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I read somewhere that 316 may not have had the invasion stripes applied as they were assigned to combat V-1s in ADGB. I can’t remember if it was an attempt to reduce drag or just that ADGB aircraft were not required to wear the stripes? I’ve asked my father, who was an engine fitter with 316 at the time, but he does not remember applying stripes. At 97 his memory isn’t what it was unfortunately. I have a photo somewhere of a 316 Squadron Mustang with the stripes on the underside of the flaps only. Happy to be proven wrong on the above. Whatever you do, do not combine the invasion stripes with the red and white nose bands as in the ICM box art. The red and white bands weren’t applied until March 1945 I believe. Richard

Mr. Martin’s books are essential for anyone researching RCAF markings! No connection, just a happy customer and owner of the two volumes. Richard

That’s a lot of information people have kindly provided, hope it hasn’t confused you even more. Simple answer is, yes 442 Squadron RCAF flew the Mustang IV during the last months of the war. There were NMF examples in the squadron, but they were mostly P-51Ks which had a different prop as has been pointed out. Unfortunately there was only one set of decals in 1/72 for an NMF example and they are long out of print, and not entirely accurate. I have a set and you can have it, and I can provide corrections to make it easier. 303 Squadron also flew NMF Mustangs at the end, but they were again mostly P-51Ks. There are decals available and I can send you a full set with drawings if you like, along with the correct propellor. If you’re not tied to a wartime example, the RCAF bought 130 after the war, all P-51Ds. They served from 1947 to 1956. I’m biased but they were among the most colourful of any Mustangs. I have a spare set of those as well. I provided research material for the decal company. Polish and RCAF Mustangs are an obsession of mine. 🙂 Richard

This looks like a promising film about a tragic story, the bombing of Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen, March 1945. Operation Carthage March 21, 1945 Richard

Thanks Tomaz, it’s all still confusing to everyone…doors up/down, flaps up/down…and all kinds of combinations. All we can go by is the photos, and you’re right, so many of them show the doors firmly up. We all have our preferences, some like the clean sleek look, others like everything hanging. Like you said, no one can say you’re wrong however you build them...well, except one flap up, one flap down. 🙂 Richard

Interesting, just to open that can slightly, I find the opposite. Examining just a couple of hundred of my photos of D/K Mustangs of different air forces (mostly RCAF, Polish and Commonwealth, but also including the USAAF/USAF), I find as many or more photos with clamshell doors down, it's far from rare. Looking through photos in Mustang books I find the same. Lowering the inner doors was part of the shutdown and parking checklist for the D/K. Once parked (from the USAAF manual): "Fairing door emergency release handle pulled out and down. ( when fairing doors are open, landing gear handle is mechanically locked in the DN position.) " The RCAF Pilot's Operating Instructions are similar under End of Flight Procedure: "Pull undercarriage fairing doors emergency release to open doors and relieve pressure on hydraulic system." When the doors were released and fully down, a mechanical link was engaged with the landing gear handle which prevented the handle from accidentally being pulled into the UP position. An explanation from one of the leading Mustang restoration experts, Glenn Wegman (from P-51 Special Interest Group): "When on the ground, gear down, with the engine running, the only thing holding the inner doors closed is the hydraulic pressure. When the engine is shut off the pressure should remain in the system for a while and hold the doors closed. Standard procedure though, is to pull the tee handle when the engine is shut down to dump the hydraulic pressure allowing the doors to fall open. There is a safety latch operated by the left inner door that locks out the gear handle from being raised if the doors are open when the airplane is sitting on the ground. Once the hydraulic pressure builds up after engine start and the doors close, the gear handle can be raised. Dumping the pressure after shut down opens the doors and subsequently lessens the chance of inadvertently raising the gear handle." when the plane is on the ground which would cause the tail gear to collapse. That's why it is standard practice to dump the pressure upon engine shut down." A modeller would be fine setting the inner doors in any position between fully closed and dropped, but personally I would drop them. According to the shut down checklist, the flaps should also be lowered fully "to prevent people walking on them", but that didn't always happen. Just some thoughts. Richard

Beautiful clean Mustang Paul! Well done, always lovely to see a Polish Mustang. The NMF Mustang IVs delivered to the RAF were not painted silver. They were accepted and delivered to the squadrons in the factory finish, bare metal with wings puttied and painted. 3 Squadron RAAF Mustang IV in Italy. It still has the USAAF data block under the windscreen. Flying Officer Roger "Rocky" Robiallard posing with his 442 Squadron RCAF Mustang IV. Clearly still a fairly new and clean aircraft, definitely bare metal. 303 Squadron, Polish Air Force, Mustang IV at Hethel November 1946. My father, LAC Jozef Palimaka, is third from left. Although the photo is not very sharp (scanned from a tiny print), you can see the different shades of aluminum on the panels.

