**** FINISHED: GB-47 1:72 North American Mustang II - WW2 D-Day and After - Western Front

User Name: T Bolt
Name: Glenn
Category: Advanced
Kit: Academy P-51
Scale: 1/72nd
Accessories: Xtradecal 70th Anniversary D-Day Part 1. Seat harness made from wine bottle foil


North American Mustang II FR919, "N", of II (AC) Squadron, RAF, B.10 Plumetot July 1944

I've had an interest in these Allison powered Mustangs of the Army Cooperation Squadron since reading about them in Roger Freeman's "Mustang at War" back when I was in 7th or 8th grade. When I saw one of them on a decal sheet when looking for subjects for this group build I couldn't resist.

Some extra shots plus a shot of the Mustang together with the Hurricane I built for this group build and the Typhoon I built way back in group build #27 all from the Xtradecal 70th Anniversary D-Day Part 1 decal sheet.

fantastic Glenn, looks bigger than 1/72 !

Nice one Glenn.

Very nice Glenn.

Thanks guys

Lovely work so far Glenn!

Nice one, but three small details.

On the Allison engined Mustangs, the inner gear doors stayed in the up and locked position after engine shutdown. They had a different mechanism, including a 'positive' door lock for the inner gear doors that kept them up and closed. They could be unlocked and pulled down by hand for servicing access on the ground. Something a lot of model manufacturers repeatedly get wrong in their instructions and depiction of Allison Mustangs, because they are used to seeing the gear doors hanging down on "all" Mustangs meaning mainly P-51Ds.

Two, by the time your subject aircraft is depicted, they were using VHF, so there was no long wire HF aerial between the 'post' behind the cockpit and the tail. VHF used just the 'post' antenna.

Thirdly, something missed by many model manufacturers because it didn't show up well on photos and what photos there were of RAF Mustang Mk.IIs were few and far between, under the port wing, in approximately the same position as the pitot head under the starboard wing, there would be a short, thin 'pole' antenna, which was the IFF antenna which replaced the 'cheese cutter' IFF on the RAF Allison Mustangs by that stage. It is reported as variously being a very pale yellow colour or natural metal (the pale yellow may have been a varnish coating over the natural metal to prevent corrosion.)

No.II(AC) Squadron made the move from RAF Odiham to B.10 Plumetot on 29 July 1944. No operations flown that day due to the move. FR919 N is recorded as flying three operational sorties from B10 on 30 & 31 July 1944. They didn't stay at B.10 long and moved to B-4 Beny-Sur-Mer in early August 1944.

2Sqdn 30-31Jul44 Pt1 by Colin Ford, on Flickr

2Sqdn 31Jul44 Pt2 by Colin Ford, on Flickr

Great looking machine Glenn

A very nice Mustang II, and the group photo is great