1:48 Air National Guard P-51D Mustang - Part 2

Mustangs in Air National Guard service

After the Second World War a large part of the Mustangs passed to the Air National Guard units of the individual states and received imaginative color markings that no combat squadron could have afforded during the war. This set offers three such machines: 44-72973 from Wyoming, 44-84390 from Pennsylvania and 44-72337 from Tennessee.

At the turn of the 1940s the Guard Mustangs were redesignated from the original letter to a new one and served until the mid-1950s, when jets replaced them. Their appearance was built on polished metal with stripes in the state colors, the emblem of the state on the fin and often the name of the crew below the edge of the canopy. For a builder it is a rewarding alternative to the usual wartime schemes.

Notes on the build

Polished metal calls for careful preparation of the surface, because every unevenness stands out under a metallic finish. Markings are applied to such a surface only once the varnish has cured completely, ideally after two days. It is better to choose a weaker softener; strong products can attack the glossy layer and leave a matte patch on it that can no longer be polished out.

All three schemes are together on a single sheet; plastic parts are not part of the delivery. The colored stripes are printed as a whole, so they do not have to be laboriously masked and sprayed, which saves a great deal of time with this kind of marking. The colored areas are moreover printed densely enough not to look translucent even on a light metal surface and need no white undercoat.