357th FG Profile
1st Lt. Gilbert O’Brien’s P-51B Mustang “Shanty Irish”
Summer, 1944
Modeler Tips:
A. Rear red band on propeller boss extends onto spinner to leading edge of blades when in neutral pitch. Determine width of yellow band by dividing remainder of spinner evenly.
B. 55 bomb-style mission marks, bottom row of 50 from checkerboard to firewall, five in upper row starting at firewall.
C. 8 kill marks- black swastika on white circle with red border. Note space between 3rd and 4th in top row for the signal pistol discharge tube.
D. Standard ETO half-sphere mirror on swept pylon, canopy frame is dark olive green.
E. Tail Number in yellow- “36” on fin, “787” on rudder.
F. Reduced invasion stripes, on undersides of wings and lower 1/3 of fuselage.
G. “Shanty Irish” in all capitol balloon letters with clover. Note overlap of letter “S” onto checkerboard. Note areas of the word “Shanty” that had chipped away.
Planform View Notes:
F. Same as item “F” above.
H. White recognition bands on upper surfaces of wings and stabilizers.
I. Width of checker reduced on underside in order to fit evenly on the narrow
surfaces of the chin scoop area.
J, K, L. Red, Green, Yellow navigation lights- circular and flush with wing panel.
M. Formation Lights- Red (Port) and Green (Starboard)
Overall Modeling Tips:
*This aircraft had olive drab upper surfaces, USAAC medium gray underneath. No whip antenna.
*After building several 357th A/C over the past 30 years, I recommend painting the nose area forward of the exhaust cutout yellow when the flat features are painted. Carefully cut away the yellow squares from the
checkerboard decal and apply the remaining strip of red checkers to the nose. This method significantly reduces
the potential for bubbles, and wrinkles plus it makes exact alignment of the decal easier.
*Prior to assembly, wash clear plastic parts with a mild glass cleaner and gently wipe dry. Then use a Q-Tip to evenly spread clear liquid floor wax (Future Brand seems to get the best results) on both inside & outside. Protect from dust and let dry for at least 2 hours. The wax fills in microscopic flaws and creates an even gloss that is clearer & shines brighter than the original plastic underneath
