Warbirds Replicas P51 Mustang

[Peter Jenkins]

Nigel, I'm not so sure about that. Take a read of this article which covers the re-bullding of the only P82 flying and, more importantly, a report by Bud Anderson, (pilot of P51D Old Crow) on flight testing the P82B. He states that there was only one gunsight and that was in the port cockpit. Hardy also mentions that the starboard cockpit, at least on the prototype had limited instrumentation. Adding to the story the fact that they planned to eliminate the 2nd cockpit for some roles and I think that it unlikely, but not impossible, that the 2nd cockpit would have contained less instrumentation than the port cockpit.

I also found this on YouTube, which shows the right cockpit view of the flight of the P82.

So, I'd opt for a less detailed starboard cockpit Ron. That is unless you wanted to model the night fighter version with the long radar pod protruding in front of the props and the radar operator in the starboard cockpit with all the electronic gizmos.

[Ron Gray]

Posted by Peter Jenkins on 29/06/2020 17:41:35:

So, I'd opt for a less detailed starboard cockpit Ron. That is unless you wanted to model the night fighter version with the long radar pod protruding in front of the props and the radar operator in the starboard cockpit with all the electronic gizmos.

Hmm, now there's a thought, the night fighter version.

[Nigel Dell]

Quite right Peter, this is happens when I snatch a couple of minutes on the internet 😳 I was thinking the conversion of the training airframes or at least one I was reading about had been converted to two operational cockpits. 🙄

[Peter Jenkins]

I found these photos that are said to be from F82s.

[RICHARD WILLS]

In theory , its a good idea to have a spare crew for long flights . Look at the Flying Scotsman with its second crew entering via a tunnel through the tender .

But that spare crew would have to have had sleep , not simply reading a comic , to be more refreshed .

Now, I dont know about you , but I find it pretty much impossible to sleep in economy . Ok , so a nice drop of single malt whiskey with ice helps , but for a good few hours I need to be lying down .

So perhaps North American should have organised a reclining sliding chair , with better sound insulation and black out curtains in the "spare " fuselage , A little shower and toilet facility (perhaps stolen from a caravan ) would have meant that the resting crewman came out fresh as a daisy . Shame about the other bloke....

It just takes a little planning . I cant believe they missed these valuable points. A good interior designer and a Feng shui guru would have had that buttoned up in a jiffy .

My goodness , how we've moved on ..

[Nigel Dell]

Posted by RICHARD WILLS on 30/06/2020 09:45:31:

In theory , its a good idea to have a spare crew for long flights . Look at the Flying Scotsman with its second crew entering via a tunnel through the tender .

But that spare crew would have to have had sleep , not simply reading a comic , to be more refreshed .

Now, I dont know about you , but I find it pretty much impossible to sleep in economy . Ok , so a nice drop of single malt whiskey with ice helps , but for a good few hours I need to be lying down .

So perhaps North American should have organised a reclining sliding chair , with better sound insulation and black out curtains in the "spare " fuselage , A little shower and toilet facility (perhaps stolen from a caravan ) would have meant that the resting crewman came out fresh as a daisy . Shame about the other bloke....

It just takes a little planning . I cant believe they missed these valuable points. A good interior designer and a Feng shui guru would have had that buttoned up in a jiffy .

My goodness , how we've moved on ..

Who said they didn’t? 😳. 🤪🤣🤭

[Nigel Dell]

Was this known a two Cadillac of the Sky? 🙄😉

[Ron Gray]

I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that the ‘spare’ cockpit had an adjustable chair and a bit more room (bits of kit removed) so that the other pilot could relax more. Now not sure if that extended to a neck and back massage type chair, or, if indeed they did fit a ‘poo pot’, ‘wee wee tube’. For my version I draw the 3D print line at these additional items.

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by Nigel Dell on 30/06/2020 09:51:32:

Was this known a two Cadillac of the Sky? 🙄😉

Would it have counted as a stretched limo?

[Nigel Dell]

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 30/06/2020 11:28:46:

Posted by Nigel Dell on 30/06/2020 09:51:32:

Was this known a two Cadillac of the Sky? 🙄😉

Would it have counted as a stretched limo?

😂👍🏻 with a bar!

[Chris Walby]

The British approach was far more minimal for Mosquito passengers, no window, no inflight entertainment or toilet. Good news they did get oxygen!

A passenger travelling in the bomb bay of a De Havilland Mosquito of BOAC, on the fast freight service between Leuchars, Fife and Stockholm, Sweden.