I remember a series of kits (maybe 1/100 or smaller?) that came in a package similar to an oversized matchbook. I think the company was called Eldon. They were inexpensive and available in drug stores and department stores in Canada in the early 1970s. I think it was quite an extensive range, from the First World War to an X-15. Richard

Thanks Chris! I really appreciate you looking in! Life kinda got in the way for a while. My little obsession with RCAF Mustangs gave me the opportunity to be part of the team that researched and designed the markings for its bigger sister: Richard

Thank you, that's very kind. It was a lot of work but I learned a lot and got over my fear of scratch-building and modifying parts. Wow, thank you! Spraying the exhaust staining made me nervous, especially after the initial disaster. I learned that subtle is better. Thanks very much! I've already started another one... Richard

I'm nearly at the end of this build after more than four years. It's on its feet and all the nav lights and landing gear doors are attached. I still need to add the antenna wire and the pulley block that guides it through the bubble canopy...well that and some paint touch-ups here and there. If anyone cares to see in-progress photos the link is at the end. The weathering was done with water-soluble graphite pencils that I found in an art supply store in town. The beauty of it is that it can be wiped off with a damp cloth if you are not happy with the results. With a sharp point you can wet it and follow the panel lines. It will lay down a fine line of sludge which you can then wipe in the direction of the airflow. It can also outline access hatches and panels. The thing to remember, which I learned the hard way, was that it darkens considerably when hit with a clear coat. The exhaust stains were another learning experience. I had never applied exhaust stains with an airbrush before, and the first attempt was with extremely thinned black paint and it was far too dark, and black. I managed to remove it all without too much trauma. The second attempt was with my own mix of dark grey and red-brown thinned to almost water. I learned that the perfect amount of stain was about two or three passes BEFORE you think it looks good. 🙂 Oddly enough in some light it looks thin and grey, in other lighting it looks very dark. I'm not touching it again! Sorry about the weird backgrounds, I was experimenting with lighting and background colours with my DSLR camera. Hopefully I'll do better when it's done.

There’s always hope. ModelMonkey has released a number of beautiful resin sets to upgrade and correct the Airfix 1/24 scale Mustang over the last couple of years. He has started to do Spitfire parts, hopefully he could be convinced to do more. Richard

Thank you! The shapes and dimensions are all there, just needs four years of work, lol. I've loved every minute, almost. And I agree with you on the Maple Leaf roundels, especially in the case of the Mustangs.The RCAF Auxiliary Squadron markings were among the most attractive anywhere. Richard

I've just sat with my morning coffee and gone through this brilliant build! I love these old 1/24 scale Airfix kits, but they are a bit of a double-edged sword. I've been working on their Mustang. They will absorb as much effort as you are willing to put in, but at the same time they really demand all that work to bring them to an acceptable standard. Our expectations have changed a lot in 50 odd years. That being said, their shapes and dimensions are accurate for the most part. I just love the care you've taken and the research you've done to get the details right, and the creative way you've gone about building details from scratch. The Waldron placards really do bring the cockpit to life, I wish they were still available. And that Airscale instrument panel is gorgeous. The correction you've made to the dihedral makes all the difference! Just a superb job so far, and looking forward to watching your progress. It will provide anyone else building one an easy to follow guide. More coffee... Richard

Wow! Just came across this thread, and it's a masterclass in improving and correcting an old kit. OK...maybe a masterclass in stubbornness too. 🙂 I love your solution for the horizontal stabilizers. I just filled your profile with likes. You've combined using aftermarket improvements (that are sometimes not such a good fit either) and good old-fashioned modelling techniques. What you've done is brilliant, and should also help others wanting to build the kit to a better standard. I'm one of them, I have the Matchbox kit and plan to convert it to a Seafire 47. This will be a great help in correcting a lot of faults in the kit. I bought the Iconicair nose correction, which is hollow, and hopefully easier to work with. I also have the Freightdog Seafire 47 conversion, the Master cannon barrels, Mastercaster interior set and a box full of 1/32 Spitfire spare bits. I'll definitely be following this, it'll be a guide for my attempt...after I finish the 1/24 Mustang. I'll let you do all the hard work first. 😉 Richard

Thanks again John. Yes, it'll need some restrained weathering and dirt, but not much. 424 Squadron kept their mounts very clean, as did most of the RCAF Auxiliary Squadrons. Although I’m sure in this photo she was cleaned up for what looks like an air show or Air Force Day. The sharp-eyed ones will notice that the prop on this is the original cuffed Hamilton Standard. The photo in my original post shows it later on, with a cuffless HS prop, and the yellow/black Tiger stripes applied to the spinner. Not so obvious is the interior green on the inner clamshell landing gear doors. There are period colour photos taken of 424 Mustangs on the flightline at Mount Hope airfield showing this in close-up, but I don't have permission to post those yet.

