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Didn't like the numbers on the side (zero was too narrow) so I stripped them and replaced them with new numbers. Got some guns on board made from .060" aluminum tubing. The ID was much too small so I chucked them in my spinning device and opened them up and then stuck the opened ends in a buffing wheel to homogenize (smooth) the ends.
 

 

 

 

 
It's actually browner in person, so how'm I doin' ?
 

 
Critique welcome.
 
 
 
 
 

The heater outlets are defined on drawings - they are part of the production airplane.  The Malcolm hood mod however is just that - a mod.  And no drawings are available. 
 
But wait!  I think I have it solved, and the solution was in my pictures all along:
 
 
 

 
LH side, the flex tube is attached to a convenient fuselage frame further forward.  RH side, the flex tube is routed under the map case forward to an empty spot on a radio mounting bracket.  I can do that! 
 
This is from a modern resto, so I am going to have to hope it fairly well represents what was actually done back when.  I am going to declare the mystery solved though.

I have for the better part of the day been studying pictures of cockpits with the Malcolm hood modification.  As you are probably aware by now, the hood travels on rollers that are attached to a rather prominent rail on either side of the fuselage exterior.  To drive the hood back and forth, there are two sets of chains and sprockets in the inside of the cockpit, nested between flanges on the upper longerons.  And driven by a hand crank handle.  Like so:
 

 
What a challenge to properly represent all that clap trap.  Already I have learned that the recongition light switch box must be relocated to clear the handle crank on the RH side.  Now, I have discovered something else very curious.  Take a look at these two pictures.
 
One - 
 
  
 
Those are outlet ducts for the pilots' heating system, right at the pilot's shoulders peaking out from behind teh armor plate (armor plate and seat not in this picture).  They are attached to the upper longerons and the sta 146 frame.  This is taken from the Lope's Hope P-51C resto - which does NOT have a Malcolm hood. 
 
Two -  
 
  
 
This shows the aft end of the Malcolm hood chain drive, with a small sprocket and a connector shaft to the other side and teh other chain.  The support fitting is mounted on the upper longeron, and is directly in front of the sta 146 frame.  This is taken from a resto with a Malcolm hood, and in process.
 
Both items are in the same place!   What gives?  Were these ducts relocated in some fashion?  Anybody know?  Some of my period pictures suggest maybe they were just removed and the holes plugged.   If so - what a penalty.  Cold pilots.     

I have updates.  My plan the last few weeks has been to finish up the "blue noser" painting, out of fear that the paint would degrade over time, and it will take a long amount of time to finish the fuselage to a point where the paint would ordinarily be applied.  To do that, I wanted to finish up the windshield surround and instrument panel assembly prior to painting, in order to minimize handling the (fragile) painted surface. 
 
Last we visited the IP and windshield surround was Feb 1, where I posted this picture:
 
   
 
Now, I have this:
 

 
Added is a bunch of stuff below the IP:
 
Armament switch panel
Pilot's center switch box
Fuel shutoff bracket and handle
Fuel selector panel and handle
Hydraulic pressure gauge and bracket
Landing gear door emergency release handle
 
A close-up:
 

 
 
My stuff is never perfect, like some modelers on this site somehow accomplish, but this is the best I have done so far.  I'm good with it.  All these items should be familiar to the P-51 enthusiast.  All parts (with just a couple of minor exceptions) were 3D printed from the drawings, like usual.  The switch covers, turn knobs, handles and such were done separately and then bonded onto the panels, brackets, and boxes.  And, I will say again because it deserves repeating - Peter Castle is reponsible for the outstanding decals.  It must have taken him months to work it all out and have them printed.
 
Also, there were a couple of items added to the RH windshield frame:
 

 
They are:
 
Type C-5 fluorescent lamp
Recognition light switch box
 
Also 3D printed.  Very difficult and delicate installations with small parts.  I might add - this is the first of my 1/18 scale models where I have decent thumb switches.  Up til this point I have cut off bits of wire to do them, which is OK until you look closely.  Then not so much.  These however are 3D printed.  And as long as I am careful not to break them, they are fine.  MUCH better.  I will also add that upon studying for the upcoming Malcolm hood drive mechanism, I found that part of the field mod was to relocate the recognition light switch box further forward - the very same part that I worked so hard installing!  Grrr.  Wish I had noticed that earlier.  The reason - the box interferes with the opening/closing hand crank for the hood.  This:
 

 
I will have to follow suit and break off and relocate the switch box. 
 
And then, it was time for the blue paint.  Assemble the forward fuselage with engine cowl onto the jig, and mask the critical paint boundary:
 
  
 
Here she is:
 

 

 
The masks for the white crosses are from Thunnus - provided to me quite a while back.  Thanks John!
 
Here is what it is all going to look like:
 
   
 

 

 
I might add a semigloss coat to the new paint.  I think that's what I did with the engine cowl, and it should better the match.  BTW - the paint showed zero signs of degradation.  I guess I didn't have to go out of sequence, but I also would have fretted about it.  Now I don't have to. 
 
Lastly for this update - the Shapeways rear windows came in the mail:
 

 
  "Diamonds in the rough".  And a bit pricey.  They will polish up very nicely I guarantee.  Recall the ones I printed off myself didn't fit very well; these fit perfectly:
 

 
It is going to be a while before you see that crown part of the fuselage in action.  First will be the lower radio floor and fuselage tank, and then the upper radio rack and the SCR-522 radio equipment and the battery.  All in future installments.  
 
I believe the next step should be the Malcolm hood drive mechanism.  It will be all guesswork - whatever I can glean from the photographs I have.  I'm excited about it. And hope to have a great update in a couple weeks.  Take care all, and thanks for tuning in.   
 
