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'Mrs Bonnie' P-51K


Ian

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Hello folks

Been a long time since I asked for folks ideas here, but because I’m planning-on building the Tamiya 1:32 Mustang (and the implied ‘cost’ of this kit), I thought it may be a good idea to get some thoughts before I start hacking away at it. 

I’m going to build Bill Dunhams’  ‘Mrs. Bonnie’ as it was right at the end of the war in summer 1945. The aircraft is a P-51K-10 it's quite well known as it was featured in some publicity photos in August or September. 

Bonnie%203%20small_zpsftquadqm.jpg

 

Mrs.%20Bonnie%20on%20Ie%20Shima%20Sept%2

 

Bonnie%205_zpshgj1qpwz.jpg

 

As you can see, despite it being a Dallas-built ‘K’ it has the cuffed Hamilton props and spinner – the blade profile and decals give-it-away – also the whole of the spinner is painted red/yellow/blue & black (front to rear). This is fine as the kit I’m using is the initial Tamiya release, 60322 (which also has the ‘Dallas’ canopy in the box too). 

Now here’s the part where I need your insight & thoughts – Tamiya in their paint & decal instructions show ‘Mrs Bonnie’ with the ‘correct’ Aeroproducts spinner & blades but also would have you paint the spinner back-plate NMF, the colours being the same but compressed. Has anyone got a photo that confirms the Tamiya instructions – just being curious, I’m one of those folks who likes to have as much info as possible… 

 

Tamiya%20Bonnie_zpsws673vwl.jpg

 

Bonnie%201%20small_zpsnqrinxua.jpg

 

 

Thanks in advance folks, over to you.

 

Ian.

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Ian,

 

As the last photo you attached in your query shows, Mrs. Bonnie, a verified P-51K, did have an Aeroproducts cuffless prop at some point in time, and that is the prop that would have been factory installed. I found two other photos of Mrs. Bonnie that also show the Aeroproducts prop. Two very informative and highly regarded  Mustang websites I checked stated that the Aeroproducts prop was not liked by ground crews, one reason being it was seldom in balance and was difficult to balance properly, compared to the Hamilton Std. cuffed prop. Both sites stated that many Mustangs had their Aeroproducts props exchanged for the Hamilton Std. units in the field, so Mrs. Bonnie, like many factory-built K's, could be seen with either prop, depending upon the time the photo was taken. The main reason, as you probably were aware, for the alternate prop was that Hamilton Std. was having trouble meeting the demand for props for the B/C/D models, and the AAF didn't want production airplanes sitting in storage and not in use for want of a propeller, thus the alternative propeller source. Mrs. Bonnie's crew chief undoubtedly  snagged a much more trouble free  Hamilton Standard prop at some point to put on 'his' mount! Sooo, you can use either prop type and be correct!

 

Sure is an attractive scheme you have chosen! Can't wait to see the finished model! Hope this helps you in your build.

 

Mike

Edited by 72modeler
corrected misspelling
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As Gwart mentions there is at least one colour photo of this aircraft.  I finally found the link.  http://www.ww2color.com/search/webapps/slides/slides.php?db_limit_start=450   It is photo 00462 and is mixed in with a bunch of Luftwaffe stuff.  Go figure!

 

It is from the Jeff Ethell colour collection and is of the right nose side of the aircraft. Note the single 0 on the tail. 

 

One of the things Tamiya got wrong in the marking instructions is the anti glare panel.  Although olive drab was standard for anti glare panels, 5th Air Force units including the 348th Fighter Group painted them black on some aircraft.  It seems to have included flight leaders, squadron commanders and group leadership.  This also shows in the colour photo of this aircraft along with the the spinner colours of red, yellow, blue and black (front to back).   These were colours of the four squadrons of the 348th Fighter Group.  Note also the colour photo does NOT show the Mrs Bonnie name on the right side.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Dunham was a deputy group commander as well as high scoring ace so one would imagine he would be accorded some "rank has it's privileges" treatment.

 

This should be a stunning model when complete.  It's nice to see some Pacific theater Mustangs.

Edited by Ham
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Thanks folks, appreciate the feedback.

 

Got the kids at-home for another week (Spring break), so this will hit the bench on the second week in October, so a nice'n easy spring/summer project !!.

