Originally posted by Kegger26
As for the Malcolm Hood they DID in face come from the factory with the hood. They could also be retro fitted in the field. So yes. There is a diffrence between the B & C models.
Kegger, not to be an arse, but you are incorrect in your statement regarding the "Malcolm Hood".
After the Mustang III aircraft had been delivered to England, the RAF decided that the hinged cockpit canopy offered too poor a view for European operations. A fairly major modification was made in which the original framed hinged hood was replaced by a bulged Perspex frameless canopy that slid to the rear on rails. This canopy gave the pilot much more room and the huge goldfish bowl afforded a good view almost straight down or directlyy to the rear. This hood was manufactured and fitted by the British corporation R. Malcolm & Co., and came to be known as the "Malcolm Hood". This hood was fitted to most RAF Mustang IIIs, and many USAAF Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51B/C fighters received this modification as well.
In search of a more lasting solution to the problem of poor cockpit visibility from the P-51B/C, a P-51B (43-12101) was modified with a teardrop-shaped all-round cockpit canopy and redesignated XP-51D. Having proved that the concept was valid, two P-51B-10-NAs (42-106539/106540 were completed on the production line with teardrop-shaped bubble canopies and were redesignated P-51Ds. These became the prototypes for the famed P-51D series of Mustangs.
http://www.nnb-bh.bravepages.com/p51bc.htmAs for the B/C's being different... there is NO difference what so ever, other than where they were manufactured (Dallas or Inglewood). All the series received mods as they became available on the assembly lines. If you want to split hair, the differences are in various variants made avaialble, their designation is not the same between the B / C series.
As for the addition of the Packard V1650-7, that was universally adopted on BOTH assembly lines.
