P-51D drop tank detail

[Ridge Runner]

P51 Mustang... Every boy should have one!
Great shots man, I see you've been lucky enough to visit the States.

 

[Profiler]

Nice shots Gary, will come in very hand next time I have (yet) another go at getting a Mustang profile just right.

 

[Geedee]

P51 Mustang... Every boy should have one!
Great shots man, I see you've been lucky enough to visit the States.

Cheers Jim.

Yup, I try and go every year...its not that expensive...honest !. Mt trip to the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends back in 2007 cost £740 inclusive of all flights (including two internal return flights from JFK), transport for 5 days...V8 Mustang cabrio including fuel !!! and 6 nights accommodation. Thats less than half price of an accompanied trip by the aviation tour operators !. We actually had an extra day to do what we wanted and with our own transport were not tied down to a particular itinery. what we saved on the trip, paid for Warbird flights !. All it took was 30 mins on the internet to sort out and pay !.

My return flights to the states last year for the CAF Airsho where £315.00 !!. Look into it, it is not expensive and its great fun. Especially if you havent been before as every plane you see will be a new one.

Its about £1600 with a tour operator to go to Oshkosh this year for a week, I've looked into it and can do flights, accommodation and transport for just under half that price...more money for Warbird flights...B-17 / B24 ?.

I should point out that I go with a mate, who'se also a like minded Warbird nut, I dont take the missus !

Cheers Profiler, looking forward to some pics when you get around to it.

 

[Greedy]

Hey im doing a 1:32 scale dragon kit of the snifter wich i was lucky enought to be around the building of this now flying aircraft. ill post em up for ya

 

[Airframes]

Nice pics mate! Good luck with the Dragon kit; it turns out nice eventually, but beware, as none of the internal parts match-up with the inside walls! You'll need to make 'shelves' for the cockpit floor to fit, and the top cowlings won't sit properly if the support frame is in place. There are other faults, but overall, it's a nice model.
Terry.

 

[drgondog]

Here you go mate, a little later than anticipated, but hopefully in time to help.
I was wrong! The 78th FG used the 75 US Gal steel 'tear drop' tanks!
The three colour pics, taken at Duxford around March 1945, are courtesy of Mason Barnard Jr., and are from Roger Freeman's excellent 'The Mighty Eighth in Colour'. They show Col.Landers in 'Anne Nihilator', previously used by Lt. Col. Gilbert. Although these aircraft have the tanks in place, they wouldn't normally be uploaded, and then filled, until immediately prior to the mission. This was even more true of the 'paper' tanks, as the latter would start to leak within about four or five hours, as the fuel attacked the resins and adhesives. Personally, unless, as in one of my dioramas, the scene is depicting an aircraft ready 'to go', I prefer models of the P51 without the tanks.
The profile of 'Big Beautiful Doll', P51D-20NA, 44-72218, is from 'Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force', by Jerry Scutts. The name was used on at least 11 aircraft, and this one was used from December 1944 (January '45?) until the end of the war in Europe. Ignore the writing at the top of the pic - it's part of the caption from the illustration above this one on the same page, I forgot to airbrush it out, as I couldn't crop without cutting off the top of the fin/rudder!
I hope these are useful, but if you need anything else, give me a shout.
Cheers.
Terry.

Terry - those are probably US steel 110 gal tanks, the 75's were long gone by Dec 1944