 
 
 
  
 

Hey dudes,
 
Re: the canted Ma Deuce's in the B/C wing, as Jay pointed out the wing/airfoil was exactly the same in all models, including the X73 prototype, Mustangs I & IA, P-51, A-36, P-51A/B/C, and P-51D/K . Apparently the canted gun mount goes back to the belt-fed Hispano 20mm cannon armament option that the USAAF chose not to accept after the -A model, for some unknown reason they just never changed the mount on the B/C wings, unlike the D/K's which had their guns fully upright on a new mount. The B/C's canted .50's would inevitably jam from the G-forces being applied during aerial maneuvering in combat, but in the words of Lt. Col. Richard Turner, CO of the 354th Fighter Group, "this deficiency was corrected in short order by a modification figured out and installed by our own ingenious and hard-working ground crewmen. They liberated some ammo-booster motors from a B-26 group nearby and rigged them on our fighter’s ammo belts which for all practical purposes eliminated all such stoppages in the future. In the later model P-51D there were six guns, but all were mounted upright, effectively solving the former problem."
 
As for the Malcolm hood, according to Col. Turner "this modification gave the best visibility that I was ever to enjoy from the cockpit of a fighter. I could actually lean out of the cockpit and look under and behind my own fighter’s tail area, a very comforting bit of insurance to have available during a large helter-skelter mixed up dogfight. The P-51D which followed had a one-piece plastic canopy that approached this visibility, but which did not quite equal it."
 
Wow! Who'd a thunk it, right? Guess that Malcolm hood was literally like a fishbowl!
 
Here's a pic of Lt. Col. Turner and "Short-Fuse Sallee", his -D model Pony.

 
Here are the excerpts of Col. Turner's testimony from "Fighting Mustang", authored by William Hess in 1970. It's a fascinating read!







 
And just for good measure, here's a photo of two restos, a B/C and a D/K flying in tandem, good plan views of both wings right next to each other for comparison:

 
Hope that helps!
- Thomaz
 
 
 
 
 

Really looking forward to the rest of this epic build, Jay!
 
- Thomaz

A little more progress. Mostly bits and bots left ...
 

 

 

 
Thanks guys...

A little further along ... wheels and propeller ... 
 

 

 
Got the  markings down so the rest should be EZ  ... 
Thanx for lookin'

Ahem.  I discovered recently while reading highly redacted documents found in old boxes in a garage next to a Corvette with four flat tires that the development and employment of this particular airplane during the Great Unpleasantness included a very classified night interdiction version that evolved at about the same time.  It met with no press but considerable success.  USAF boffins rerouted the exhaust system from the engine through a series of mufflers in the area where the old turbocharger used to be, significantly reducing engine noise.  In hopes of reducing prop noise, at least one was modified to use an experimental five blade propeller that was said to have been stolen from a Sea Fury parked on the ramp at Reno.  Affectionally called Blunderbolts because they flew low and slow at night hoping to stumble onto a target, these airplanes sported a distinctive SEA over black paint scheme and often worked in pairs.  One would carry specialized pods of parachute flares while the other had a more typical anti equipment/anti personnel load out.  The airplanes carrying the flares were called either Sunderbolts or Lightningbolts because they turned the night into day so that the guy flying the armed version had some hope of actually hitting something besides a water buffalo out for an evening stroll.  The jury is out as to whether these two versions of the airplane you are so ably modeling were as successful as legends tell us because none survived the war.  Or at least none survived that anyone will admit.  In the last few years, there have been several unconfirmed reports of at least one pair of Blunderbolts operating at night out of Area 51, working with a similarly camoed, nicely restored B-58.  And a decade or so before that, an oddly painted, much modified P-47 raised eyebrows when it arrived unannounced at Oshkosh only to be immediately covered with a fumigation tent by several fit young men with crewcuts and sunglasses then flown out in the wee hours of the night before anyone could actually see it.  It was said to have won several awards for authenticity, but did it?  Obviously, there are no known photographs of any of these airplanes so you will have take my word for it.  I would cite my sources, but I doubt you have the clearances necessary to see them, being a double foreigner and all.

Wrapped the cockpit up today, it was pimped up with extra bits from a Mustang, Spitfire, and Lancaster, with the seat harness both American and German.  Also it was a last minute decision to leave the pilot out, I’ve been wanting to get back to putting pilots in my models so I’ll use him instead for my USAF Skyraider build I have planned…  


 

Only need to finish up with the seat harness or belts, and of course throw in a few cables plugged into the back of the instruments….these close up pics looks terrible to me, but to my Mk 1 eyeball it looks a lot better…... 



 

Cluttered up the front office with some bits and bobs.  Aircraft of the era were known for being festooned with dials, switches and circuit breakers.  Repurposed the map box into a electronic box, nearly there now … 


 

Because Quang said so……. But mainly also because Bolt Jockeys complained about Navy Jocks having something they didn’t.   Someone over at Kelly got wind of it and after tiring of all the complaining decided to just rivet in some aluminium sheet to shut them up.  
 

I should have warned you earlier but Nam Bolts had NO corrugated floor. Ah well! 

Decalling is finished
I used Barracudacast decal set.
Tail serial number (226249) and a part of kill markings are from Kagero's book decal set
 

Btw,
Cowling is ready for the decals
 

Some progress:
 

Some panels got different Alclad tones.
 






 

And "Kansas Tornado" meets Alclad... ( A meet in some sunny day )
 









 
 
 

The engine was placed inside the cowling
 

Engine is ready;
 

Some progress on the engine
 



 

Some progress
 

Really looking forward to the rest of this epic build, Jay!
 
- Thomaz

Really looking forward to the rest of this epic build, Jay!
 
- Thomaz