F-82G Twin Mustang ,4th[AW] squadron, Okinawa.1950,Nose art group build.
This is Revells 1994 boxing of Monograms 1/72 N A F-82G. The G was an all weather model used with some success in the early days of the Korean war. The first aerial victories are attributed to the F-82, it also was used for ground attack missions. Pretty good kit for its age, some fit problems with the canopies, although that was probably my goof. I used MM rattle can flat black with a coating of gloss.
Decals is from Print scale sheet 72-067,when applying the sometimes curled, but were strong enough to be handled. I used the fuselage buzz number from the kit as print scaled one seemed oversized. I include a photo of a P-51 with the F-82 for comparison.
Good lookin build Robert.
Cool Double Stang!
Having just written a book on the topic, the F-82 was used on one ground attack mission, which was more noticeably unsuccessful than most of the unsuccessful ground attack sorties being flown in the first weeks of the war outside the efforts of the Dallas Squadron, the first unit of F-51s in-country. That said, this is a really nice model of the F-82 as it would have looked at that mission. Another reason why they didn't get used in ground attack is there were only three 12-plane squadrons in FEAF.
This was my dad's plane during Korean War. His name was H.W. Rocky Jones, Jr. and yes the spinners were light blue, other model builders got it wrong just to let them know. You wrote a book? What's the title and where can I see/get it?
Lovely Twin Mustang, Robert!
Nice build, Robert...well done, sir.
Great addition to the group build.
Nice build of an odd looking aircraft, can anyone explain how this came about , the idea of cobbleing together two obsolete airframes to make a twin engine aircraft seems odd ,after all the crew would have to talk via radio and were isolated from each other physically also the pilot was way off the central line which I imagine would have taken some getting used to , there must have been plenty of twin engine, two seat aircraft sitting around so why go to the bother ?
Like I said though ,great job Rob.
I've had a look around and it seems this wasn't an original idea ,the Germans did a very similar looking version of the 109 and there was also a twinned version of the Hotspur glider. Anyone know of any others ?
Neil the F-82 wasn't exactly two old air frames cobbled together. In fact it was a completely new aircraft which shared similar design features of the P-51. Currently, one of the original XP-82's has been under restoration to full flying condition for several years now. It is expected to be at Oshkosh this year and boy does it look nice. This link will tell you all about her history and restoration.
http://xp-82twinmustangproject.blogspot.com/p/home_17.html
Thanks Tom I'll check it out.
N.
The Twin Mustang was designed during WWII to be a long-range escort for B-29s. B-29s had a range greater than that of the P-38 or P-51, so a solution was needed. First flight was in the summer of '45, and thus never reached operational status before the war ended.
The plane could be flown from either cockpit, allowing pilots to trade off and get some rest on long missions.
The Army Air Corps and USAF really had some innovative solutions to the range issue (just look up the FICON project)!
Good info, thanks.
Nice job Robert on my dad's plane! You're one of the few builders to get it right on the spinners! Most model it red or burgundy and it was light blue! The Modelcraft kit actually has his name on the inside instruction sheet, but lists Skeeter Williams name on box art, which confuses everyone I tell that it was my dad's plane. H.W. Rocky Jones, Jr. Sadly he was killed on 070790 in a Formula-1 air race in New Braunsfels TX when an illegally participating active NASA shuttle pilot collided with him, shearing his wing off and spinning him into a cornfield where he was killed on impact. Thank God there was no fire or explosion. Hopefully this sends an alert to my email address when someone replies.
looks great Bob
Nicely done Robert, she turned out very well.
Great Twin Mustang!
A real stunning Twin Mustang! Had a 1/48 kit once. Was a real bad kit and also settled for the more detailed 1/72 Monogram version. You did an amazing job on this one. Well done!
Thanks to all.
Nice work on a very unusual bird. You get extra marks for Nose AND tail art?
I really like the head on photo (pic 3) - looks really mean. This must have been weird/fun to build, very counter-intuitive making the two fuselages and you can imaging the original designer thinking, "well, the P-38 worked..."
It originally designed as a long range escort for B-29's. The end of the war shortened the production run.
Nice one Robert, a rarity in any scale
Very nice Twin Pony! I've finished one in NMF scheme, but have another to mirror what you've done. I may have to pick up the same decals.
Looks great Robert ! This is another kit you don't see built up too often.
I have the 1/48 scale Model Craft version in the stash, and I think it has the same Nose Art for "Midnight Sinner" shown on the box top if I recall correctly. I just need to build up enough courage to give it a go... The reviews about the fit, finish and details on the bigger 1/48 scale brother have held me at bay. But if the reviews are wrong it wouldn't be the first time.
I remember seeing one of these at the Air Force Museum / Wright Patterson many years ago... It's a neat looking twin Pony, even though the majority of parts don't swap on the real planes from a P-51. I'm fairly certain the engines are different to, besides one being in opposite rotation.
I remember reading an article about 10 years ago where they found parts in Mexico City for the one undergoing restoration that Tom B mentioned.
A rare bird indeed, and another beauty... Thanks for sharing it with us.