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F-51 "Was That Too Fast" - Latest Restoration

Bomber_12th

Bomber_12th

SOH-CM-2025
For those that don't follow Warbirdsim on Facebook, but own "Mustang Tales", as has just been posted, this repaint will be uploaded later tonight (available over the weekend) to coincide with the recent test flights of the latest P-51D restoration to roll out of the Midwest Aero Restorations hangar. I *like* to think that we had something to do with the direction that this restoration took, which seemed to come about as my research into Korean War Mustangs was being wrapped up and "Mustang Tales" was released (Mike and I both spending time at the same P-51 research forum). Prior to late last year, the restoration was heading towards being finished as "Passion Wagon" of the 357th FG, but that direction changed sometime after the yet-to-be finished restoration was sold to Jon Vesely last September. Of course I have no proof of that connection. ; ) This year does mark the 60th anniversary since the end of the Korean War, which was on our minds and certainly on theirs.

If you're headed out to Oshkosh, be sure to keep an eye out for this one - sure to be another award winner! Note that the restoration has the post-WWII ARC-3 radio set, rocket launchers and post-WWII extended oil overflow vent pipe, all items that are present on the model that the repaint uses from Mustang Tales. Here's the Midwest Aero FB gallery of images thus-far of the restoration, which is being, as typical for all Midwest Aero aircraft, test flown by veteran Mustang pilot Vlado Lenoch: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.573812862662101.1073741825.149357098441015&type=1

The original aircraft was part of the 36th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 12th Fighter-Bomber Group, called "The Foxy Few", as seen in the Group's insignia, applied to the aircraft.















 
Looks fantastic John.

And glad to hear another P-51 from Midwest Aero has flown.

I'm sure you must have had an influence on the choice of scheme and restoration details somewhere along the line!

Cheers

Paul
 
Thank you Paul and John! She's been uploaded to the SOH library and the Flightsim.com library, and will be uploaded to Avsim shortly.

The airframe history is that of an early P-51D-20-NA, though I don't know anything about its history up until 1950, other than it had been delivered to the USAAF in late 1944. In the 50's the aircraft flew with the Uruguay AF, and then spent the 60's, 70's, and half of the 80's on outdoor static display at the Uruguay AF Museum. The aircraft was sold and brought back into the U.S. in 1985, and then passed through a few different owners, with a few different attempts at restoring the aircraft until it was sent to Midwest Aero in 2004. Its first post-restoration flight just too place this past Sunday, marking the first time the aircraft has flown in over 50 years. The owner of the aircraft, Jon Vesely, also owns the P-51D "Live Bait" which was also restored by Midwest Aero (a repaint you can also find for "Mustang Tales").

It took some creative pixel 'bending' to get the eyes on the nose looking okay with my mapping around that region. ; ) Other than that, most of the time it seemed was just spent recreating that group insignia/patch (done at high resolution, and then scaled down). The model that it uses is the one for the ROKAF variant, so I made some new interior textures for it so that it would have the correct interior green paint and so that it would also appear freshly restored.

 
Yeah, I like those too! I believe I recall the inspiration for the shark mouths within the 12th came directly from the "Flying Tigers"/A.V.G. of WWII.
 
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The EAA Airventure awards were handed out Saturday night, and this aircraft won the "Grand Champion: Post-WWII" award, with Midwest Aero receiving another Golden Wrench. I'm going to be updating this repaint a bit to include more details that were not yet present when I made the repaint and other details that I couldn't see with the previously available photos.

These following photos are from Flickr member "Richmanwisco".

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