Help with P-51D "Katydid" 55th FG

[oboe]

Trying to decide on the shade of green trim for this 55th FG P-51D.

First image shows a pretty dark green trim:



But the only color photo I found shows the 55th's checkerboard green to be somewhat lighter, and tending a little more toward almost an olive drab:



Then there's this profile, which shows the green checkerboard closer to ANA Willow Green:

[Devil 505]

I swear there was a long thread from a few yeas back on this plane. Try searching the forum.

[oboe]

Its one of the P-51Ds I started back before AH3 came out.   It was in a straw poll I created for a next P-51D skin.   Another one that's been a long time coming to AH.

I'll search though.  I don't remember any discussion whether the green was too dark.

DCS version:


This must be from an older IL-2 version:


Robert Taylor painting:


To complicate things a little more, he flew two "Katydids" - one had S/N 414223, the other was S/N 472227.  Both had Katydid noseart.

He died in 427227, on his 30th birthday, 4 days before the end of hostilities.   

I like the red stripe from nose to cockpit in the Taylor painting, and it does seem backed up by the color photo of the 55ths '51Ds above.  But I've never seen a profile with the red on it, and it doesn't look to me like its in the B&W photos either.