Shot Down

[FoxMalcolm]

This build started out as any other ME109 E ... [enter suspenseful music byte here] until it was horribly savaged by the cruel tag team efforts of cat, partner and the hateful vacuum cleaner.

Anyway as my habit, I kept as much of it as I could and threw its carcase into my salvage bin.

Many years later I retrieved it, stripped it back and proceeded to use the fuselage as a test bed for paint designs, techniques and cleaning agents, consequently it has a lot of paint on it!

At one time or another I also used it to experiment with bullet holes, my bullet of choice being my handheld rotary tool.

Here is what we are starting with:

My plan is to first of all:

* Strip it down of all of its paint [a mix of brake fluid and oven cleaner soaks tends to do the trick]

* Pop open all of the joins [a quick over night trip to the freezer usually works]

Then chart out how the plane should be destroyed to mimic a shot down 109.

I think I will probably break it at the starboard wing and the fuselage behind the cockpit.

I need to look into what stress tears in airframes look like and try and replicate it.

Should also see where the main weakpoints are on a 109 and aim for those.

Anyway this looks like it will be a fun way to salvage an old test plane.

[Doug Rogers]

I reckon that's a P-51 Mustang. Certainly looks a mess though!!

[Dave Swindell]

That Me109E is a Mustang IA !!

[FoxMalcolm]

right you are, the cockpit and engine cowling vent on the nose threw me off

[FoxMalcolm]

There we go its an XP-51

I can't seem to narrow down the specific variant . . . wait hang on I think found it

There we go its an NA-73X

Given that many thought the 73 looks like a 109 I guess we can see how people thought it was derived from it.

[Dave Swindell]

There we go its an NA-73X

Nope, it's a Mustang 1A (NA-91) the four 20mm cannon wing armament are a distinguishing feature.

[FoxMalcolm]

Nope, it's a Mustang 1A (NA-91) the four 20mm cannon wing armament are a distinguishing feature.

Hey I am quite happy to refer to someone else's judgement here, but I don't think that's quite right . . . the vent nose on a 91 is just like the one on a 51, it goes right up to the prop.

My one only goes as fare as the exhaust, like the 73.

Ultimately I don't think it matters at this time, the simple fact is we have now confirmed that it is a Mustang and I am going to trash it . . thoroughly!

[FoxMalcolm]

Ok quick update.

Haven't had much time to work on it this weekend, other than to give it 2 soaks in brake fluid to remove paint.

Turns out there were 5 distinct layers of paint on this from the last 10 years of using it as a test piece, so it took a bit more effort than usual to remove the paint.

Even then some paint refused to come off.

This morning I decided to do some prep work on exploring how it will look.

So I built this rough 3D model

I then had some fun figuring out how the plane crashes, I ended up settling with this.

Basically the port wing hits the ground first, pin wheeling the plane around.

The force of this, breaks the planes back and whiplashes the tail along the ground tearing the tail off.

I decided to keep the hull of the fuselage intact so the pieces are recognisable as a plane.

The fun part here will be exploring how the seams tear, I am thinking the stress involved would have a tear side and a bend side.

The tear side would mostly be snapped/popped rivets, with whole panels being twisted off, whilst the bend side, the panels would be crumpled and distorted.

Anyway, after exploring how the plane crashed I realised that the interior would be exposed, if not spilled out.

So I did a little research and came up with this.

The key elements I see hear would be that large box thing, given that it is connected to the antennae, I assume that it is the radio, an oxygen tank and a large drum radiator/fan.

I am guessing I have to scratch build those parts.

I will also need to acquire a replacement cockpit, anybody know of a good aftermarket one?

[EmiratesFTW]

Would like to see this, my guess is a P-51B with those mg's and that enclosing cockpit...

[gingerbob]

It may not be very accurate, but it is definitely an NA-91. The drum radiator would probably push up into the fuselage, crushing the radiator fairing and damaging the fuselage there- perhaps contributing to a breaking point.

bob

[Hurry]

Fox Malcolm,

You wanna wreck it and lighten your load in wrecking it? lol

Here ya go... this ACTUALLY happened and I don't think anyone has ever done a dio of it! Would be VERY unique in anyones collection.

..."Test pilot Paul Balfour attempted a wheels down-landing when the engine of the NA-73X stopped while flying 250 feet over Mines Field(Now Los Angeles International Airport). He overshot the airfield boundary and put the prototype down in a cultivated field with this sad result. Luckily there was no fire, for Balfour was trapped in the cockpit and could not be released until rescuers had dug away the soil. The farm shacks have long since given way to a more palatial structure, for the spot where the first Mustang came to grief is now covered by the International Hotel. Of interest are what to appear to be gun ports in the wings but were, in fact, merely painted loactions."...

-- Pg. 10, "Mustang at War" by Roger A. Freeman.



Regards and good luck,
Hurry

[FoxMalcolm]

Thanks for the input and timely reminder guys!

Truth be-told I haven't done anything since my last post because of a series of sudden unforeseen emotional incidents occurred one after the other [not to me, but I had to help deal with it] . . . anyway now that that's over with [i hope], I plan to work on this again . . . yep there it is still on top of my stack still waiting . . . right where I left it.

Does anybody have or know where I can find good examples of stressed metal?

Not so much forced impact, more centrifugal type damage due to high speed turns or cartwheeling planes, stress fatigued damage, that sort of thing.

Oh and thanks for the pic, a nose planted prop might be interesting to do . . . so do you know if the tail is in the ground or did it disintegrate cause I can't see it in that pic.

