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303 Squadron Mustang Mk.IV.


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Final one for this afternoon and moving up a scale again this time to 1/48th.   Bought this kit from a BMer earlier this year or last, but not started until a around three months ago.   Basically its the AIrfix kit of the Mk.IV from the box but finished with decals by Model Maker of Poland.  I chose to finish it as a post war  example before the code changed from 'RF' to 'PD'.  Serialled KM112.  In the future I may well change the code to PD and add the underwing seral as per the original airframe. As a reference, I used the rather nice book from the Polish Wings series  and it helped a lot with all sorts of useful pointers such as the date the orders came through regarding the code change which the squadron members disliked as the RF codes were  a symbolic part of the units history during the wartime years. The decals are very nice but I found the upper wing roundels are too big on the decal sheet so I found a pair from my Modeldecal sets.   Why did I not use the kit roundels you may ask??? Well I really do not know what has happened to them! A real mystery. They have simply vanished from the box and surrounds in my shed!!  I did manage to use the cockpit decals while it was on build but after that they just went AWOL!!!! Really frustrating and I hope they reappear.... maybe...

 

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Well that s it for now. Going to park these now and set about doing pics of another recent finisher but also a very recent issued kit.

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20 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Beautifully done!  How did you achieve the silver finish?

I used AK Xtreme aluminium airbrushed. Didn't bother about different shades though.  I let the changing lighting conditions give any effect.

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Nice job Paul.

 

I like Mustangs with roundels!

 

BTW, I thought they were NMF with painted wings, and even that was discontinued after they realised filling the panels made little difference?

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20 hours ago, IanC said:

BTW, I thought they were NMF with painted wings, and even that was discontinued after they realised filling the panels made little difference?

They were, generally, but the British painted theirs silver.  

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On 10/3/2021 at 10:52 AM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

They were, generally, but the British painted theirs silver.  

 

 

 

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.

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Flying Officer Roger "Rocky" Robiallard posing with his 442 Squadron RCAF Mustang IV. Clearly still a fairly new and clean aircraft, definitely bare metal. 

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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. 

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Edited by RZP
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