 

AFN

 

Ian.

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  • 3 years later...

Hope this thread is still alive... I'm currently making this aircraft from the heavily modified Revell kit. I have a few questions regarding the photos you posted, just to check I'm not seeing things...

2020-02-22_09-45-04

First thing I notice in this enlargement is the space between the black fuselage stripes is definitely painted white (compared to the white stripes on the tail) not natural metal. Also, looking at the wing stripes, it looks to me as if each stripe has a cheat line on either side in a different light colour, perhaps yellow?

 

Is this just my eyes or can anyone else see this?

 

Alan

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A trap for young players this. Years ago I built a 1/48 Hasegawa Mustang of William Shomo's Flying Undertaker/Snooks 6th using an Aeromaster sheet which had nice yellow stripes with a thin black edge to be used alongside the painted black theatre stripes. Came up real nice and then someone on Hyperscale (I think) pointed out that the yellow stripe was in fact the strip left by the masking tape when applying the black theatre stripe and the thin black stripe next to the 'yellow' was in fact overspray. I have the Squadron Signal book Aces of the Southwest Pacific and you can see similar overspray edges on P-47s as well.

TRF

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Good info gents! 👍

 

What about the white on the fuselage? The decal sheet I have (from Lifelike Decals) suggests the flaps and ailerons were also painted white but I can't find their reference

2020-02-23_07-58-04

The accompanying text says:

2020-02-23_07-59-58

(The link goes to the photo above)

 

Not sure about the flying surfaces, but without the referenced photo it's hard to say!

 

Thanks very much,

Alan

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Looking at the photo above with the three gents by the wing trailing edge I can see no evidence of white on the flaps or ailerons. Something which might have misled the folks from Lifelike is that the wings were painted silver and the flaps and ailerons were left natural shiny metal maybe giving the suggestion of white. The fuselage area between the black stripes certainly looks white but above the star looks NM to these older eyes.

TRF

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4 hours ago, fastterry said:

Looking at the photo above with the three gents by the wing trailing edge I can see no evidence of white on the flaps or ailerons. Something which might have misled the folks from Lifelike is that the wings were painted silver and the flaps and ailerons were left natural shiny metal maybe giving the suggestion of white. The fuselage area between the black stripes certainly looks white but above the star looks NM to these older eyes.

TRF

Similar to what I was thinking...best just build the thing, nobody's going to mind either way 😂

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Greetings, this thread has risen like the Phoenix.   The link to the Ethell collection colour photo of Mrs Bonnie has been moved to Flickr.  You can't download it any more.   In my opinion, the area between the fuselage stripes is natural metal in the colour photo.   Also, flaps and ailerons are also natural metal.   It's possible this changed over time, just like there are photos of the plane with the original Aeroproducts prop.  Then other photos of it with the Hamilton Standard prop.  Lieutenant Colonel Dunham ended the war as a deputy group commander.  That is second only to the group commander and a position with a lot of rank and privileges.

 

As has been previously mentioned, there is overspray on the stripe from the masking tape.   I think that tape was probably only one inch wide.   I suspect the painters at the 5th Air Force depot were in a rush to get a lot of airplanes done and delivered to the fighting squadrons.  Your mileage may vary...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/143513596@N02/29968764037/

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Astonished and pleased to see this thread re-surface - I did make a start on the build and got a long-way into it before 'the muse' wandered off to find another distraction. It will still be built as Mrs. Bonnie but with the retro-fitted Hamilton prop.  Please feel free to use this thread for all your thoughts, links, opinions and comments - one can never have 'too much information'. 

 

 

Best from NZ.

 

 

Ian.

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Thanks @Ham again for linking to the updated colour photo location. I wonder if the fuselage stripe was white at some later point, or whether as @fastterry says, it was white below the national insignia and NM above it 🤔

 

I think I'll build it that way so most of my natural metal paintwork doesn't get covered up, along with the Hamilton Standard prop. But subject to change 😂

 

Thanks for popping in again @Ian, hope to see your build back in action again soon. (Mine using the Revell kit as a basis is linked in my signature 👍)

 

Update: here's the finished build 😊

Alan

 

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