I just won the old Monogram F-82 on eBay and I had some questions about the plane. While at rest, did the flaps and gear doors bleed down just like on the “regular” P-51?
Also, I was thinking that the wheels in the kit, while okay, are nothing to write home about. Does anyone know if a set of aftermarket Mustang wheels could be substituted in their place? Did the Twin Mustang use the same wheels/tires at the P-51?
Lastly, since this is the old “Herritage Edition” kit, the decals are pretty much trashed. Does anyone know if a company out there still makes 1/72 F-82 decals?
Thanks!
Eric
(edit) Here’s a bonus question. How come F-51H’s were not used in the Korean War? The H variants came out just before the end of WW2 but never did make it out to any front line units. Later, as jets came of age, the F-51Hs were relegated to National Guard units. So why were the F-51Hs relegated to Guard units while the P-51Ds and Ks were being used on the front lines in Korea?
I believe that someone did make resin wheels, this kit is OLD so whether or not they are still available I don’t know off the top of my head. I think True Details made them.
My guess is the D’s and K’s were sacraficed to the cause, why send your best knowing they were going to be destroyed. Also remember that the jets were assigned to active units first, the P-51H were replacing older models in the ANG units. Jets were still an unproven asset.
Also, history was being repeated yet again. After WWII our military forces were drawn down below “safe” levels in both men and material. Any viable aircraft asset was preserved because there was nothing to replace them. Keep the newest and commit those to combat that were going to be disposed of anyway. Even modern bombers were kept out of the Korean war…instead B-29s were reactivated keeping more modern variants close to the cuff so to speak. Of course things changed fast and SAC went on a spending and building spree…B-50s, KC-97s, B-47s, KC-135 and B-52s.
The Korean war identified the deficiencies in the “modern” jet, thus the industry and the military started to really push the envelope of development. All being fuel not only by the lessons of Korea but the escallation of the Cold War.
I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I was also thinking that maybe with the lighter weight of the P/F-51Hs, I know there was some concern over how much damage they could take. The Mustangs were being used for lots of ground support during Korea. I figured if the D versions were already succeptable to ground fire, one can only imagine what would happen if the Hs were pressed into the ground attack role. Besides, and I could be mistaken, but I think the Hs only had the capacity to carry a 500 lb bomb under each wing rather than the 1000 pounders. This might have also played some role but that’s just a guess on my part.
Oh and I though of something else. The Hs had the smaller wheels than the Ds and were only meant to operate from finished airstrips, not the rougher conditions which were more prevalent in Korea.
Having just thought of that, I guess I cannot use P-51 tires on an F-82 model. Again, if someone could verify this thought, that would be great!
The wheels on my F-82 looked fine, but I built the kit back in the 70’s when the mold’s were “new”. I guess they “wore” out by the time the Heritage Kits came out.
Oh believe me! I’ve seen a zillion times worse! The tires weren’t bad. I was just trying to think of ways to spruce things up a bit. I saw there was a photo-etch detail set for it so I might pick that up. Otherwise, I’m seriously in need of decals. The ones in the kit had molded themselves to the plastic parts bag. I haven’t checked yet to see if it’s the right version but I sure like those markings of the blue tail with all the stars on the all-black F-82. But at this point, I’ll take anything.
I too like to find little detail such as wheel to spruce up a model. Here I replaced the main wheels and tires on a 1:48 B-25 with those from a 1:72 KC-135. Note the stainless steel tubing that replaced the kits exhaust.
I’ve often wondered why they didn’t use the P-47 alongside or instead of the P-51. They were still in service and are a better ground attack plane, tougher, more guns, and a heavier bomb load.
That, Aaron, has been my A#1 question forever. Aside from maybe the quantities (# of Mustangs available vs # of T-bolts), I can’t think of why they used the more fragile Mustangs.
But then, there’s always politics. That always screws up the occasions. Kind of like why they didn’t use Corsairs over Europe.
Superscale made a set of the SAC stars on sash and I bought one on eBay, but it was improperly stored I guess and shattered. I used pinstripes and stars from Fantasy Print shop, which was not too hard and i think looks great. I did use the numbers from the kit, so it’s inaccurate I guess, but I’m pleased. A nice project would be to scratch up Christmas Tree rocket racks with FFARs on them.
By 1950 there weren’t too many P-47’s around, the F-51 being the main mount of the Air Guard Units and they were still plentiful with lots of spare parts. That is one of the main reasons the F-51’s were forced into the Ground Support role in Korea. They had to use was was available not what was actually needed.
The British used the Corsair in Europe but we didn’t have any need for Carrier type planes in Europe. They were all needed in the Pacific.
An overlooked item about why P/F-51H’s weren’t used in combat was a lack of spares. There were 555 H’s built compared to 9602 D’s and K’s The only Mustangs built in smaller numbers were the P-51A (310) and the A-36 (500).
There were no structural components that were interchangeable between the H’s and the D/K’s. It’s roughly comparable to the P-39 and P-63; they looked similar but were very different aircraft. I’ve always wondered why the AAF didn’t give the P-51H a completely different designation.
As far as the P-51D being better looking than the P-51H, that’s one of those “eye of the beholder” things. I just prefer the P-51H. I use it as my avatar!
Thanks to all for the great insight into the F-82 and the P/F-51H! I saw that the H’s were given longer canopies which apparently helped to reduce drag. I just can’t help but love the lines of the P-51D more than the P-51H. To me, the P-51H looks like what I would get if I were trying to draw the P-51D by hand. The proportions just don’t look “right” to me. The plane looks more like something built for speed rather than for the rugged nature of war.
I was looking in my D&S book of the Mustang which includes several shots of the F-82. While there are many pics of the Twin Mustang with the flaps up while parked, there are an equal number of pics showing the flaps down! So I guess I’ll just take my own personal liberties of building the kit with the flaps up or in the down position. According to the dozen or so pictures in my book, either one will be correct which means I’ll be able to sleep at night knowing I didn’t royally screw up a model kit. Ha-ha-ha!
