airscale Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Hi everyone, 4 years after I started this build, I have only just got around to adding the finishing touches and calling it done.. A bit of background: Lopes Hope is a P51C-5-NT that Aircorps Aviation in Minnesota have put back in the air. I was so blown away by the photographic records they kept and the absolute commitment to accuracy they employ that I wrote to them asking for more info about the airframe. I was stunned when their VP wrote back offering to share info, permission to use their photo's in my build log and any support I needed - starting a relationship that flourishes to this day. They are the same guys that host the Aircorps Library which is an incredible online resource offering for a nominal membership fee access to all the factory drawings and manuals for a range of seminal aircraft. Their notes on this P51 and why they chose it echo my own: "Lope's Hope 3rd was a P-51C flown by Lt. Donald Lopez. Donald and Lope's Hope 3rd served in the China-Burma-India theater with the 14th Air Force, 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Squadron. The 23rd Fighter Group was the descendent of the famous American Volunteer Group or Flying Tigers after the US entered the war. Lt. Lopez had 5 victories in China and went on to become a test pilot in the early years of the jet age. Later he was the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum until his death in 2008. Donald Lopez was instrumental in the construction and opening of the National Air and Space Museum. The original wartime Lope's Hope 3rd was a P51C-5-NT, Army Air Force Serial Number: 42-103585. The serial number information was just acquired through the generous contribution of pages from Lt. Lopez's war time log book by his granddaughter Laura Lopez. Normally a WWII fighter's serial number is easily determined by just looking at the tail number. Squadrons in almost every theater of operations number planes this way, but not in China. In China the 23rd Fighter Group's squadrons were assigned a block of numbers for differentiating their aircraft. The 75th squadron's block was 150- 199 (or to 200 depending on source). Lt. Lopez used 194 on both his P-40N s and on his P-51C , Lope's Hope 3rd. Without his log book it might have been impossible to figure out his Mustang's AAF serial number. Our restoration airframe is a P-51C-10NT Army Air Force Serial Number: 43-24907 , that remained in the continental US during WWII and was used for training purposes during and immediately after the war. The decision to paint her in Lt. Lopez's color scheme is intended to honor him and his service to his country in WWII and to aviation all his life." The model started as a 1/18 HpH Desktop GRP shell.. and 1,230 pictures and a lot of work later, it looks like this.. I really enjoyed this one... it spoilt me though, having every drawing of every part and great references from the restoration meant i could just build everything i saw in front of me - that collection of hundreds, if not thousands of parts resulted in I think my best model. It is certainly a more complex aeroplane than the Spitfire I made, for example the gear bays on this were about 3 - 4 months work, on the Spit a week or two, there is virtually nothing in it's bays 😀 I hope you enjoy it and all my thanks to Aircorps and everyone who chipped in with encouragement in my build thread until next time Peter 68 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CplPunishment Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 😲 Difficult to come up with suitable words. Your models are just truly astonishing. Gob-smacked!! Amazing!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmerboy Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Unbelievable! That cockpit is stunning, everything is stunning! I am in awe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildeSau75 Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 stunning - this is truly a wonderful, perfect model. Congrats to a real winner. Cheers, Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Peerless craftsmanship and resulting model. Here's the Golden Kookaburra Stamp for the best model I've seen on the web for ages. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony G Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 I am amazed, it is by far the best model I have ever seen to date. The finish would put the real aircraft to shame. Truly a work of art 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autle Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Obviously this is on another level compared to just about all other models. I wish I had the patience and time to get anywhere near this standard. I'm just glad you decided to build it and photograph the whole process, a true modelling masterclass and inspiration to others. A delight for the eyes, well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 That's even better than Museum Quality! I'm overwhelmed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Incredible. 😲 Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardiff guy Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 beautiful work, well done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basket Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Speechless ... another state of the art , unbelievably accurate and realistic model . Peter , your work is .... i can't find the word ... if it does exist ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dric Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Respect, you made a gem. Thanks for sharing this inspiring work🙏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winenut Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 I am utterly speechless I have no idea what to say That is singularly the best model I think I have ever seen in my entire life Thank you sincerely for sharing with us and also for providing the fascinating backstory Wow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riksbar Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 11 hours ago, airscale said: it spoilt me though, having every drawing of every part and great references from the restoration meant i could just build everything i saw in front of me I think the word “just” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence 😀 A superb piece of craftsmanship and a fitting tribute to the pilot and the restorers. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Its a triumph! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Peter, I fear that you are not of this world. That work is not humanly possible. Yet again you have pushed the boundaries of our little pastime. Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franky boy Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Wow! That’s fantastic! She looks ready to take off. Thanks for sharing. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngantek Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Amazing, if you showed me these out of context, I would swear to you they were pictures or the real thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spruecutter Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Stunning work. Would love to see this beauty at Scale ModelWorld in November! 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SafetyDad Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Marvellous work! That first shot peering into the cockpit from the port side looks convincingly like a full-size example. Every little detail is there, and your weathering and paintwork skills are outstanding. Your photography is also exceptional. It's a modelling cliché to say 'it could be mistaken for the real thing' but here it really could! SD 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lancaster Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Woah 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werdna Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Jaw dropping. Absolutely superlative work.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 There are not enough superlatives to describe your builds. They are as 'scale' as possible and are always a joy to watch since one can always learn something about the construction of the real deal Curious what will be next. Cheers Markus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 An absolutely stunning build. This is a great scheme for the Mustang too, and I like the subtle fading on the black painted tail area. This is good enough for the rest of us mere mortals to use as reference material. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautique Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Well this was the last thing I expected to see on this fine Sunday morning...absolutely breath-taking. The exhausts and landing gear bays are exquisite! Congratulations on another jaw-dropping build Peter, your efforts deserve all the accolades and praise heading your way. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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