P-51 wing surface details.

[R Palimaka]

I have to disagree with doors and flaps up being the norm while parked. As Radu illustrates, photographs show all kinds of combinations of flaps and doors up/down while parked on the ground, but you'll find the majority will show flaps down and the inner gear doors down, at least on the D/K. I spoke to my Dad about it, and about other Mustang things ( served on two Polish Mustang Squadrons as an engine fitter) with a copy of the Mustang service/engineering manual and this is what he remembers. He is 90, but his memory is not too bad...when prompted. :-)

 

It was part of the shut-down check-list for the pilot to engage the control lock to set the control surfaces in neutral, and select flaps down. The flaps were required to be down to allow better access to the fueling points and ammo bay, and prevent people from walking on or damaging them. The flap system was separate from the doors, so were not affected by what was chosen for the inner doors. That's why you will see the flaps and doors in dissimilar combinations. The flaps would...or should...stay in the position selected by the pilot or ground crew for quite some time. They may drop a little after the engine shuts down and hydraulic pressure is eased, but they shouldn't drop completely in the "up" position because that would indicate a problem. I have photographs showing the flaps dropped a couple of degrees. I would guess the flaps could not be raised without the engine running.

 

As for the inner doors, there was a handle next to the fuel selector in the cockpit which would release the inner doors. It would allow the doors to drop, and was a safety feature. The port inner door had a mechanical link that engaged a lock on the landing gear handle inside the cockpit. Once the doors were down it would lock the handle so that it could not be accidentally pulled to "up" by the leg or foot of the pilot or ground crew, which would retract the gear once the engine started...even if it was pulled slightly. Many post-war Mustangs also had a guard installed on the port cockpit console around the handle to prevent accidental bumping or pulling. There were a couple of different designs of this guard, on RCAF Mustangs anyway.

 

Depending on what was being done to the aircraft in a particular photo, the flaps and doors could be in many positions. If it had just been started for a test, or just been parked, sitting for a while, or serviced you could see many combinations. But for a modeller the normal positions, if it had been parked for a time, should be flaps down and clamshell doors down. This assumes all the procedures were followed...

 

Most combinations are plausible, so you can do what pleases you. As for mine, I will drop the flaps and doors.

 

 

Richard

Edited March 8, 2017 by R Palimaka

[LSP_K2]

The passion of these sorts of discussions always surprises me....it is certainly not just on LSP.

 

I am currently building a King Tiger, and the German armor guys are maniacs about this detail stuff...late war paint schemes...color of hull mounted tools....weathering...rust...you name it.  Feelings get hurt and guys go into defensive/offensive mode at the drop of a hat.  I don't really understand it....We all make an attempt at accuracy, but I don't understand how a topic like late war German armor paint colors brings out the aggressive/competitive nature of some personalities.

 

I just do the minimal amount of due diligence/research so I am not miles off, then build/paint what I think looks cool.  It works for me, but I know that approach really pisses some guys off.  When they tell me I am "wrong"....I ask them to prove it.  They almost never can.

 

Tread heads, and indeed some members of all modeler groups; cars, planes, ships, etc., tend to assume (incorrectly), that the modeler must need to know all this stuff to present an "accurate" depiction. It's usually best, therefore, for the modeler to specifically ask for accurate data, or state that it's not a real deal breaker for them, one way or the other. On many, perhaps most, of my models, though it's good to know what may be correct, I'm generally of the "close enough, good enough" camp.

[bigern007]

 

Radub, Jennings. Fun but tedious.You'r both correct!

 

But I ,like most modellers will hang my doors and flaps up or down or in between.

 

And putty my wings now and then. And nobody knows, or cares.

 

Cheers, and be well,,,,,Ernie

[Martinnfb]

That's why I like photographs.  

[Radub]

Radub, Jennings. Fun but tedious.You'r both correct!

 

But I ,like most modellers will hang my doors and flaps up or down or in between.

 

And putty my wings now and then. And nobody knows, or cares.

 

Cheers, and be well,,,,,Ernie

This is not about "who" is correct, but rather "what" is correct. Anyone who gets close to a real Mustang can see the panel lines on the puttied wings. Explanations were given why. The panel lines on wings exist whether I say so or not, so it is a matter of verifiable fact not a matter of "pernicious opinion".

Radu

[Tnarg]

I really appreciate the information that all of you have shared. If we actually see photos of planes that we want to model, we can go deep into detail and get that AMS satisfied.

On the other hand, sometimes I want to paint a Bugatti racer in Swedish splinter camo and place it next to a VW bug in the same colors... what if?

 

I really like the look of those panel lines on the top of a Mustang wing. Is there a good photo of one with those showing on some of the planes with great nose art? Anyone, Bueller, anyone? Maybe with some half peeled off aluminum paint? Could look pretty fine, and well animated with flaps and gear doors in various positions.

 

That featureless wing is about as pleasing artistically as the two tone grey camouflage is, compared to our old ideas of yellow/sienna and brown on those WWI Austro Hungarian planes. It is supposedly "correct", but it is just plain boring. (No wonder why I don't like many modern jets, especially those in just plain grey). People got confused by old yellowed varnish over that two tone grey.... but I do have to concede that the grey hid the planes in the clouds. Oh well.

 

Sorry if I bother those who obsess about details, and I can go there, but I like the planes when they look interesting.

 

Tnarg

[dmthamade]

I have to say, there are a LOT of fantastic pics in this thread, thanks to all that posted!!.....I know how i'll build my pony plane, agree with Ernie and Tnarg.

 

Don