1/48 Tamiya P-51D Mustang 'Petie 2nd'

Gallery Article by Michael Presley on Oct 19 2009

 

1/48 Tamiya North American P-51D Mustang, 'Petie 2nd'

Yet another 'Petie 2nd' build, I fear. Why? Lt. Col. John C. Meyer was one of the great American fighter pilot/commanders of WW2, and Petie 2nd is one of the prettier schemes of the E.T.O.. 'Petie 3rd', has too much added clutter for my taste, & the darker shade of blue on it's nose (which the 352nd began using at the very end of 1944). Although I had the Strike Eagle markings for 'the 3rd', 'the 2nd' is plainly nicer looking (to my eye). "Petie 2nd" was damaged on the ground in early Nov, 1944 by a jeep, and replaced by 'the 3rd' while it was being repaired. After repairs, it became Sheldon Heyer's "Sweetie Face', coded HO-N. The Tamiya kit is a famously great one, but it has a few flaws. One is the shape of it's prop blades. This can be fixed in one of two ways. You can buy replacement blades from Ultracast, or if you have an extra prop from a Monogram P-51D, with a little cleanup (thinning, twisting), and some minor modifications to the Tamiya spinner, it will work just as well. I did the latter, although I did use Ultracast's exhaust on this Mustang...they're really nice. Most of the Eduard photo etched set was used for landing gear details, instrument panel, and little, interior, rear view mirror, but I opted for the True Details resin seat, rather than the kit's with the photo etched belts. I used various widths of jeweler solder, copper wire, and vinyl line for the radio, and electrical system wiring behind the cockpit, along with the fuel tank filler hose from a Hasegawa kit. After all that, I closed the canopy. Chiefly because I wanted the clean look of a Mustang's 'tear drop' bubble on this model.

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 I decided to have the model sans drop tanks, in a 'post-mission' configuration, once again for the 'clean look'.  I cannibalized the Hasegawa kit for the anti-sway stabilizers on the hard point pylons. I drilled out the oleo scissors' lightening holes, rather than cut them off for Eduard's photo etch parts (which are too thin). I then put in the brake lines, which thread from the outside of the gear leg (between the door), through the scissor to the backside of the lower gear. I also added the actuator rod (a clipped needle) for the radiator door, & the strengthening bar deep inside the scoop inlet. The upper wing's seams (except for the gun bays) were filled, sanded, and primed just as they were at the North American factories. It takes a leap of faith, but it IS correct...do your research. I drilled out the holes in the air filter plates on either side of the lower nose, just because they look cool, and 'Mustang', although most photos of 'Petie 2nd' shows it as having solid plates, which were a field modification. I 'weighted' the tires with a heated blade, not being satisfied with the appearance of the True Details resin wheels, I had used on a P-51B. There are nicer replacement ones out there, particularly those offered by Obsucreco, but the kit's are very good, if prepared right. 

I used 'decanted' Krylon #1601 Glossy Black for a primer-base, polishing this finally with 8000 grit cloth, before applying Alclad II in varying shades. The "Bodney Blue" nose (the shade used for most of 1944) was a mix of Tamiya acrylics, using various color reference photos as a guide. I used most of the Strike Eagle decals, especially their superior stencils. These included the crew names for Petie 3rd, which were identical in content, and placement to the ones on 'the 2nd'. I used the victory marks, 487 FS logo, and Meyer's name off the Tamiya sheet, as these were decidedly different. Thinned Tamiya gloss black, with a little liquid soap was used for the panel seams, while the exhaust stains (except for the transparent Alcad blue used on the stainless plates directly behind the stacks), and gunpowder residue were done with thinned Tamiya Smoke. All other paint used was Testors Model Master.

Photos by Henry Popp

Michael Presley

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Photos and text © by Michael Presley