Profile Photo
bob mack
59 articles

“Mary Nell”… P-51D…1st Lt. William A. Taylor POW…Italy

April 14, 2013 · in Aviation · · 18 · 1.3K

hasegawa ...eagle strike 48092...








Reader reactions:
8  Awesome

18 responses

  1. Beautiful Mustang!

  2. That's definitely a stunner!
    Well done

  3. I knew Bill Taylor for many years. His son, Roy, was my
    best friend in the 6th Grade in Irving Texas in the mid-sixties.
    Mary Nell was Mrs. Taylor.
    Bill was an executive with Texaco, & the family moved to Belgium in

    1. Later returned to Arlington Texas. Last saw Bill & Mary around
      1977, If memory serves.
      I have Bill Taylor's pilot's wings.
    • that is phenomenal mike...what a wonderful story...and terrific that you have his wings...what a privilege...he must have thought a lot of you thank you for the wonderful post

      • Ah Roy gave me his wings...He, his brother Bill Jr., & sister Mary

        thought all that war stuff was boring. I think me & my brother were the only ones who ever asked him about any of it.

        I remember Mr. Taylor hated P-47s primarily because he had engine failure during a takeoff in one, got his sleeve caught in the throttle, & barely got out in time.

        Once told me he chased a Me-109 into a terminal dive, that almost got him too.

        Roy showed me the clippings from the Dallas Morning News (I think) about his capture. They were shooting up a German airfield in Southern Germany near the Alps, & he got hit by AAA. The SS captured him & beat him badly before the Luftwaffe showed up, & stopped it.

        Anyway, to give you an idea how long ago that was, Jonny Quest was on prime-time TV, & the 6th Grade set never missed it.

        I have the Eagle Strike sheet too, but just haven't gotten around to the build...despite Tom Cleaver's urging.

  4. Oh, & a really nice build, Bob!
    Alclads, I take it?

  5. Nice to see someone building the Hasegawa P-51. That kit is definitely underated. Wheel wells are a bit shallow so it makes perfect sense to leave the inner gear doors in the up position. Very clean and sharp build. Keep up the good work

  6. That's a beauty Bob! Wow. She looks great from any angle.
    Gary

  7. Mary Nell was my mothers's cousin and we grew up looking up to Uncle Harold (how he got Harold I don't know) because his "Mary Nell" was one of the decal options for the 1/72 MPC kit that was in stores in 1970s. I told Mary Nell a couple of years ago shortly before she passed that I was going to get a model of her plane done soon, and just got the 1/72 decals in today.
    Beautiful build! I'll be studying it.

  8. thank you mike...read mike presseleys comments above

Leave a Reply