Thank you Jeff! I am pleased. Natural metal finishes, especially on something this size, are intimidating. Alclad is amazing stuff, but I'd like to try some of the acrylic metal finishes on the market. Richard

Thanks! There are all the small fiddly bits to attach yet and more decals, but it's getting close. The main obstacle right now is the sliding part of the canopy, it's been fighting me. Thank you! It just seemed like a safer way to go until I was more comfortable with an airbrush, and Alclad...or whatever metal finish I try next.

A couple more views. The bomb carriers and rocket stubs have now been added to the underside. And just a view from behind. The camera on my phone tends to act like a wide angle lens, and makes the dihedral look flatter than it is. Believe me, I spent a lot of time trying to make sure it was right.

And this is where I am right now. With winter approaching and possible COVID restrictions coming, I'll finally be able to sit and finish this. I read all kinds of advice on sealing or not sealing Alclad before applying decals. There were good arguments for both. I was hoping to protect the finish and blend things in. In the end I did airbrush a thin coat of Future mixed with Liquitex levelling fluid, 99% alcohol and a drop of Vallejo Smoke. It didn't really alter the metal look of Alclad, which was what some modellers warned about. It did slightly knock down the shine a bit, and that was not a bad thing. 424 Squadron's aircraft were kept very clean but there would have been some oxidation of the aluminum. Again the code letters were all self-printed, based on enlargements of the Leading Edge 1/32 decals. The stencils were a mix of self designed and printed, with a few dry transfers from HobbyDecal. I had considered making masks for the codes and serials, but I wasn't that confident I could carry it off. There are still dozens of decals to apply... So far I'm happy, but looking forward to getting on with it.

Thank you Chris for the comments. I can tell you that I practiced for hours with the airbrush before I pointed it at the model. It is now another tool. To be honest, I still think that achieving a smooth and even finish with brush painting is an art, and airbrushing is cheating. 🙂 Richard

Once the paint had cured hard, I was anxious to get some decals on. I just wanted to see some colour...and convince myself that I was making progress. The markings proved to be a bit of a problem, as the decals in the Airfix boxing I used did have RCAF roundels, but the printing left me cold. Although they were accurate, the reds and blues were a microscopic dot matrix, not solid colour. Once I saw that, I couldn't unsee it. Fortunately I found a set of very old CanForce decals with a selection of roundel sizes, and the proper style of maple leaf. The colours were a bit dark, but I was happy to live with that. All the rest of the markings were home made and printed on decal paper on my printer at work. They were coated with decal fixer and worked well, although I had to be careful not to use too much set or solvent as the colours would run if they were handled too much. Many of them were from the 1/32 Leading Edge RCAF Mustang sheet, enlarged on a copier to 1/24 and printed on decal paper. This included the 424 Squadron Tiger emblem. The stencils were all designed on the computer based on close-up photos of this aircraft. I now have a complete record of the evolution of RCAF Mustang stencilling and instructions. Haven't had a chance to use that in conversation at a party yet... I printed extras in case I screwed up ( I did a couple times ). The underside. I believe Canada was the only country that used the international codes on military aircraft...in this case VC-BAS. The Tiger in place. Although a couple of restorations since the 1980s have put the emblem on both sides, it is clear from photos that it was only painted on the port side. One more overall image. I experimented with some weathering, using water soluble graphite pencils. The great thing is that you can just wipe it off with a wet cloth or tissue if you don't like it.

Thanks! If I remember correctly, the technique was originally used with AK Extreme in the article I read...I just took the leap and hoped it would work for Alclad. Thank you! Up until this model I had been a brush painter only, but the size of this thing made me finally break out the airbrush I bought years ago. I practiced for hours just using old broken models and parts from the spares box before I tackled anything on this Mustang. So far no disasters, and I am really pleased with the thin smooth finish. I don't know what I was afraid of. But you have to use the skills you're comfortable with, and your results with a brush are remarkable. Richard

And this was the result. The effect was subtle, but enough of a difference to be effective. I think next time I'll try different shades of Alclad, now that I am no longer a lacquer virgin. I think varying the tones and colour of metal shades might be a bit more realistic. All that being said, I am really happy with Alclad.

This was the first time I used Alclad for a natural metal finish, and to be honest, the first time I used an airbrush. After reading as much information as I could on prep, spraying and masking Alclad...I was terrified. 🙂 In the end, with care, it proved extremely easy to use and sprayed beautifully...but man did it smell!! And the clean up was a bit of a pain. I saw how some modellers used different shades of Alclad and careful masking to represent the different panels and types of metal on the aircraft. Being so new at this, I thought that might be pushing it. I found another method which used different colours of primer to differentiate the panels. After testing it on a spare wing, I found it worked well enough for my skill level. The primers were all Tamiya gloss colours, Ocean Grey, Black and Light Grey. I tried to match the panels to a colour photo of a factory-fresh Mustang. The patchwork quilt look was kinda cool...