"Was That Too Fast" - Revisited

Bomber_12th

Bomber_12th

SOH-CM-2025
When I originally produced this repaint, it was still a few weeks before the aircraft was completed and I was working from photos of the aircraft just prior to and during early ground runs and test flights. Shortly after I had released it, the aircraft was completed and debuted at Airventure Oshkosh 2013, where it won the Warbird Post-WWII Grand Champion Award. There were a number of details that I found which needed to be added and some other items revised to more closely replicate the real thing. As a result, several more stencils have been added, a few aspects of the markings mended, and the bomb-aiming stripes added to the wings (as per the restored aircraft). I have also redone the bomb and rocket textures so that they too more closely replicate those fitted to the restoration (very authentic in themselves). I also changed out the wheel well textures to match 100% the exact pattern of primer finishes as recreated on the restoration (stringers, ribs, and skins - various shades of chromate zinc (yellow & green), bare metal, vintage Alclad and Reynolds Aluminum watermarks, etc. - each wheel well finished quite different from each other). I also touched up several items throughout the cockpit for better appearances (including fixing textures that weren't correct for the model).

I have just uploaded the repaint here, and it should be up at some other sites like Avsim and Flightsim.com soon.







 
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Currently this aircraft is listed for sale here, with numerous superb photographs (including, if you scroll down, more from during its restoration):

http://www.courtesyaircraft.com/Current%20Inventory/N151JT%20North%20American%20P-51D%20Mustang.htm

NOTE: As you can see in the cockpit photos on the real aircraft, Midwest Aero did a superb job with recreating the rare ARC-3 radio control panel along the right-side of the cockpit. This is actually just for show, and covers the modern radios below. As a result, the ARC-3 panel is mounted higher-up than the original unit, as seen in the models that have the ARC-3 radio set included in "Mustang Tales". (The ARC-3 radios in the aft cockpit on the restoration are also fakes, and are part of an assembly (including the upper-half of the armor plate/headrest and radio rack) which can be easily un-bolted and removed to provide access to a rear seat that has been fitted (instead of the original fuselage tank) - all there just for looks.) Also, the restored aircraft is fitted with an extremely rare set of field-kit rocket launchers, that were manufactured and sent out to be fitted to earlier Mustangs in the field which didn't come from the factory with rocket launcher fittings and controls. These, which are different than the factory-installed types, also require that the controls in the cockpit (included with the kit) be mounted differently. As you can see in the photos, the early bomb/payload switch panel had to be removed so that the rocket controls box could be fitted in its place, right above the pilots left leg. As a result of this, a new panel was installed just forward of the engine controls, for the bomb/payload switches. This is a part of the Mustang story I've been aware of for some time, but I have never built one for FSX with this setup. The T.O. for this rocket kit installation can be viewed here: http://p51h.home.comcast.net/~p51h/sig/TO/01-60JE-27.pdf
 
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Thanks Res Non Verba for taking an interest in my ramblings. ; )

Although it probably isn't of interest to anyone else here, these are some photos I got from Mike V (Midwest Aero) showing the rocket rail kit, still complete (I personally always enjoy things like this). This was prior to the parts being cleaned up/restored and fitted to the aircraft.

These rocket launchers, as I mentioned already, are unlike those which were fitted to late-model Mustangs at the factory. Where as the late factory types had individual rocket stubs, this field-kit had the stubs mounted to plates, three on each plate, and the whole plate was mounted to the wing (late model Mustangs had extra fittings built into the wings for rocket stubs, where as the earlier examples did not).



This is the replacement bomb control panel that came with the kit, as the original panel (fitted on the lower left-side of the instrument panel) had to be removed to make way for the rocket control box. This panel was mounted just forward of the engine controls (as seen in the photos of the restored cockpit on the Courtesy page and/or the T.O. I have linked to).



And here is the rocket control box - almost exactly the same as the unit fitted in late model Mustangs to the center electrical panel, but it has a rub-guard added, as the unit would have to be fitted just above the pilot's left leg.

 
Just bought the Mustang Tales pack at the PC Aviator sale, and I will definitely add this paint! Great work!
 
