Korean War Group Build – North American LT-6G Texan FAC

This one started as a decal sheet. Friend Tom Bebout had some decals left over from his T-6 build and he kindly sent me the markings for a second airplane, an FAC bird named "Night Train". I didn't have the model yet, so I stashed the decals until I could find a suitable T-6. I didn't have to wait long, because a few weeks later (right before Christmas) a box with a bright red T-6 in it showed up on my doorstep, complete with a note from one "Santa Bebout"!
After I got started, friend Andrew was doing the same model in those markings, and since I didn't want to duplicate his, I started looking for another choice.

The airplane I settled on was an LT-6G named "Moan 'N' Lisa" (who could possibly resist that one!) of the 6147th Tactical Control Squadron, flying forward air control missions in Korea. She got her name from the noise made by airflow passing over the numerous bullet hole patches in her skin. My good friend Cliff back home in El Paso whipped up the nose art, buzz and serial number markings for me, and I was off.

The kit is the Revell / Monogram offering in 1/48, this one boxed as a Reno racer and molded in bright red plastic. That posed some problems with paint coverage, as any light coat would have a nice red sheen to it. Built mainly OOB, with the addition of tape and wire seatbelts and Airscale instrument decals. The cockpit is very nice from the box. I originally intended for the pilot's canopy to be open, as it was molded separately, but it didn't fit in the open position and since this build had taken much longer than I anticipated, I didn't want to wait for a vac replacement. A coat of Future solved that, and the cockpit is even still visible. This kit issue has the correct frameless canopy for this version. The smoke rockets and racks are from a 1/72 Monogram F-82. I couldn't find enough pylons for a full load, so there are only six rockets mounted out of 12 that could be carried. They're not totally accurate, but they're close enough for my non contest eye and they do add a little something to the model. Paint is Rustoleum 2X metallic aluminum from a rattle can, which has primer mixed into it, so coverage was not a problem. The finish was Futured for decals, then sprayed with Testors dullcote to simulate the silver lacquer finish. Bullet hole patches were simulated with small strips of Bare Metal Foil. It's the first time I've ever used that product, and I'll probably need a lot more practice!

It took a lot longer than I thought to finish this one, but it does make a nice addition to my Korea collection. For those interested, build thread is here:

https://imodeler.com/groups/korea-the-forgotten-war/forum/topic/north-american-t-6g-fac-monogram-1-48/

9 additional images. Click to enlarge.