North American P-51B Mustang (oz15051)

About this Plan

North American P-51B Mustang. Radio control sport scale model WWII fighter.

Quote: "Full-size plan feature. North American P-51B, by Graham Smith. 37 in wingspan sport-scale fighter for .10 to .15 engines and three-channel R/C.

Herman Goring, number-two in the Nazi hierarchy and supreme commander of the mighty Luftwaffe said; When I saw Allied fighters over Berlin I knew the war was lost. He had proclaimed earlier that; No enemy bomber will cross the Reich Frontier, and it could be argued that, without the P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs to escort the bombers in and out of the enemy territory, his statement could have proved true - at least in the daylight hours anyway.

It is impossible to ignore the importance of the contribution the Mustang made to the defeat of Nazi Germany, especially when used as a long-range escort fighter. Having flown 600 miles from bases in England, Italy or the Pacific, the Mustang could successfully engage in head-to-head combat with enemy fighters and still come out on top.

The Mustang is now a legend; probably, dare I say, the most famous fighter of World War Two - after the Spitfire, of course!

The earlier variants served in all theatres, in versions that the uninitiated may struggle to recognise, when they to appear at one of today's air shows. The Mustang that most people will recognise is the P-51D with its bubble-hooded canopy and Merlin engine. The P-51D though is a totally redesigned version of the basic Mustang. The fact is that the P-51D only saw service in the last year-and-a-half of hostilities. This is the reason I chose to model the P-51B.

I have various sizes of Mustang in my flying stable; all though are around the .40-.90 size of model. I had an ASP 15 looking for a home, so decided to design a smaller model, one that I could throw in the back of the car in one piece if needed. After a quick calculation and I settled on 1/12th scale, which gives you a model of around 37 in span.

Construction: I like to make things simple, which I think pays off for all involved. My Me 109 (AMI Feb 2002) proved very popular, with contacts from around the world via my email address, which you will find at the end of this article.

Basically, a box fuselage with rolled sheet and an all-sheet tailplane forms the Mustang fuselage. With strip ailerons and fully sheeted wing panels it is quick and easy to build - so go on, give it a go!

I like to start by assembling a kit of parts; this always seems to speed up assembly. Remember to make a left and right fuselage side. Mark the position of the formers on each side from F1 to F6 and it is worthwhile marking out and drilling the holes on F1 for the engine and mount now Now assemble the fuselage starting with F1, F2, F2a, F3 and F3a. Use some rubber bands to hold everything in place and leave to dry.

Thus is when I assemble the fin and tailplane which is obviously simple. I like to keep things light, so you could hinge the elevator with the covering film, but on the prototype I successfully used Mylar hinges. There is no need to make the rudder a functioning item on a model of this size.

Now go back to the fuselage and put in place the triangle stock behind F1, and glue in place the remaining formers, bringing rear of the fuselage together and once again leaving it to dry, but ensuring everything is square and true before it does so..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

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