P-51D details

Okay, here’s a very simple question.

I’ve got a Tamiya 1/72 scale P-51D and a Czech Master interior set. Both sets of instructions say to paint the floor brown. What shade of brown is close to what the P-51 was, or was it really metal and therefore should be interior green (or whatever). The CMK set has rectangles molded onto the floor beneith the rudder pedals. Were these metal “wear” plates? And what color should they be??

Thanks for your attention and help

Bill
wipw@yahoo.com

If I’m not mistaken the floor should be natural wood.

Yup - the Mustang had a wood floor in the cockpit

Yep, natural wood. But remember it became dirty, grimey and messy very quickly so did not remain plain ‘brown’. Use brown/grey mix as a base and then add weathering and a worn look. Only a litle can really be seen unless micro inspecting anyway.

P-51D’s had wooden floors, sometimes painted the same color as the interior. Here’s a shot of the War-Eagles Museum’s Stang:

Wipw,
Best I can say is check w/ your ref material. The flooring was left natural wood but like WBK said, sometimes they were painted the interior color.
After a period of time, you could not tell what color the floor was anyways b/c they got dirty,scuffed,liquids and the like(plain ol usage).
Flaps up,Mike

In 1/72 you won’t see that much of it when it’s built anyway! Those rectangles probably are ‘wear plates’, so shiny in the middle and dull metallic on the edges may be best. As for the wood effect, Try painting a khaki on it, then dry brush with ‘desert yellow’ for the grained effect. A dull varnish will add depth. Good luck.