Broken P-51 Mustang

[Tcoat]

This is a long one!

Don Gentile was a leading Ace in WW2.

On April 13, 1944 he was stunting for the press over an airfield in Briton when he crashed and totally destroyed his P-51 Mustang. He walked away but the almost brand new 'Stang did not fare so well.

This is my journey to model that aircraft. So buckle up and join the ride.

Before:

After:

A quick search told me a detailed Merlin engine was going to cost me more than I wanted to pay for the project so I was very happy when I found somebody had thrown a tarp over it.

This allowed me to plan things out:

Not surprisingly a kit with the appropriate markings was available.

So time to dig into the plastic

So everything that needed to be mangled or missing is cut off. Pretty much doubled the parts count of the kit!

Then put it back together. Sort of.

Since the aircraft was only in service a few weeks before he crashed it the cockpit was done up looking new(ish)

[vamach1]

Looking forward to seeing this build.

[Tcoat]

All closed up and interior painted. Brace in place to throw tarp over missing engine. Torn skin not on until ready for exterior paint.

Since the cowl will be off I need someplace to put the nose art. Sooooo

Base coat on. Bubble canopy is for masking purposes only.

Torn and buckled aluminum is made from ... well ... torn and buckled aluminum. It is the heavy aluminum tape used for duct wok. Base coat is covered with tinted Future (Pledge) to start weathering and give a good foundation for decals

Decals on and more weathering added.

All tarped up and prop in place.

And with canopy. Most of a canopy. Half of a canopy?

Tail

And salvage pile of removed parts on a dirty tarp

And done!

Or so I thought.

[Tcoat]

4 minutes ago, vamach1 said:

Looking forward to seeing this build.

Going to see it all here! Wasn't really a WIP but the finished products really needs the background so it all went in this thread.

[Tcoat]

So here I was all proud of myself when I stumbled across a picture I had not seen in all my research.

There in all their glory are the oxygen bottles. I thought they were further forward or had been removed since you can't see them in the other shots so had not included them. That would never do so...

Now I just need to get around to doing the base up for it and throwing it into the diorama section. 

[spencer1984]

Outstanding work!

[vamach1]

3 hours ago, Tcoat said:

Going to see it all here! Wasn't really a WIP but the finished products really needs the background so it all went in this thread.

Very realistic.  Glad I did not have to wait very long.

[Hi-Po]

Amazing work and attention to detail.  Will be quite an impressive diorama when completed.

[cobraman]

Wow !  That's going to look great in a diorama setting.

[TransAmMike]

WOW, thats is one crazy cool project!!   Great job Tony?

[Tcoat]

11 hours ago, cobraman said:

Wow !  That's going to look great in a diorama setting.

Once it goes onto a base it is going to be shipped to a WW2 airfield museum in Briton where it will be displayed with a before version of the same model. 

[TarheelRick]

That is some mighty fine looking wreckage work. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it come together (so to speak). Several years ago I saw a 1/32 RF-4C model that someone had opened the radome and detailed it out, but that was not as impressive as your work with this model.  Looking forward to the finished model/diorama.

[Tcoat]

6 minutes ago, TarheelRick said:

That is some mighty fine looking wreckage work. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it come together (so to speak). Several years ago I saw a 1/32 RF-4C model that someone had opened the radome and detailed it out, but that was not as impressive as your work with this model.  Looking forward to the finished model/diorama.

Thanks!

The model itself is done other than some muddy footprints on the wings and some dirt and tufts of grass stuck here and there. That of course can't be done until the colours for the base are settled on. The base itself will be just a very basic grassy plot so as to not distract focus from the main subject. I am toying with the idea of having a figure on a ladder placing the tarp. Again don't want to make it the focus but I like to work a figure in when I can to give an indication of scale.  

[michelle]

Very cool 

[Tcoat]

Quick poll before a spend the exuberant amount of money on a 1/48 deuce and a half. 

Would the addition of a recovery truck in the background enhance or distract in a diorama?

  

[bobthehobbyguy]

Great project.

I don't think you need to add the truck. The focus is the broken plane and that's the story being told with the diorama.

[Tcoat]

Ya I tend to agree. I think I have just looked at the model itself for so long that it now seems to "need" more. I will stick to my grass base and lone figure and stop over thinking it!

[stavanzer]

On 1/30/2023 at 10:54 AM, Tcoat said:

Ya I tend to agree. I think I have just looked at the model itself for so long that it now seems to "need" more. I will stick to my grass base and lone figure and stop over thinking it!

I agree with your thinking. The addition of the truck would make the Dio just too "Busy".

A figure for scale, though, that sounds like a great addition.

[Tcoat]

2 hours ago, stavanzer said:

I agree with your thinking. The addition of the truck would make the Dio just too "Busy".

A figure for scale, though, that sounds like a great addition.

Based upon this article I know exactly what the figure is going to be up to!

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/wwii-ground-crewmans-son-unearths-a-valuable-historic-artifact/

"It seems likely that the crew assigned to dismantling and disposing of the Mustang must have cut out parts of the fuselage and took them home as souvenirs." 

 

[kruleworld]

Fantastic model and nice story

[slusher]

On 1/30/2023 at 12:54 PM, Tcoat said:

Ya I tend to agree. I think I have just looked at the model itself for so long that it now seems to "need" more. I will stick to my grass base and lone figure and stop over thinking it!

Outstanding build,,something different!  Will look great ina diorama!   I you add more it will take away from the detail of the plane. 

[Tcoat]

9 hours ago, slusher said:

Outstanding build,,something different!  Will look great ina diorama!   I you add more it will take away from the detail of the plane. 

Thanks. I think my new plan will be to pick up another kit and do this scene with the truck. Be a much larger diorama but the truck and the figures will be the focus with the plane wreck secondary. Way down the to do list though so I could change my mind 100 times.

[happy grumpy]

Awesome work on weathering and attention to details. Very realistic. I can't wait to see it with its base.

[Nitrobarry]

Now that`s different! Love it! Well done!

[Lunajammer]

On 2/1/2023 at 8:49 AM, stavanzer said:

A figure for scale, though, that sounds like a great addition.

I concur. Maybe explore another one or two to give it life, even if they were just gawking like the dudes in the photos watching the other guy work.