357th FG Profile
Lt. Joe Cannon’s P-51D Mustang “Little Joe”
Spring 1945
Modeler Tips:
Side View Notes:
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. “Little Joe” in yellow with a red border, splashed across lower strip panel.
C. No mirror.
D. Pilot’s name in cursive red on canopy frame.
E. Tail number in black, note area left natural aluminum on rudder.
Upper & Lower View Notes:
F. Width of checkers reduced on underside in order to fit evenly on the narrow surfaces of the chin scoop area. G, H, I. Red, Green, Yellow navigation lights- circular and flush with wing panel.
J. Formation Lights- Red (Port) and Green (Starboard)
K. Glare shield is flat dark olive green.
Overall Modeling Tips:
*Paint on the flat colored glare shield and rudder first- then mask them off and paint the remainder of the aircraft in natural aluminum color. Most metal colors will be marred or removed by masking materials and should therefore be applied last. Note that this aircraft did not wear any recognition stripes, after the New Year – 45 most Mustangs in the ETO adopted a cleaner appearance by omitting theatre markings.
*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. Then when decal time comes, 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.
Repli-Scale Decal Sheet 48-5055
Bullseye Model Aviation Decals – Courtesy of Scott Brown
BMA481010 1:48 Bulleye Model Aviation Decals – P-51D – Yoxford Boys #2
