mightbe the dirtiest Mustang ever photographed! The airplane has heavyexhaust staining, and lots of dings and chips.



I started with Model Master Aluminum (non-buffing) dry brushing theareas along the wing root and around the gun bays where scuffingwould happen. I picked out the dzus fasterners and screws that heldthe cowling panels on, and "rubbed" the edges of various panels. Iscoured the intake openings, and other areas, and also did paintchipping on the leading edge of all flying surfaces and "dinged" theleading edges of the propeller blades.

It was now time for oil-streaking and exhaust staining. I use a wash

that is 50-50 Gunze "Mahogany" and Tamiya semi-gloss black, mixedwith 90 percent rubbing alcohol, for the wash. I first sit the airplane inthe parked position and then run wash along the panel lines aroundthe cowling, letting it drip by gravity, I then brush on oil from the rearlanel lines of the cowling, back over the fuselage ond over the innersections of the wing upper surfaces, to simulate oil stains created byflight conditions. In the case of this airplane, the photograph said itwould be hard to do "too much."

I then put in a bit more black, and brushed exhaust staining the entirelength of the fuselage, again letting it sit and drip with gravity for

some of the effect. Doing it this way, after the Dullcote has beenapplied, will leave a different surface texture, so that the stains"stand out" as they should. I then put in a couple brushfulls of SeaGrey Medium, and airbrushed the exhaust stains. These were greydue to the fact that the engine was set on as lean a setting aspossible to maximize range, which led to heavy oxidization in theexhaust.

Since the airplane operated from jungle airstrips, I muddied up thewheels a lot, and drybrushed "mud spray" on the lower surfaces of the wings and the rear fuselage. Then thinned some "mud" andbrushed it onto the wings where the pilot and crew would have stoodwhile entering the cockpit. It took awhile, but soon the airplane looked



like the photograph: good and dirty. I attached the open canopyparts, attached the fishtail exhausts, and made antenna wire with"invisible repair thread."

CONCLUSIONS

This was an easy project, with the most difficult parts being in thepainting and weathering, and those were actually quite easy with thephotograph at my side to guide my efforts. The Accurate Minatureskits are one of the best series of models of Mustang variantsavailable. They require a modicum of skill and are not as "shake 'n'bake" as their Tamiya equivalents. But then, those aren't AllisonPonies, are they?

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