Dan Johnson II wrote:
They did that with that Buchon at Duxford. I thought it looked silly. It's not a model. Lopes Hope, Upoppa Epops, Dottie Mae, and the Jug that Paul Allen has all fit the bill as far as I can see. Let them weather naturally, not by faking it
+ Sierra Sue II, which I think still takes the cake of all of them. As I was re-reading just the other day about the restoration of "Sierra Sue II" in particular - even every one of the bolts, which total nearly 2,500 in the P-51D, are
precisely accurate to what was found installed on the aircraft per original to the 40's. As many of these original bolts were kept as possible and re-clad plated, but for all of the bolts that had to be replaced, newly manufactured examples were purposely made to match each of the original period bolts found so that the original 1940's manufacturer embossed logos/symbols on the bolt heads would be matched accordingly/the same as per found. Whether original or reproduced to original spec, they all have the period-correct markings of original suppliers, such as Air Supply, Air Associates, Cooper, American Screw, Rockford, and a few others - each individually correct to what was found/noted in each location when the aircraft was disassembled. Three different dyes were found to have been originally used on the bolts as well (done to indicate that they had been magnetically inspected), and each bolt was re-coated in whichever color that particular bolt was found to have had in that specific location on the aircraft (either red, orange or blue).
No polish, and flown regularly, building a natural patina over time and with the actual original type primers/paints aging, chipping, scuffing and staining over time just as the same stuff did originally in the 40's. The cockpit has also gained some great (authentic) patina over time since the completion of the restoration a few years ago - with all original type primers/paints and materials gaining all much the same patterns of wear & tear as seen in period photos of Mustang cockpits and preserved/un-restored examples. Accuracy throughout, down to the materials, finishes, paints and primers (the actual stuff, not modern paints colored to look like), the various processes of applications of markings (stenciling, stamping, water transfers, free hand, etc.), the correct fittings, wiring, bolts, rivets, screws, dzus fasteners and other hardware, all exact to the period and represented as close as possible as found and documented throughout the restoration process - in each case, either using only original period-correct hardware or having new production runs of period-correct hardware made to look precisely the same as the original hardware (rather than just using a modern equivalent). A full assortment of original accessories, such as first aid kit, drop message bag, factory-supplied checklists, diagrams and charts, flare pistol and cartridges, spare bulbs, working gun sight (when installed), working SCR-522 radio set, working bomb/drop tank release system, fuselage tank, full armor plating, a working gun camera loaded with film, gauges that were all restored using fluorescent paint to glow under UV light as per original, and on and on...and all precisely accurate to the actual production variant/specific airframe, nothing else. An airframe which also flew combat missions in WWII, no less, still containing much of its original 1944 metal today.
Photos by Blake Wenthe, "liberated" from Facebook.