Tamiya P-51D Mustang 1/48
as mentioned in my P-47 article here is the P-51D with same name..This one was kind of unusual. It has 2 VHF antanaes on the top behind the canopy and one on the bottom just forward of the main gear. I also saw a color profile of this aircraft in a book at the bookstore and it showed the plane with an all green tail. I like the stripes better
This is the 506th Fighter Group, in their earlier markings. They were a VLR group operating from Iwo Jima from late May to V-J Day. Their first big mission was the disaster of June 1, where140 Mustangs of all three Iwo groups attempted to penetrate an enormous squall line about halfway betweem Iwo and Tokyo. 20 aircraft and pilots were lost in the thunderstorms, six others managed to bail out and were picked up by the lifeguard submarine, the rest felt lucky to escape with their lives. Unpredictable weather and the jet stream at altitude that no one knew much about were their greatest enemies as the flew the longest missions of the war. 7-8 hours was not uncommon. the double antennas behind the canopy were used for "riding the range" - the radio signal from Iwo they could home on.
Nice work on the model.