P-51B/C Mustang

[gamary]

is ya spinner wonky or is it an optical illusion
looks like it as a slight case of brewers droop

Dammit, John. Why are you always right??? Dunno how I let this one go through, but nice catch on your part. I'll correct it. Thanks!!

[gamary]

Been working on "By Request", for the CAF:

Naturally, this bird had to have a toothpick prop, non-standards nav lights and lettering and a few other oddities...

[Jarink]

Looks nice, I'm sure the CAF boys (and girls) will be happy!

I think you still need to check the holes in the spinner - they should be a 'lazy 8' shape. At least in this small version of your profile they look like they're a straight oval and not angled in the direction of the prop spin.

[gamary]

@Jarink: I completely redid the props (cuffed and uncuffed HS) yesterday. (I'll have to "retrofit" the P-51D drawings with these as well). While doing so, I remembered your comment about the 8-shape and tried to draw them correctly. But, as you noticed, it' not really visible at this scale. (That plus the fact it's not very visible from a side view anyway, especially with the blades in this pitch).

[gamary]

Didn't know what to do in between two airplanes, so I did another (quick) airplane:

P-51B-5-NA 46-6365 was the first Swedish Mustang. It initially belonged to the 355th FS, 354th FG and was nicknamed "Z Hub". On May 13, 1944 it landed in Sweden after running out of fuel and was interned and transferred to the Swedish AF. It is seen here as it was with Wing F16.

I enjoy drawing foreign P-51s. We don't see enough of them IMHO, so I'll do some more when I have time.

Hope you like it.

@Jarink: I hope you noticed: I didn't forget that small access door/panel just behind the exhaust stacks, which you said were common on early B models.

[gamary]

And another one before going to bed:

Germany, P-51B-15-NA, 43-24825, T9+HK
This aircraft was initially nicknamed "Jerry" and assigned to Lt. Thomas E. Fraser of the 4th FG, 334th FS. It was lost in Cambrai, France, on June 6, 1944 and was tested by the Germans at Rechlin, before being transferred to the famous Zirkus Rosarius for training. It was lost on December 10, 1944.

[Goodwood]

Really nice stuff mate.

About the red on the nose, however: does the source photograph(s) show it as being angled at that degree? To my knowledge the 4th Fighter Group had two different ways of painting its red nose markings: straight down the nose like with other 8th and 9th AAF fighter groups, or down and back at a sweeping angle that came to a point not too far forward of the wing joint. The shallow angle here appears to be unique, or it could have been a result of the Luftwaffe removing artwork...

Anyhow, just curious about that.

[Jarink]

"Jerry" - How fitting!

I've seen a few variations on the 4th FG nose stripe, but I don't recall seeing a 'half-swoop' like that. Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I've never seen it. IIRC, the large 'swoop' markings weren't adopted until sometime after D-Day.

[Goodwood]

"Jerry" - How fitting!

I've seen a few variations on the 4th FG nose stripe, but I don't recall seeing a 'half-swoop' like that. Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I've never seen it. IIRC, the large 'swoop' markings weren't adopted until sometime after D-Day.

I was wondering about that too, as it's only on the later-war Mustangs that you see the big sweep-back, and even right up until the end of the war the same straight-nose cowl painting was still being used ((IIRC, Man 'O War was one).

[gamary]

I don't know. Maybe I exaggerated the sweepback, but I do believe it's there:


I did this very quickly before going to bed. By looking at the photos again, I see the cross should also be larger and the red nose border should be a straight line maybe, not a curve?