F-6D Mustang 10th PRG Lil Margaret

[Fencer51]

In 1998 I was able to secure a tour of Midwest Aero Restorations in Danville Illinois.   Mike VadeBonCour was kind enough to show me his shop, a newly arrived P-51D which was being torn down for restoration and the planes owned by Butch Schroeder.  At that time there was a P-47D painted like Schilling's 56th FG, an F4U still in Baa Baa Blacksheep colors and looking rather forlorn and the crown jewel 'Lil Margaret' a F-6D which had won Grand Champion at Oshkosh in 1993.  I was obviously aware of Lil Margaret and was privlidged enough to get to climb up and look in the cockpit and walk around her to my heart's content.  I turned down an offer sit in the plane as I had previously sat in the P-51D at the AFM in Dayton on two occasions and also did not want to mess anything up inadvertantly in an operational aircraft.

So, I owe Mke VadeBonCour one, and in the off chance he or anyone who knows him fly AH2 I have skinned Lil Margaret.

If HTC doesn't allow her in the game (since she is an F-6D), I will still put it up on the skinners website for anyone to access.

She still needs dirtied up and a few more dings added.

Also, the one photo I have of her (in WW2) from a distance does not match the camera ports shown on all other documents.  Anyone have any insight on this?

9th Air Force, 10th Photo Recon Group, 15th Tactical Recon Squadron
Pilot Clyde B. East
13 Kills

[Kazaa]

Nice

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Fencer51


Also, the one photo I have of her (in WW2) from a distance does not match the camera ports shown on all other documents.  Anyone have any insight on this?

It depended on the camera installation.  The restored bird was taken back essentially to her original F6D configuration.  Clyde East's bird had a different camera set up.  I've seen photos where they are riviting on a cover in place of the upper camera port so that there is only the one port below, as well as photos where they are covering both ports and adding a different shape camera port.  It all depended on the camera used and the mission flown I think.

I  would think that HTC would allow it since it's really just an RF51D.  No different really then the Pink Spitfire FRIX that was in game.

The restored Lil Margaret really raised the bar for Mustang restorations.  I loved the book done by Paul Coggen on her restoration.  Once that bird was done, you could see other guys taking their 51s all the way back to stock too.  I love that look with the armor, gunsite, replica guns etc.  It's really a history time  capsule then.

A couple of examples.  First two showing an F6D getting the round ports covered over.

Bottom shows the same set up as on Clyde East's bird.

[Fencer51]

Guppy,

Thanks as always for your help.

Do you still have Paul Coggan's book?  If so, look at page 16.  That's the photo I am talking about.  Note the camera foward of the star.

Should I do the skin like that or go with the standard F-6D ?  Did they modify the camera locations as time went on?  That photo was taken in June 1945 after the cessation of hostilities.

Any opinion is welcome on this.

Cheers,

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Fencer51
Guppy,

Thanks as always for your help.

Do you still have Paul Coggan's book?  If so, look at page 16.  That's the photo I am talking about.  Note the camera foward of the star.

Should I do the skin like that or go with the standard F-6D ?  Did they modify the camera locations as time went on?  That photo was taken in June 1945 after the cessation of hostilities.

Any opinion is welcome on this.

Cheers,

Hmmm, hadn't noticed that before.  So here's the photo in question.
Couple of possibilities to me.  One is that it's a blip in the photo, or someone did a bad job 'photoshopping' it to clean it up.  It seems to be missing the fuselage fuel tank cap and the static port below the rear of the canopy as well.

Now the profile artist in the Osprey book seems to think it's a camera.  He included it.


Is it possible?  I suppose, but it would mean removing the radios, fuselage fuel tank and placing a camera right above the radiator.  That doesn't make much sense.  There were plenty of examples where they fixed the camera to the back of the armor plate behind the pilot.  That wouldn't require as much surgery on the 51.  But I suppose as the war was winding down the need for the fuselage tank was much less for a 51 operating on the continent.  I know that they quit using them postwar anyway.

But the idea that they'd stick a camera in that spot when it was so full (see below) doesn't make a lot of sense, so I tend to think it's a blemish on the photo.


I suppose the other option is it is a formation assembly light as was done on a a number of Mustangs flown by Flight leads etc.  An example shown on Pierce McKennon's Ridge Runner.  The second light was back on the fuselage near the star & bar.


In the end it's all just my speculation of course.  But I'd go without the 'camera port' in front of the star and bar.  BTW can you tell I like images?

[Fencer51]

Originally posted by Guppy35
Hmmm, hadn't noticed that before.  So here's the photo in question.
Couple of possibilities to me.  One is that it's a blip in the photo, or someone did a bad job 'photoshopping' it to clean it up.  It seems to be missing the fuselage fuel tank cap and the static port below the rear of the canopy as well.

Now the profile artist in the Osprey book seems to think it's a camera.  He included it.
Is it possible?  I suppose, but it would mean removing the radios, fuselage fuel tank and placing a camera right above the radiator.  That doesn't make much sense.  There were plenty of examples where they fixed the camera to the back of the armor plate behind the pilot.  That wouldn't require as much surgery on the 51.  But I suppose as the war was winding down the need for the fuselage tank was much less for a 51 operating on the continent.  I know that they quit using them postwar anyway.

But the idea that they'd stick a camera in that spot when it was so full (see below) doesn't make a lot of sense, so I tend to think it's a blemish on the photo.

I too had never noticed the camera placement until I was wrapping the skin up and just pouring over any photos of F-6Ds to see if I missed anything.  I was sure that the restoration of the F-6D was accurate as to markings et al.

Well, it looks too symetrical to be a blemish.  I had noticed the missing fuel fill cap and static port but I never made a connection until you mentioned it.  Is it possible they yanked the fuel tank and associated plumbing and put a camera in there? That would take the place of the horizontal camera (whose port is missing).  That profile artist also included the gas tank caps as well.  Can't have both!

I could have sworn I read somewhere that there were other options for camera placement.  I can't remember where now and I won't have time to dig around until the weekend.

I love these little mysteries.

Oh and Guppy, on a completely different matter, do you have any profiles of P-47s that the 4th FG might have flown?  In other words, got one you want skinned?

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Fencer51


Oh and Guppy, on a completely different matter, do you have any profiles of P-47s that the 4th FG might have flown?  In other words, got one you want skinned?

Only ones I have.  I imagine you've got the last two from Escort to Berlin, but what the heck

Also including the nose art for Boise Bee since it was in the back of Frank Speer's "The Debden Warbirds"

I kinda like the one with the red outlined 1943 star and bar, but it's not one with nose art.