357th FG Profile
Capt. John “Johnny” B. England’s P-51D Mustang “Missouri Armada”
Ground crew for Missouri Armada, Robert Currie, Louis Moye and Sgt Highland.
Autumn /-Fall 1944
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. “Missouri Armada” in white occupies lower-most strip panel beneath exhaust on port side. Note that it starts at edge of checkers but ends short of the firewall by a distance equal to the width of the last letter.
C. 18 kill marks, black swastika on white disc outlined in black. Note offset of kill in top of last column due to flare gun discharge port.
D. No mirror.
E. Pilot’s rank and name in freestyle print
F. Tail number in yellow. “414” on vertical fin, “789” on rudder.
G. Sides of radiator ventilation flap were natural metal.
H. Reduced invasion stripes come up to lower edge of star & bar insignia. Note that forward white stripe appears on the aircraft in the dark olive green scheme.
Upper & Lower View Notes:
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. Photographs reveal that this aircraft did not wear recognition stripes.
N. Formation Lights- Red (Port) and Green (Starboard)
Overall Modeling Tips:
*This aircraft wore dark olive green over USAAC medium gray.
*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. When the time for decals arrives, 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.
Captain England’s P-51D
Repli-Scale Decal Sheet 48-5058 and SuperScale Decal Sheet 48-535
