1:32 Mustang P-51 F-6D - F-6C

Mustangs with a camera instead of machine guns

Tactical photographic reconnaissance was among the tasks of the Second World War that stayed in the shadows yet were indispensable. The US Army Air Forces adapted production Mustangs for it by building obliquely mounted cameras in behind the cockpit and redesignating them from the letter P to F. That produced the versions designated F-6, which flew low and fast over targets to bring back photographs for planning strikes and for assessing their results. The crews of these aircraft kept the full fighter armament, so they could defend themselves if need be.

The pair of subjects

The set concentrates on machines of the 109th Reconnaissance Squadron, which came under the 67th Reconnaissance Group. The first of them is the aircraft with the serial number 44-14699 converted from version D, whose pilot was Lieutenant Slonneger and whose equipment was looked after by the mechanic Dalek. The second is the machine with the number 43-25081 based on version C, assigned to Lieutenant Childers with the mechanic du Foss. Both aircraft carried personal inscriptions of their own, which the sheet faithfully reproduces along with the serial numbers and tactical letters.

A note on the build

Because these are reconnaissance conversions, the subjects differ from the ordinary fighter Mustang in the glazing of the camera bay on the left side of the fuselage. The builder should allow for a small reworking of the fuselage according to the version chosen. The older of the two machines additionally has a different canopy shape, which is worth taking into account when choosing a kit. The sheet is printed in a single scale and is sold without the model and without paints.