357th FG Profile
Capt. Leonard “Kit” Carson’s P-51K Mustang “Nooky Booky IV”
Winter thru 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. “Nooky Booky IV” in red, rests within lower strip panel with legs of Y’s resting over seam.
C. Victory Board. 22 black swastikas inside red circles, 6 columns of three, 4 added at head of top row. Top row adjacent to panel seam. Notice irregular placement of individual kill marks in the inset detail {C}. Many profile paintings show the kills packed in very straight, however photographs reveal clearly that they had been placed quite unevenly.
D. Clear perspex quarter dome with oval mirror place inside apex. Not standard equipment, can be made from scratch using Squadron Brand “Heat & Smash” Canopy Film. I used sandpaper to even up the shape of the front corner of an extra Spitfire Mk V “clipped wingtip” from my surplus parts as a smash mold. Refer to photo of P-51D on Modeler’s Guide front page.
E. Note placement of pilot’s name.
F. There were no antenna wires installed on this aircraft. Tail Number- black “411” on fin, “622” on rudder.
Upper & Lower View Notes:
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)
L. Glare shield is flat black and tapers away from upper cowl seam toward center of aircraft from forward bulkhead to propeller boss.
Overall Modeling Tips:
*Paint on the flat colored glare shield first- then mask it 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 Year1945 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.
Nooky Booky IV P-51K
SuperScale Decal Sheet 48-039 and Micro Scale Decal Sheet 48-39
Bullseye Model Aviation Decals – Courtesy of Scott Brown
BMA481009 1:48 Bulleye Model Aviation Decals – P-51D – Yoxford Boys #2
