Mustang (oz12300)

About this Plan

Mustang. Profile rubber scale model.

Quote: "Of all the fighters that took part in the last war, none has captured the interest or gained the respect as has the sturdy little P-51. Designed originally as a reconnaissance fighter for the British (to replace the aging Lysander), its first claim to fame was the fact that it was a hundred days' wonder - imagine, only 100 days from conception to acceptance flight! Later our Army Air Forces accepted this ship as a medium altitude fighter, and following this as the A-36 or attack version.

Not content with merely having a good airplane, the AAF and North American began the series of improvements that led to the P-51D. Replacing the original Allison engine with a Packard built Rolls-Royce, changing the position and shape of the air scoops, and the addition of a dorsal fin and bubble canopy were only a few of the combat-dictated changes that went into the Mustang to make it the best of the war's all-purpose fighters.

From the beach at Calais to 30,000 feet over Tokyo, the Mustang, loved by our airmen and feared and respected by our enemies, was your plane - no job too tough, no place too far, no opposition too keen. Protection for the B-17's over Berlin or Vienna - call the 51's! A new buzz-bomb site, a bridge in northern Italy, a troop train in Belgium, a German Armored column in Yugoslavia, an airfield outside Tokyo - call the 51's! Its versatility as an interceptor fighter, long range escort fighter, and bomb and rocket attack plane was unequaled by any other plane.

Our little model of this famed plane is built (in profile) to the scale of 3/8 in to a foot. Construction is of all-balsa for ease of building and ruggedness. So grab your razor blades, sandpaper and balsa, and in no time at all you will have a gem of a model, both in flying and in appearance.

The fuselage is shaped from a sheet of 1/16 x 2-1/2 x 10-1/4 clear firm balsa. This shape can be most easily obtained by tracing (with carbon paper) the heavy outline as shown on the side view. Care must be taken to cut the slot for the stabilizer accurately, remembering that the stabilizer is only 1/32 thick. Be certain also that the front is square with the motor cut out. Round off all edges with sandpaper. Next, cut two discs of 1/8 sheet, 7/8 in diam. From the center of one, cut a 3/8 x 3/8 square, then cement this disc to the front of the model, reinforcing it with small triangular blocks. The 3/8 x 3/8 square that you cut from the disc is then cemented to the center of the other disc and set aside to dry. The windshield frame can now be made from 1/16 x 1/16 strips and cemented in place and allowed to dry while you proceed.

The horizontal stabilizer and the elevators are next traced and cut from 1/32 clear unwarped sheet. Sand slightly and join with straight lengths of thin (.012) soft iron or copper wire cemented as shown on the drawing. Set aside to dry, and con-tinue with the fin and rudder in a similar manner, but do not join these surfaces. Instead, cement the fin to the fuselage and allow to dry straight and true.

Then, insert and cement the assembled horizontal stabilizer and elevators in the slot provided, with the wire hinges on the bottom, and brace with the elevator fillets which are shaped from 1/8 square balsa. Be certain the tail surfaces are square to each other, and true with the fuselage. Check also to see that the fillet block or the fuselage does not interfere with the movement of the elevators. The rudder is then attached to the fin (on the top) and the fuselage (on the bottom) by means of the wire hinges. Cement well.

The bubble canopy is formed by cementing two sheets of flat thin celluloid which have been cut to shape to the top of fuselage and the windshield frame. Allow the celluloid to lap over the fuselage about 1/16. Bring the top edges together and cement with a thin bead of cement. Care must be taken in this operation to insure a neat job.

The rear rubber hook and tail wheel can now be formed from .023 music wire and cemented into place on the fuselage. Fill in the center of the tail wheel frame with a 3/8 diam disc of 1/16 balsa and cement in place. After the cement is dry, round off the edges to form a tire.

Cut next two wing panels from unwarped 1/32 sheet. Mark on one side of each the rib and spar locations, making certain you have both a right and left wing. The ribs are cut as shown on the plan from 1/16 or from 1/8 sheet, and the spars are 1/16 x 1/16 strips cut to length. Cement the spars first to the wing sheet, not forgetting the extra sub-spar at the jog in the leading edge. Note also that the front spar is not cemented to the wing sheet from Rib 1 to the jog in the leading edge. The ribs are next cemented in place and round off the leading edge..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction