P-51 "Duchess of Manhattan"

[jankees]

I just continue with my yellow noses if it's OK with you guys?

 

[dougal]

Which model is that for?

 

[jankees]

ah, excuse me, for the Warbirdsim P-51D-5 "Little Friends 2"

 

[skyhawka4m]

All I can say is thank you Jan......you are doing great things...and my mustang stable continues to grow with each paint. I will have to count and see how many paints I now have. I'm sure I have 50 or more. Never too many mustangs!

 

[Bomber_12th]

Sweeeeeet!!

(This is one I was originally considering when putting Little Friends-II together)

 

[jankees]

and you show my datasource real nice too John. What's your guess, black stripes on top of the wings or not?

and I see I completely forgot to remove the vent holes...

 

[Bomber_12th]

I've been curious for a while, as to what that light-colored dot on the side of the rear fuselage is. I had thought it might be a non-standard, field-added camera, but that would take a lot of work to do (rather than mount one behind the pilot's armor plate, as would be done with other standard D-model Mustangs). Then I got to thinking, that perhaps the lightness of the bare-metal mounting ring around the lighter-inner spot, makes the item appear a bit larger than it really is (the lens/port that is). My current thinking is that it is an orange recognition light, mounted to the fuselage for formation-work (as done on some other D-model Mustangs, such as "Butch Baby" and "Nooky Booky" to name a few), with possibly another mounted on the other side, in the same spot, with the mounting-ring around the lens(es) being left natural aluminum - perhaps fitted after the aircraft's invasion stripes were already applied, or masked-off prior to the invasion stripe application (I'm guessing the first theory).

 

[Bomber_12th]

and you show my datasource real nice too John. What's your guess, black stripes on top of the wings or not?

and I see I completely forgot to remove the vent holes...

Jan Kees, I think you are doing a fine job! I would leave the invasion stripes removed from the upper surfaces, as you have them - the second photo seems to show a very good effort was made at reducing the invasion stripes to only being present on the bottom surfaces, up to the half-way point of the wing leading edge. There only appears to be possibly some remants of the black-identifier stipe (one of those applied at depot level, like the tail stripes) still present on the wing. As it seemed to happen, when the invasion stripes were removed from the upper surfaces of the wings, the original black-identifier stripes, that were over-painted, would still remain to some degree, possibly not as easy to get off as the paint used for the invasion stripes - that's not to say that the identifier stripes would remain completely intact/fresh. I personally would consider adding weathered-versions of the black identifier stripes to the upper surfaces of the wings (and I know that a restored version of this aircraft/paint scheme, would have the black identifier stripes present on the upper surfaces (though looking completely fresh)).

*Also, just an observation, but based on a little detail in the second photo, I believe the invasion stripes on the bottom of the wings likely had a thin black stripe on the outside of each border-white stripe, as other 361st FG Mustangs had as well, if I recall correctly, and as recreated on a few restored examples, like "Ferocious Frankie".

Edit: ...or as seen here, on just one of the other 361st FG examples: http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gall...&origStyle=list&Item=35&Temp=524&searchString=

 

[jankees]

Thank you John.
I think you may be right on the black outline on the invasion stripes, if you look at your second pic, you see a black corner just next to Capt Lederer's shoulder which might just fit the bill..
I also notice in that same pic that the stencil 'gun camera' appears to be below the camera rather than next to it, one more thing to change.
As for the white circle, I have been thinking of a camera as well, but wasn't sure. Recognition lights? I thought these only came late in the war, and this clearly is a 1944 shot, with the stripes and no fillet yet? We'll probably never know, I just made them white..It could of course also be a patch over a flak hole, though these usually seem rectangular...questions, questions..
from the first pic I get the impression the data block is a bit higher than usual too, or is that some other text?

Another fun thing I noticed were the black dots before and after the nose art. You see the same on "Frankie" and other aircraft, such as "Sweet Thing IV", I wonder what that is about?
Anyway, enough details to sort yet...

 

[fsxar177]

Jan,
I like this one! Just something about the yellow nose, really purdy. Keep us posted on when this one is ready!

Joseph

 

[jankees]

Well, as we all know, it's the details that matter, so here is the next version of the "Duchess":

what do you think, better?

 

[AusWilko]

I realy like you stuff, well done :salute:

 

[jankees]

Both this paint and the other 361st paints are now available on OZx:

B7-I Duchess of Manhattan

B7-H Ferocious Frankie

B7-M Lt. Murdy

enjoy them!
and would you like more yellow noses?

 

[skyhawka4m]

:salute:

 

[jankees]

I take that as a yes?

 

[jim]

Ya know? If you decided to sell these repaints you'd be worth a lot of money; thankfully you do not, because I'd be broke. Beautiful "stuff"