Warbirds Replicas P51 Mustang

[Nigel Dell]

Nice Doc, very nice.

[Peter Jenkins]

When I was researching the Mustang prior to starting my Top Flite kit build, I found out that North American began Mustang production in Inglewood, California. As orders for the Mustang grew, following the replacement of the Allison with the Merlin, the surge in orders by the USAAC resulted in NA opening a 2nd production line in Dallas, Texas. To differentiate between the Inglewood and Dallas productions the alpha designation was changed.

So, the P51B was built in Inglewood and the C in Dallas. They are identical. The P51D was built in Inglewood while the K was Dallas built. The difference between the D and the K seems to be the prop. The D had the Hamilton Standard while the K had an Aero Products item. You can see a difference between these 2 props when stationary. Apart from that, the D an K, like the B and C models, are identical.

Almost all the RAF Mustang IVs were P51K models.

Hope that helps.

[Former Member]

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[Eric Robson]

I always preferred the look of the early Mustang and the A36 Apache, they seemed to have a sleek look at the front with the upper air intake and the radiator intake behind the wing did not seem so prominent.

funny how the Apache was always in the shadows of the other Mustangs .

Talking of the power of the Memsahib, one word from me and the kids done what they like, one word from her and they did as they were told.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Some people say that it was not an Apache on the other variants.

[Former Member]

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[RICHARD WILLS]

I'll get my coat ...

[Gary Clark 1]

Posted by RICHARD WILLS on 15/11/2020 10:59:48:

Some people say that it was not an Apache on the other variants.

Bravo

[RICHARD WILLS]

Posted by Maurice Dyer on 15/11/2020 07:59:00:

Just found this thread: is there a P51B kit for sale ?

Maurice

Check your in box , pm sent .

[RICHARD WILLS]

I suppose they were stuck with a name that induced a spine chilling or threatening effect . So it was going to be

Apache or Cherokee .

Some of the other tribes didn't really carry the same threat .

One tribe was called Mashpee ,

or even better the Kickapoo ........who clearly had a lot of time on their hands (and muck on their moccasins ) but may , therefor have made excellent modellers .

Although, I think their wives had something to say about it, and consequently they stuck to what they knew .

[Former Member]

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[Peter Jenkins]

Posted by Doc Marten on 15/11/2020 10:03:51:

Yep, the designation was changed when the engine plant moved to Texas.

Sorry Doc, the engine plant was in Detroit and never moved as it was built at the Packard plant. It was North American who opened a new airframe plant in Dallas.

Re Apache - that was the name used by the USAAF for their first batch of P51s but they later changed to the RAF's name of Mustang which was called the Mustang 1 in RAF service. There wasn't a separate Apache production run. The name was just changed during the production run from Apache to Mustang to standardise with the RAF. The Lend- Lease bill was passed in March 1941 and thereafter the Americans placed all the Mustang orders and allotted them to Britain. That was probably why the name changed from Apache to Mustang as it would have made contracting easier and the much larger orders for Mustangs were for the RAF who had ordered Mustangs.

So, the Apache is the name the first few Mustangs off the production line were called, albeit they had 4 x 20 mm cannon and not 6 x 50 cal machine guns.

Tcha - nit picking details!🤣🤣

[Peter Jenkins]

Apologies! Armament on Apache/Mustang 1 included 2 x 50 cal machine guns mounted below the engine firing through the prop disc as well as 1x 50 cal and 2 x 30 cal in each wing.

[Former Member]

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[Paul Johnson 4]

Hey now Kickapoo would have been just right...

Renown for kicking the shite out of the enemy ...

[RICHARD WILLS]

Well Paul , you , like many, probably quite understandably think that the Kickapoos are a forgotten tribe , that left no trace of their existence on modern life .

But in fact there is a very modern phrase , which implies that when an organisation or government don't really want to deal with an awkward problem and consequently they go through the motions without any real intention of solving the issue .

That very same modern phrase came about shortly after the invention of the Tin Can by Peter Durand in 1812. because as the first discarded tin cans reached the village of the Kickapoos , they simply did what came naturally .

Sorry to digress Peter and apologies to anyone that is relying on this kind of mind to develop the future kit of their dreams . Still , it could be worse . It could be a man in China who has never heard of the Battle of Britain or even Michael Caine .

[Paul Johnson 4]

Offered up the two wing halves and found you will need to trim the lower spar to aid assembly other wise it fouls on the skin.

[Graham R]

Posted by RICHARD WILLS on 15/11/2020 14:36:08:

Well Paul , you , like many, probably quite understandably think that the Kickapoos are a forgotten tribe , that left no trace of their existence on modern life .

But in fact there is a very modern phrase , which implies that when an organisation or government don't really want to deal with an awkward problem and consequently they go through the motions without any real intention of solving the issue .

That very same modern phrase came about shortly after the invention of the Tin Can by Peter Durand in 1812. because as the first discarded tin cans reached the village of the Kickapoos , they simply did what came naturally .

Sorry to digress Peter and apologies to anyone that is relying on this kind of mind to develop the future kit of their dreams . Still , it could be worse . It could be a man in China who has never heard of the Battle of Britain or even Michael Caine .

It’s amazing what you can learn on a stick twiddlers forum. Life will not be the same again. Life in the Kickapoo village is going to get a whole lot messy if they ever have to face lockdown.

[Martian]

which reminds me of an indian brave going into the t pee to speak to his father "father how is a newborn given its name" well says his father when a child is born the father goes to the door of the t pee and the first thing he sees is the name chosen " but why do you ask ************* "

[RICHARD WILLS]

Aluminium Spinner :

Right , lets assume that you are going for a four blade option . Here are the simple steps .

With a ruler , draw a black marker pen line through the holes in the back plate , to form an accurate cross . Continue the lines over the edge of the disc.

Now tape the back plate to the cone , and transfer the pen marks onto the cone to give you an accurate centre for each slot .

Glynn will be sending you a little note with the packing pieces which on the back has a sketch of the slot .

In a nutshell , the slots are 15mm wide , 15mm tall at one end and 7mm at the low end .

The next thing you need is a two inch wide roll of any tape . This is perfect for sitting the cone in upside down and supports the whole cone .

I suggest you mark on all of the slots , because it easy to get the top slope the wrong way round !!!!!!!!!!!!

To cut a slot ,simply saw straight down from the rim with a junior hacksaw . The Aluminium is soft .

Do both sides and then carefully saw a line across the top of the two vertical line without marking the rest of the cone . This is perfectly feasible thanks to the curve and the fact that a light score is all that is required .

Then get a pair of standard large pliers , line up the square end of the jaws with the top slot and bend the tab inward . It will break of after a little wriggle . Tidy up with a little file --- Job done .

[Former Member]

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[Gary Clark 1]

It's pretty simple Doc, Richard has clearly worked out the details for you with regard to hole position and size but here is a video I found helpful when I first did it.

Video

Gary

[RICHARD WILLS]

Yes Gary is right .it looks daunting but if you mark it out right , its easy . Check twice - cut once !

I think the other thing for everyone is make sure the top of the blades are not actually rubbing on the top of the slot as over time that may weaken the blade .

The common mistake as I said before was to reverse the slope of the slot . So watch out for that one .

You dont need fancy tools , just the masking tape roll and a junior hacksaw blade ,

Its another skill that will pay off in the long run as this type of spinner runs far better than plastic versions and in theory will last longer . If you do dent one , get something metal and heavy on the inside and gently tap out the dent from the outside . A ball ball hammer on the inside works well , just clamp in the vice like a little anvil .

[Former Member]

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[Paul Johnson 4]

Look out... Richard's loose with a hammer..!