Ike's Mustang
I recently finished another D-Day / Operation Overlord model with invasion stripes to add to my collection of 20+ aircraft. As you can see from the first photo General Eisenhower used to sneak out with a pilot to obtain upcoming battle information during the war. I thought that was such an amazing story that it inspired me to build the P-51 Mustang that was used. (The Willis Jeep in 1/48 will be my next build.) I found everything I needed for the Mustang on ebay. I used Tamiya P-51B, Microscale decals, and a conversion kit for the back jump seat made of resin. Another fun build! I hope you like the photos.
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- 1. that's Ike in the back
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- 1. Kit used
A fantastic result, Robert! A famous plane that you rendered beautifully!
Thanks
Beautifully done, Robert @bsc4849
A perfect rendition of Ike's aircraft.
Thanks
Awesome build with that lovely weathering! For some reason i like the look of the P51 b better that of the P51d. I guess it's the canopy!
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That's a very nice conversion.
According to Richard Turner's memoir "Big Friend, Little Friend," this was actually a PR flight that happened at the 354th FG's airfield in England, since they were the ones who did the conversion. Ike also made a PR flight like this in the first P-38 Droop-snoot, in April 1944. As I have discovered in researching my books, there are tons of "amazing tales" out there that don't really hold up. In July 1944, nobody would have worried about the Ardennes Forest as a possible battlefield - they wouldn't have been worried about it on December 15, 1944, the afternoon before the attack began; that's why it was a surprise. This is the part of the story that tells me it's one of the "amazing tales." That and the fact SHAEF would never have let Ike go flying into the combat zone in an airplane he couldn't get out of, not to mention Quesada wouldn't have been allowed to go either.
Of course, none of the above has anything to do with the excellent work you did on this conversion.
👍great info
Yeah, the amazing thing I have found in 40 years of aviation history writing is that the majority of "aviation history" is more accurately labeled "aviation mythology."
A great-looking conversion! Well done!
Thanks
Nicely done, a unique conversion.
Thanks
Nicely done Robert.
Thanks Tom, doing the Mossie next along with a 1/48 Willy’s Jeep.
Well done, Robert. I like the build tweak to fit the story. Doing projects like this puts good mojo in the build.
Thanks, that’s why modeling is such fun!
Great story and model, Robert (@bsc4849). I have never seen a conversion for a rear seat, so I guess I need to check Ebay.
A fellow Imodeler named Jim Harley makes this set as well.
He flew the Collings Foundation's two seat Mustang named "Betty Jane" on the airshow circuit several years back. Now he has a newer business called Black Magik Resin and he specializes in various resin conversion sets, mainly for Mustangs, and air racers.
https://blackmagikresin.com/
Now his old Mustang has been restored again. However, now it is painted up exactly like this model is, named "Stars Look Down". I took this picture several years ago during the process.
It was a lot of labor to keep the polished aluminum nice and shiny.
Robert D Carley (@bsc4849)
This is a great looking Mustang. I have never done any two seat conversions to a model. So I can only imagine the work you put into this.
It looks like the real thing ! Here's how I know...
There's a fellow Imodeler on here named Jim Harley, who flew one of the Collings Foundation Mustangs on tour with the B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" and the B-24 "Witchcraft". Jim is very knowledgeable about the Mustang, especially since he has logged many hours in one.
https://blackmagikresin.com/
He has a website called Black Magik Resin and he offers several conversion kits in different scales (1/48 and 1/72 mainly) for various aircraft and air racers.
The plane he flew on the airshow circuit was a highly polished two seat Mustang named "Betty Jane". It was recently given a complete overhaul by my friends at American Aero Services, and has since been repainted wearing the same markings as what your model has.
Here are a few pictures I took during the restoration / rebuilding process.
This is how she looks now. Your model is a very nice duplicate in miniature. I definitely clicked on the like buttons for this one. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Thanks for the kind words Louis! Finally had time to jump on here and found this cool build. It is actually the first one I've seen finished outside of my "test build". I had the good fortune of meeting, through Facebook, the grandson of the mechanic that completed the original conversion. I ended up with quite a few reference photos to complete this conversion. We also discussed at length history of this machine. It was ground looped and instead of parting it out a couple mechanics jumped on it and converted it to a two seater with a primitive rear canopy. When Ike flew in her over St. Lo ( see the film and story here http://www.354thpmfg.com/ ) she didn't have nose art. They were operating out of an improvised strip just south and a bit east of Point Du Hoc. There is a memorial there today commemorating the field as Cricqueville-en-Bessin, or A-2. The film featured on the 354th website is gold for anyone researching this airframe. Not long after the "Ike flight" she was spruced up with a new paint and the "Stars" noseart. She was also fit with a hinged rear canopy to make egress possible. The original modified canopy used Dzus fasteners and retained the "D" window that was cut from the fuselage. The new rear canopy was nearly a full piece of clear stock that was, or looks like it was hinged from the top with a brace that could be used to hold it open while entering and exiting. I have a photo that was taken after the war when she was stripped and unceremoniously scrapped in 1946.
Great to see this one completed, great job and great display! I posted a link to my effort below. Someday I'll do one without the nose art and the "D" shaped window. If you are Facebook Savvy there is a long thread on the P-51 Mustang page that features a bunch of photos that have not been published (at least to my knowledge) and a lot of great commentary about its history...just search Stars Look Down.
Best,
Jim
It was my pleasure. Thank you for sharing all of your pictures and info.