XP-51F/G vs P-51H length.

[drgondog]

That pissed me off. Do you have a preferred vendor of BSCOT8AF?
My credit card is out and ready.

find a used one on Abe's or eBay, etc.

Send me a SAS envelope and I will write a note on a 3x5 sticky label.

 

[TbirdsRGo]

Great book, Bill! I just got it in the mail yesterday and have been reading it nonstop.
You mentioned that in going from the Allison-powered P-51s to the P-51B the wing was moved slightly down and forward. Is there some discussion of the actual measurements in some other thread here? On page 250 the side-view comparisons seem to indicate that the wing was moved downwards 3" relative to the fuselage but it doesn't call out any forward movement. It also seems to show the tail being raised by 2" relative to the FRL. Was the P-51B tail really taller?
The P-51D Airplane Assembly drawing, 106-00002, lists drawing 73-20001 for the empennage installation. That implies to me that the P-51D was still using the same tail as the early NA-73 Mustangs, which is what I expected to see. But the side views seem to show the tail height relative to FRL increasing from 67-9/16" to 69-9/16" when going to the P-51B.

 

[drgondog]

Great book, Bill! I just got it in the mail yesterday and have been reading it nonstop.
You mentioned that in going from the Allison-powered P-51s to the P-51B the wing was moved slightly down and forward. Is there some discussion of the actual measurements in some other thread here? On page 250 the side-view comparisons seem to indicate that the wing was moved downwards 3" relative to the fuselage but it doesn't call out any forward movement. It also seems to show the tail being raised by 2" relative to the FRL. Was the P-51B tail really taller?
The P-51D Airplane Assembly drawing, 106-00002, lists drawing 73-20001 for the empennage installation. That implies to me that the P-51D was still using the same tail as the early NA-73 Mustangs, which is what I expected to see. But the side views seem to show the tail height relative to FRL increasing from 67-9/16" to 69-9/16" when going to the P-51B.

The Fuselage Reference Line changed when moving to Packard. No change to empennage, really, save all the structural enhancements internally - until the -25 when metal elevators and change in incidence was introduced. Kits were retro fitted.

The wing was dropped 3". The firewall/cowl raised 1". It did not change attach points at FS 104 amd 143. what did change was FS=0 relative to CowlSpinner interface. All primary fuselage reference stations remained the same. I was inarticulate but corrected in last edit submission which was not applied by Osprey.

The book also has Table errors made by Osprey art team transposing my excel spreadsheets. If you PM your email address I will send corrections

 

[Peter Gunn]

Hey SaparotRob you can have mine, I was going to line the bird cage with it but I don't have a bird cage.

Actually drgondog it's right next to my Friedman's on the bookshelf, battleships and Mustangs, what could be better?

Well, maybe something about Stingrays, the Chevrolet kind.

 

[BarnOwlLover]

Apologies for resurrecting this thread, but where approximately was the fuselage plug added on the P-51H vs the F/G models? Curious as to it's location and if they lead to changes in say the radiator duct fairings and such.

 

[mjfur]

 

[MIflyer]

Back in the mid-80's I decided to use a FSM article on building a 1/32 P-51H using Monogram and Hasegawa P-51D kits to build a 1/48 P-82 using a couple of Monogram 1/48 P-51D kits. I was determined to do a very nice job on this project, adding an electrical harness to the radios and so forth.

If anyone wants I'll try and find that FSM article and post it here.

As for my P-82 attempt,.... heh. I assumed it would be possible to insert a plug in the aft fuselage to get the P-82 length. Did not work! The taper of the P-82 fuselage is such that trying to just extend the P-51D fuselage does not work. I don't know if there is enough left of those P-51D kits to build an H model.

 

[Bedders]

Very excited to see there's a new book out on all this in October....!

J

 

[drgondog]

Back in the mid-80's I decided to use a FSM article on building a 1/32 P-51H using Monogram and Hasegawa P-51D kits to build a 1/48 P-82 using a couple of Monogram 1/48 P-51D kits. I was determined to do a very nice job on this project, adding an electrical harness to the radios and so forth.

If anyone wants I'll try and find that FSM article and post it here.

As for my P-82 attempt,.... heh. I assumed it would be possible to insert a plug in the aft fuselage to get the P-82 length. Did not work! The taper of the P-82 fuselage is such that trying to just extend the P-51D fuselage does not work. I don't know if there is enough left of those P-51D kits to build an H model.

The changes to a P-51D kit would be very difficult. Using the firewall of the P-51D as the first reference point, the following changes would be required to approximate P-51H.

• move the wing 25% chord position aft 6".
• add a fuselage plug of 5" aft of firewall, in front of windshield.
• increase height of fuselage above wing ~ 3" to achieve the greater depth of P-51H at max cross section. cut along the upper longeron to permit a small splice to raise the canopy/cockpit region above the thrust line.
• Increase aft fuselage empennage assembly length about 7 inches.
• decrease chord of rudder by 1".
• remove inboard wing 'strake'

Not many folks recognize that the extended leading edges of the P-51F intersect the fuselage forward of the firewall (look at image above comparing F to H), whereas the P-51H leading edge is approx six inches aft. The forward frame/engine bay for B/D/F/H are close dimensionally the same.

I haven't plunged into P-82 drawings as they are still elusive.

 

[MIflyer]

Note that I was trying to build a P-82B, not a F-82G.