Plastic Modeling

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Stephen W.

My bad. Serves me right for believing the internet.
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/18316


... Olive Drab with Natural Grey undersurfaces, white quick identification marking (QIM) tail and wing bands. Red nose with white spinner (the spinner was later also painted red) and red and white chequerboard along the length of the exhausts. 'Shangri-La' written in white beneath the 'Boxing Cock' Eagle insignia of the 4th Fighter Group on yellow background and mission markings drawn on a white scroll on the front edge of cockpit on the port side. Coded (VF-T).


Assigned to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Personal aircraft of Dominic 'Don' Gentile. He claimed 7.5 of his 21 victories in this aircraft. Don Gentile crashed this A/C whilst displaying to reporters after his final mission at his home base Debden on 13-Apr-44.

Whoever wrote that really didn't do their homework. Bomber crews counted missions since they always dropped bombs (if they made it) but fighter pilots only kept track of kills since most missions ended with no action for them. The later P-51Bs also didn't have the tail QIM bands they only had them on the wings.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Jaw drops with every progress update!

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

^^100% this^^^


Had to stop and show Mrs. Ultra all the pics. @Tcoat, you are an artist.

Originally Posted by JD001

I've been doing the same.. my wife loves the commitment to detail.. down to bits that are never seen..

Originally Posted by weederr33

Jesus this just boggles my mind at how you can get this so detailed!

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

That is some unreal work @Tcoat

Thanks guys!
It is funny that the thing I like the very most of the whole project is the tarp that the salvaged parts are sitting on.
I can almost smell the canvas, fuel and oil every time I look at it!



It actually smells like Froot Loops!

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Thanks guys!
It is funny that the thing I like the very most of the whole project is the tarp that the salvaged parts are sitting on.
I can almost smell the canvas, fuel and oil every time I look at it!

I have to say, that is my favorite part of what you've shown as well. You got that spot on.

[JD001]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Well if you are ever near Old Buckenham you could go see it in person.

When does it make an appearance?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JD001

When does it make an appearance?

Not for a while. I have to wait for the supplies to do the base to show up from China.

[Tcoat]

Well damnit that will teach me to stop researching when enough is enough!

Found another picture from an angle I haven't seen before. Now I have to add oxygen tanks and plumbing. I was just going to throw them on the scrap heap but there they are in all their glory. Also need to drop the starboard flap completely and take more material off the spine.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Well damnit that will teach me to stop researching when enough is enough!

Just toss the bottles onto your parts pile and call it good. I read somewhere that they were removed for safe transport right after that picture was taken.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Well damnit that will teach me to stop researching when enough is enough!

Found another picture from an angle I haven't seen before. Now I have to add oxygen tanks and plumbing. I was just going to throw them on the scrap heap but there they are in all their glory. Also need to drop the starboard flap completely and take more material off the spine.

You gonna do the engine now too?

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Just toss the bottles onto your parts pile and call it good. I read somewhere that they were removed for safe transport right after that picture was taken.

Except that looks like it was after transport unless the farm he put it down in had a hangar...

Probably don't need to change the flap angle if that is the case at least.

Edit:. Also the canopy looks to have been assembled in this one?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Except that looks like it was after transport unless the farm he put it down in had a hangar...

Probably don't need to change the flap angle if that is the case at least.

Edit:. Also the canopy looks to have been assembled in this one?

Hmmm! Well, I was kidding about the transport but I think you have a point. That tree line is the same in all the pics. Also, the control surfaces are all in the same position.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Just toss the bottles onto your parts pile and call it good. I read somewhere that they were removed for safe transport right after that picture was taken.

Well I have to make them anyway so may as well be in the airframe as beside it.

Originally Posted by Spuds

You gonna do the engine now too?

I looked for an engine for it but the only option was to buy another very expensive kit or go resin. The resin one was just about three times what I paid for the kit. Since I am giving it away I just didn't feel quite that generous.

Originally Posted by Spuds

Except that looks like it was after transport unless the farm he put it down in had a hangar...

Probably don't need to change the flap angle if that is the case at least.

Edit:. Also the canopy looks to have been assembled in this one?

The picture I was basing the front section on was the partially stripped down and tarped over engine front section. It just seemed more different than having the plane complete but broken in half. It was obviously further through the process than the picture of the front and tail but I am assuming they were still in the same position by the background.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Hmmm! Well, I was kidding about the transport but I think you have a point. That tree line is the same in all the pics. Also, the control surfaces are all in the same position.

The whole story goes like this (I can't remember the site where I found it).

He was returning from his last mission and the press were all in attendance.
He made a couple of high speed low passes for the cameras.
You can see how close to the buildings he was.


On his third pass he came in too low and bounced the tail off the ground.
This pushed him nose down and he had a prop strike which mangled the prop.
This is where it gets amazing!
He had been going so fast that he was able to bring the nose up and actually get some altitude.
He glided the plane away from the airfield and crowd.
After just under 2 miles (yes miles) he had dropped off enough speed and was over a nice open freshly plowed field so he just puled it up into a stall and lightly laid it on the ground tail first.

I was baffled by the pictures as there are no marks where it slide but apparently it just stayed put.



They then lifted the whole thing and manually lowered and locked the landing gear down.
Then they dragged it back the two miles to the airfield with it totally breaking in half on the way.
Once back it was stripped of good parts and the rest was scrapped.
I never could find out where the nose art ended up but I doubt it was reused or scrapped so could be hanging in somebody's basement to this day.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I never could find out where the nose art ended up but I doubt it was reused or scrapped so could be hanging in somebody's basement to this day.

We'll see it on an episode of Antiques Roadshow. (U.S. Public Broadcasting System series)

Did I ever neither confirm nor deny a story about an alleged 450 knot tree strike?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

We'll see it on an episode of Antiques Roadshow. (U.S. Public Broadcasting System series)

Did I ever neither confirm nor deny a story about an alleged 450 knot tree strike?

Could be a BBS show as well though. Nothing says it ever left Briton.

No, no you did not.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Could be a BBS show as well though. Nothing says it ever left Briton.

No, no you did not.

One of the many close calls that I may, or may not have survived.