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Back in the early stages of my P-51 WIP, I lost the drop tanks in an accident (lacquer thinner ate through a plastic dixie cup, then melted the drop tanks...). I'd been planning to steal a set from a P-51B I have in the stash, but alas, that kit only has the paper tanks, not the metal teardrops.
So I've been planning to model it empty, as if the plane's just come back from a deep escort mission.
Question is...how exactly did the racks work? When the tanks/bombs were released, what about the sway braces? I imagine on something like a P-51 there'd be an interest in jettisoning them, too, for aerodynamic purposes.
The trouble I'm having is that I've found pictures of empty racks with the sway braces attached, and without. So I hope understanding the mechanism could help make sense of things...
On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2
On Deck: 1/350 HMS Dreadnought
Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com
Okay. Found a really good pic. So...sway braces attached, or empty like this?
Yeah, the sway braces would be there.. They're not attacthed to the bombs or tanks, they just get wrenched down tight agaist them..
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/attachments/technical-requests/61965d1299781376t-p-51-b-c-108-
http://www.bellytanks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/199/p51-wing-tank.jpg
mhuhtala http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/attachments/technical-requests/61965d1299781376t-p-51-b-c-108- http://www.bellytanks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/199/p51-wing-tank.jpg
Thanks - looks like those are B/C racks, though. Doublechecked, and they're the same ones on the P-51B I built last year:
A few showing bare hardpoint with no sway braces (note that the racks are different from the P-51B/C):
Tough angle...but a 352nd bird. Don't see sway braces here either...
Another that looks to be lacking the braces:
But here's one with sway braces:
Doogs, I suspect but don't know for sure that the wing internal parts for the drop tank pylon never changed, There may have been more than one style pylon and you already have photographic proof that the sway braces were removable. I have photos on my website (links below) that show the same pylon on A-36 through P-51, and I also have a photo of a very authentically restored D with the same pylon and sway braces. Also on my web site is a different pylon with a very large bomb installed, totally different sway braces.
John
To see build logs for my models: http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html
That the reason for my answer that the anti-sway braces would be there... The plane had just returned, and the ammo-dogs haven't removed them yet.
I have more P-51 kits than I care to disclose. I would be happy to send you one of my spare sets of teardrop tanks if you like. The spare sets ore from the tamiya kits. Not sure if I have any spare Monogram ones.
PNGbrat I have more P-51 kits than I care to disclose. I would be happy to send you one of my spare sets of teardrop tanks if you like. The spare sets ore from the tamiya kits. Not sure if I have any spare Monogram ones.
Thanks a ton for the offer, but I think I've decided to steal a set out of my 9th AF Mustang kit. That one's destined for a filletless tail conversion and paper tanks anyway, so it won't miss the 75s. Just a pain digging it out, since it was already packed away for the move along with most of the stash...
Good luck on the move. Getting completed models to thier new home sounds like major heartburn.
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