357th FG Profile
Capt. Charles E. Weaver an Ace with 8 victories, including one Me262 Jet,
Winter 1944 thru Spring ’45
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. Reclining nude brunette over blue splash.
C. 11 black Luftwaffe eagles- 7 in top row, 4 in bottom row. First in top row placed ahead of firewall.
D. Pilot’s rank and name in in black cursive over natural aluminum, parallel to canopy rail.
E. Tail Number- black “472” on fin, “199” on rudder.
Upper & Lower View Notes:
F. Glare shield is flat black and tapers away from upper cowl seam toward center of aircraft from forward bulkhead to propeller boss.
G. Width of checkers reduced on underside in order to fit evenly on the narrow surfaces of the chin scoop area. H, I, J. Red, Green, Yellow navigation lights- circular and flush with wing panel.
K. Formation Lights- Red (Port) and Green (Starboard)
Overall Modeling Tips:
*Nobody seems to know who the young lady depicted in the nose art was, but I’m sure many would like to find out!
*Paint on the flat colored glare shield first- then mask 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.
*There were no antenna wires or mirrors installed in this aircraft.
*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 cutaway 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.
Talking with Chuck Weaver at the last 357th FG reunion in Dayton, Ohio, September 2001, Chuck said that to his best recollection, the background for the nude on his mustang was blue.
Capt. Charles E. Weaver’s P-51D Mustang
SuperScale Decal Sheet 48-708, Sky Models Decal Sheet 48-023 and Cutting Edge Decal Sheet CED48113