Great job John! I love all your historical research and knowledge.

Will this repaint work w/ the Little Friends package?

Obie
 
Thank you Ferry! It's a bit hard to believe that it has been a whole year since the time we were starting to get knee-deep/in the midst of developing "Mustang Tales" (not knowing then how extensive it would become).

Obie, I think it should work fine in general, though a few things will be off. Also, the cockpit textures won't all work, since the cockpit configuration and hardware is quite different compared to the variants in "Little Friends". I'll make the few necessary changes and provide a copy for "Little Friends" shortly.
 
Bomber_12th said:
Thanks Res Non Verba for taking an interest in my ramblings. ; )
Click to expand...

Always a pleasure to read your posts John.

Having had the hobby of building scale models in the past, I admire your attention to detail. It is not usual the case of recreating specific aircraft for FSX, not just generic models with several repaints.
 
"For Little Friends"

I don't know if I'll end up uploading this anywhere else or not, but here is a version of the same repaint, this time for "Little Friends" (using the model of "Big Beautiful Doll" (a late-production D-20-NA)). The repaint includes factory-fresh/restored cockpit textures.

You can download the "Little Friends" version here: https://www.wetransfer.com/download...f483b38ef9eb92c085f284e720131202180509/adbc26


Here is a run-down on some of the differences between using the "Little Friends" repaint/model vs. the "Mustang Tales" repaint/model:

- 1944-era USAAF-geared pilot, as opposed to a 1950's-era USAF-geared pilot.
- 1944-era SCR-522 radio set & battery combination in aft cockpit, as opposed to post-1948 ARC-3 radio and SCR-695 IFF set combination (& racks/shelves/antenna) - the battery relocated to the engine bay.
- No battery vent scoop, extended oil overflow/breather pipe, battery drain pipe, or rocket launchers, as opposed to those items being present.
- APS-13 tail warning radar array, as opposed to it being deleted (it was almost always removed from Mustangs in USAF service after WWII).
- SCR-522 control box, radio accessory panel, APS-13 tail warning radar, radio fuse panel & warning bell, BC-1206 beacon receiver, and signal light, as opposed to those items all being deleted and the installation of the BC-453-B radio receiver, ARC-3 circuit breaker panel, and ARC-3 & ARA-8 control panel.
- Early Manifold Pressure gauge (75"-span) and no g-meter gauge, as opposed to a late Manifold Pressure gauge (100"-span) and a g-meter/accelerometer gauge (which didn't start to be added until late '45).
- Schick Johnson seat, as opposed to a post-WWII Warren McArthur seat (the restored aircraft actually has a Schick Johnson seat - a few different seat types could be used in the P-51D/F-51D, and it never really depends on the production model as to which particular D-model has which particular seat type - it just doesn't matter).
- No radiator cooling gills, as opposed to post-WWII modified/added radiator cooling gills (the restored aircraft actually doesn't have these cooling gills).
- Early-mid production K-14 gun sight mount/fitting, as opposed to the late K-14 gun sight mount/fitting.


If anyone notices anything out of whack with this repaint (inside or out), just let me know.

Here are some screenshots of the "Little Friends" version (note the biggest difference is that the pilot looks a bit out of place):







 
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I almost forgot to post this video of the real aircraft, which was shot during early flight testing (can be viewed at 1080P). Vlado Lenoch handles all of the flight testing of new Mustang (and Texan) restorations at Midwest Aero (though I wonder who they will source when it comes time to flight test the (original) Bf 109G they're currently restoring).

Currently at Midwest Aero there are still more Mustangs in the pipeline. 44-74453 (formerly "Glamorous Gal") is being repaired/rebuilt for new/current owner and will be finished in authentic 78th FG markings as "Frances Dell" (at least that was the plan earlier this year), and the long-term restoration of 44-12852 "Frenesi", owned by Dan Friedkin (formerly owned by Jim Beasley), will finally be completed.

 
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Fantastic and realistic looking overall due to attention to detail... my favorite repaint for any FSX aircraft, seriously! Thanks for putting the time in this and sharing with everybody.
 
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