PS - Never complain to the pilot "are we there yet?"...Bombay doors open is only a switch away....

[Paul Johnson 4]

Looks like the first EasyJet flight to Lanzarote .......but with more leg room.

[Ron Gray]

He’s even got his own luggage racks x 2, luxury.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Ron has been fielding a few questions on the Tempest thread which reminded me to post something on here .

An area of concern for a lot of people , when getting into warbird building , is finish .

If you are ok with wood but not very "Arty " , this can appear to be a problem . So we might need to have a reality check . I have made so many 55" warbirds , that I cant remember half of them , but they didnt start off looking like they do now . My first panel lines and rivet effect were made by spraying a black or grey aerosol over the cardboard back of a spiral bound jotter pad . But from twenty feet , they looked great . The priority was to make a relatively easy to fly sport model that was close enough to a Focke Wulf or Zero to look believable .

My point is , consider where you are on the experience spectrum , and aim to improve in steps . If you if you are a first timer keep it simple .

Luckily , the P51 can be all things to all people .

Those that want to keep it simple can just do Silver solarfilm with a different colour nose and the decal set . The next option , would be brown paper covering and spray with silver , white and black aerosols . Once you can do that , you might as well try a bit of weathering and exhaust stains , but using pens and soft brushes rather than an airbrush . Finally , there is the introduction of Airbrushing , which in most cases is unnecessary .

[RICHARD WILLS]

I am going to help you paint your Mustangs , by showing you how to do it without being an artist . Obviously this will be toward the end of the build thread , but even so , it is in all of our interest to present our Mustangs in the best possible light ,as converting more to the cause is the best way to guarantee our building interest has a future .

To be able to cover all of your chosen colour schemes I will be painting one which has all of the colours likely to turn up on your model . So I will be painting Lou IV shown in famous picture . I am not going into detail now , but trust me , you will feel comfortable completing your model whatever your skill level .

[Ron Gray]

Brilliant idea Richard, getting all excited now!

[Jonathan S]

Richard,

Glad to see you will be building with us.. . Looking forward to the painting stage and getting the airbrush out.

Getting excited about the build office is now clean and glue ordered.

Jon

[Geoff Parkes]

Richard is it to late to order one of your P51 kits, if O.K i would like a D version, but knowing my luck its to late to get my hands on one, if a deposit is required let me know , regards Geoff.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Hello Geoff . No deposit required , simply a gentlemen's word as I don't want to make a load of kits for nothing .

If you can send me a PM with your address and phone number on plus email if poss , I will create a slot for you and contact you when ready ,

Richard

[Jonathan S]

Richard,

Hows the development going. When do you think they might be ready. Not that I am excited.

[RICHARD WILLS]

I cannot give a specific time . Because we are not just designing a new kit . The lock down has meant that many other channels have returned to traditional building , which has put incredible pressure on my kit cutter . He has to provide parts for the plans service demands for the hundreds of plans on their books and that is very disruptive .

It is likely that I will get a single final variant in the next week , but where as most people on this forum would be capable of building from an on line build , I feel that they do also deserve a plan and instructions .

Newbies will soon be crying out for more detail To that end , I am not going to send out 40 kits without me running through one first . In normal times there would be a pre production run of maybe six , but we are skipping that, which will require an element of understanding .

Edited By RICHARD WILLS on 09/07/2020 08:42:48

[Ron Gray]

Got to get it right from the outset, so take your time Richard (plus I've got another build to do first, so please take your time!!!)

[Jonathan S]

Richard,

Please don't take my asking as in anyway as pressure or trying to hurry you. As a newbie I will be in the bracket of wanting as much info as possible. I was just asking as Looking forward to and planning for the kit is one of the things keeping me sane at the moment so desperate for info like a kid at Christmas. (dad how many days till Santa comes, is he here yet and so forth)

We all understand that we are not living in normal times and things that would normally be easy are getting harder and harder. But glad to hear your making progress.

[RICHARD WILLS]

No offence taken Jonathan . You have no way of knowing what it looks like on this side of the fence .

We need newbies, and the chaps on this forum are the nicest you are likely to come across . We will all support anyone who is on their way up . But at the same time , people like yourself with plastic modelling skills, will be very useful to those who are interested in fine detail .

Richard

[Geoff Parkes]

Richard, just checking that you have received my details , i E mailed them to you in the week, as i explained no rush for your kit as i am trying to finish a Brian taylor Hurricane , butwould not want to miss out on one of your kits. Regards Geoff.