[Okdoky]

Malcolm

I use tin foil of varied thickness for some of the truck models I build and I also skinned Lancaster noses from the 1/32 part work.

Link to the photobucket for the Lancaster noses

http://s212.photobucket.com/user/okdoky/library/#/user/okdoky/library/Lancaster?sort=3&page=1&_suid=137363133500009557002405695174

The tin foil I use is the stuff that carry out food is delivered in. You could also use the thinner sheets that is used for kitchen foil to roast your turkey in !!!!!

It sticks with super glue and accepts paints well !!!! Can be distorted easily and will have a scale thickness in 1/72 !!!!!!

Also you can sand back and get the metal showing through for scrapes, etc !!!!!!!

Good luck

Nige

[FoxMalcolm]

Say that's an idea, rather than keep searching in vain for a decent shot of stressed metal, I could recreate it.

If I took some thick foil and draw regular sized panels on them, I could them clamp them in a vice and slowly pull it until it tears.

That way I could then get some realistic scaled damaged . . . sounds like a plan, thanks for that.

[Okdoky]

Using the thinner kitchen foil could be easier as you cout cut out the panels of the kit you want to have interior detail in and use the cut panels as a rough tenplate for the skin panels you need and apply the skin over the areas with the kit still as in flying shape.

Then paint and decal

Then use a craft nife to open up the model and encourage the bending and tearing !!!

It sounds like you are giving yourself a real challenge !!!!

Good luck

[Hurry]

Oh and thanks for the pic, a nose planted prop might be interesting to do . . . so do you know if the tail is in the ground or did it disintegrate cause I can't see it in that pic.

From what I can tell from this picture it would appear the tail is intact and still attached to the fuselage but, its twisted slightly to the port side. Because if you look at the flap on the left side of this photo, you'll note the elevator on the port side horizontal stabilizer is showing. Which would lead me to believe the tail dug in and twisted slightly to port.

This aircraft was repaired and returned to flight status after this incident.

Regards,

Hurry

Edited July 12, 2013 by Hurry

[FoxMalcolm]

Well I have been experimenting with stressed metal tears, the results are the same regardless of whether I use metal foil or pie tins . . . it just separates in a clean section, most frustrating.

I think it has something to do with the manufacturing process.

Anyway I have decided to fall back on my original idea of just fabricating the damage artistically.

So to start with I replicated the panels that I will be destroying out of a pie tin.

This will probably take several attempts, so I will keep you lot updated.

[FoxMalcolm]

hmm . . this is proving tricky, I made two attempts so far

One which is pealed back, the other which is torn.

Edited July 14, 2013 by FoxMalcolm

[FoxMalcolm]

Decided to go with a slightly different approach, I realised that the previous attempts couldn't be used as they were too pliable [the slightest bump and they would change shape].

Therefore, I decided to make the "skin" thicker, so I sandwiched several layers together and glued them together.

These were then moulded into shape and attached to the other [plastic] side.

Next step is to "rip" it open using pliers . . . I think this is the better option.

I will upload pics of the "shredded" side tomorrow.

I need to make and fit the spurs for the fuselage before I rip apart the skin . .. this way it will have some support.

Edited July 14, 2013 by FoxMalcolm

[FoxMalcolm]

Ok, well that went rather well . . . here is some progress pics.

It dry fits together rather nicely.

[Hurry]

Fox,

I think maybe these will give you some insight to guage possibly the "real time" damage of a P-51 that came down in the manner you're aiming to depict.

Don Gentile's "Shangri-la" came down in a similar manner with VERY similar results to the one you're trying to create here. The following pics are the result of the incident inwhich Gentile destroyed his stallion with a final going home victory "buzz". The props caught the ground and that was all she wrote for "Shangri-la" of the 4th FG, 336th, FS.







Hope these help

Regards,
Hurry

Edited July 14, 2013 by Hurry

[FoxMalcolm]

Awesome pics, thanks mate!

Love the close up of that damage.

With information about pilot and plane in hand, I went and searched for more pics of that crash . . . found this shot by accident.

I think I will combine elements from both.

I also like how the engine has separated from the fuselage, reminds me of this shot.

Wow, this is a lot of food for thought . .. I will need to play with this some more.

[FoxMalcolm]

I really liked that engine pic so I decided to try my hand at it.

Only problem is I don't have any thing that looks like an Allison Engine . . . all I have are radial engines, yet another component to scratch build.

Next step is to glue all of this together and paint the interior walls, then start work on the engine components.

Tune in tomorrow . . . .

[gingerbob]

One point that comes to mind viewing the updates- you're unlikely to have, say, the tail section, completely disconnected and yet sitting just a few feet behind in the same orientation. More plausible to do something akin to Shangrila's example (which also reinforces my comment about the radiator shoving up). I admire your experimentation, and while I agree one thickness of foil would drive you nuts, those first attempts looked pretty promising. Remember, also, that panels of aluminum would be riveted along the edge, so could act somewhat like a perforated line, or perhaps each rivet would tear through to the edge (could be a combination, too).

bob

[FoxMalcolm]

One point that comes to mind viewing the updates- you're unlikely to have, say, the tail section, completely disconnected and yet sitting just a few feet behind in the same orientation.

I quite agree, sorry for that, the current modifications make it difficult to reattach it just yet.

I plan to work on it after I have finished the crafting of the main fuselage.

I like your idea of the radiator drum I just don't think It would be easy to see or identify at this scale.

Instead I think I will craft it as some sort of twisted debris nearby.