And yet another air race inspired model...

[xmh53wrench]

Well folks, I didnt really want to clutter up my thread that is dedicated to Jimmy and The Galloping Ghost, as that build continues, so, hope you dont mind a thread for all my other air racing inspired/related builds (and there is going to be a bunch of them). So here is what I have been up to when not working on my big 1/24 scale Ghost.

My fictional back story on this would be..."its 1948 the Cleveland Air Races are in full swing, and they have procured a surplus PV-1, removed its armament, installed a plush white interior with saddle brown leather upholstery and trim. The new VIP transport will retain its nav and nose domes, and windows have been added to the fuselage. New paint, graphics and polished props round out the make over."

Eventually this will get a companion in the form of a P-39 Racer.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

so, hope you dont mind a thread for all my other air racing inspired/related builds

Mind? Heck no... I'm just fascinated at how prolific you are with these models!

Keep it coming, no one will ever stop anyone from making an air racer model!

[stuntflyr]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Neat. Is that the 1/72nd Academy kit?
Chris...

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Thanks Wayne and stuntflyr. It's actually a new kit released in Dec by Revell, 1/48 PV-1, meant to include that info earlier. Had a great time building it, and designing the paint scheme and decals.

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Started out as a thumbnail back at the beginning of January. Originally wanted it to be a Lockheed 12, but that's an expensive 1/72 kit.

[nevadasky]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

A work of art!

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

A work of art!

Thank you very much.
BTW, received my 1/32 P-51 B kit this weekend, and ordered "Wet Wings & Drop Tanks" today, so I can start researching and figuring out what I need to mod on the B to make it a C, and figure out how to make cuffless prop blades for my Paul Mantz NX1204 Race #46. I did find a pair of photos of what I believe is the red version, but with Glenn McCarthy's Latin American on the side, I hope to do this version.

Photo credits: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

[stuntflyr]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Cool pics. I don't have those, thanks for posting them. A good shot of the fuselage gas cap on the fuse spine, and the left side only main tank cap, and the leaking ammo doors!

The old Monogram 1/32nd or Phantom Mustang prop is a good one for a decent cuffless Ham Standard. I made the old Revel kit, it's horrible. Here's a link, it's not good, or done, but it'll give you a good idea of what is required.

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=10857&st=0&p=79251&hl=+paul%20+mantz&fromsearch=1&#entry79251

The dorsal fin is made of two sheets of styrene, not too tough. If you don't have Mustang: A Racing Thoroughbred, get it too.

Good luck, thanks for the notice on the Ventura, I'm building one for my Dad as a Howard as of this morning.

Chris...

[Big_Jim]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Thank you very much.
BTW, received my 1/32 P-51 B kit this weekend, and ordered "Wet Wings & Drop Tanks" today, so I can start researching and figuring out what I need to mod on the B to make it a C, and figure out how to make cuffless prop blades for my Paul Mantz NX1204 Race #46. I did find a pair of photos of what I believe is the red version, but with Glenn McCarthy's Latin American on the side, I hope to do this version.

Photo credits: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Just as a heads-up, NX1204 never raced in this configuration--Red with the "Latin American" marking on the side. These photos were taken in the summer of 1948 right after Glenn McCarthy entered the sponsorship agreement with Mantz. By the time the 1948 Bendix rolled around both NX1202 (Houstonian) and NX1204 (Latin American) were painted pearl grey with bright green markings. The wingtips and spinner, however, were still "Mantz Red".

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Thanks for the link Chris, and ya, that book is on my " list".
& thanks for the tip, Big Jim, I kinda thought that might be the case, as the timeline I was coming up with didn't jive. But I'm a sucker for anything red, and really like that lettering, so I'm hoping to get enough pics to do the scheme accurately. Hopefully the books will have some decent pics of the engine and cockpit of NX1204. Also NX1202 had for a time, "BLAZE OF _________" on the side, still trying to figure that out too.

[Big_Jim]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Thanks for the link Chris, and ya, that book is on my " list".
& thanks for the tip, Big Jim, I kinda thought that might be the case, as the timeline I was coming up with didn't jive. But I'm a sucker for anything red, and really like that lettering, so I'm hoping to get enough pics to do the scheme accurately. Hopefully the books will have some decent pics of the engine and cockpit of NX1204. Also NX1202 had for a time, "BLAZE OF _________" on the side, still trying to figure that out too.

It was "Blaze of Noon", a Paramount movie about the early Air Mail pilots. If I remember correctly, Paramount hired Mantz to set a Los Angeles to New York speed record in NX1202 to promote the movie in the summer of 1947. Again, it never raced at Cleveland in these markings.

If you want the true low-down on the two Mantz racing Mustangs, there is a book put out by Smithsonian Press on the restoration of Excaliber III (which is NX1202, owned/flown by Charles Blair after he bought it from Mantz in 1950). It's an old book out of print, but if you can track it down it is a very cool resource.

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Thanks a ton Big Jim, just procured the Excalibur III book off of Amazon

Also.....
Whoo Hoo!! scored two of these....many many fond memories go with these. Will be building one of them as the pig I was assigned to at Hurlburt Fld, Fla in the 80s #68-10923 (best flying Pave Low, highest mission rating, and the youngest Asst. Crew Chief, yours truly, while I was there), undecided on the second still....



Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

[Chad Veich]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

You should have put -3350's on the PV-1 if you wanted to make it go real fast. Apparently you have to shorten the nose when you do this as well!

[stuntflyr]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Connie QEC's look cool on there. Beaufighter style to it, eh?
Chris...

[xmh53wrench]

Re: And yet another air race inspired model...

Well folks, my books have finally showed so I can start my Mantz Racer NX1204. So I started it last night and here are a few pics so far. Also my 1/24 Ghost is just waiting on some decent weather to paint the wings.





Here is what I accomplished last weekend on my off topic Pave Low...
scratch building the interior structure,





its avionics rack ("pizza rack")