GB-42 1/48 F-6AQ Tac Recce Mustang - MTO II

[javlin]

Username : Javlin
First name : Kevin
Category : Intermediate
Scale : 1/48
Manufacturer / Model : Accurate Miniatures
Extras : OOB

During WWII American fighter aircraft were designated "P" for pursuit.When the need arrived to give a photo recon designation the closest letter,phonetically,to photo was "F".Therefore the F-6 is the photo configuration of the North American P-51 fighter.A total of 55 P-51 Mustangs were delivered to the USAF fitted with the Fairchild K-24 cameras and given the F-6 designation.The 111 Tactical Recon Sq. flew border and anti-sub patrols as well as recon missions over the Tunisian front for the 12th Air Support Command.The 111th began flying for the Seventh Army's invasion of Sicily during the first days of 1943.After Sicily ,the squadron supported the Fifth Army's invasion of Italy with recon and Naval gunfire spotting.The 111th pioneered for the long-range field artillery.In April of 1944, the squadron replaced it's old P-51s with the new Merlin powered P-51C's.

the Kit

 

[Crimea_River]

Something a little different. Good stuff Kevin.

 

[javlin]

Something a little different. Good stuff Kevin.

Well you do remember how much I like the Recce crates................

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Great choice Kevin - always fancied doing a RAF Allison recce Mustang.

 

[javlin]

This Stang got out the gate quick!About to button up the fuse.

 

[Wurger]

 

[javlin]

I have to say this AM kit fits really well as good as a Tamy kit.The wing is not glued in but appears no filler is going to be required if it does a little SG should fix it.

 

[MIflyer]

Beautiful! I have a number of the AM Allison Mustang kits, including P-51A, P51-1, and A-36 and one day I'll have to actually build one.

However for the SCR-274N installation AM did a laudable job of trying to provide accurate radios rather than the meaningless little boxes that are more typical but they did not get it right. The radios they provided look like SCR-274N receivers (3, normally) with the fronts from SCR-274N transmitters (2 normally). I really should put together a little tutorial on how to fix them - although it would take parts from two kits to do the whole installation. I have both the kits and the actual radios as well as the associated WWII manuals, so I have everything I need.

On the other hand, I was looking at the venerable old Monogram 1/48 P-38L kit the other day and saw that the SCR-522 installation provided actually is pretty accurate. The Monogram 1/32 F-51D I want to build next will take some work, though since the boxes provided do not resemble any radios I know of. They should be ARC-3's if the Korean War version is what the kit is supposed to depict.

 

[javlin]

As you can MI this guy just falls together and while the pit is not overly intricate it works not much is seen once closed anyway.I did like they way they made the two control handles for the box on the L/side separately.The kit like you mention supplied two sets of boxes I guess the other a regular fighter setup I just like to build and try to make an acceptable paint job and in the cabinet it goes.Speaking of which I have to build another one of those here shortly to sit on the floor 6'LX40"HX22"D.I am thinking of entering another plane since this one just snapped together the Airfix 1/48 Spit MK V or the Italeri 1/48 Hurricane.

 

[MIflyer]

By the way, some of the cannon armed P-51-1 Mustangs originally assigned for tac recon ended up with an A-36 unit where they were used for strafing targets that needed a bit of extra punch that the four .50's of the Apaches could not provide. You can see one such Mustang in the foreground of the WWII film "A Day With The A-36's".

 

[Wayne Little]

Fast work Kevin....

 

[Airframes]

Good start, and yes, fast work !

 

[Gnomey]

Nice work so far!

 

[Crimea_River]

Agreed.

 

[fubar57]

Quick job Kevin

 

[Wurger]

 

[Bustedwing]

Nice job ! Great looking collection as well.

 

[javlin]

This one is going to be nice! I pre-shaded with a dark brown and started with a light coverage trying to fill in the center to the panel lines it shows up better in natural light on the olive drab.I chose the dark brown being the MTO and dirty conditions.I will once all the future is applies go back with Tamy Panel wash in brown with a good dusting.

 

[fubar57]

Very nice. I have yet to try pre-shading...or post-shading.