All time Best P-51 Photo!!
Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:12 am
Lt Darwin Berry 4th FG ready to go at Debden Summer 1944
Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:41 am
Actually, I would award "best Mustang photo" to Charles Brown's famous air-to-air shot of Mustang Mk.I AG633 XV-E, but this is a mighty fine one as well.
August
August
Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:25 pm
Always wondered if the anti-glare cowling paint for the 4th was matte black or olive. Now I know.
Thx Jack!
t~
Thx Jack!
t~
Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:44 pm
Very nice photo showing some interesting details - the red 'no step' L on the flaps continues slightly on to the wing root (as per factory drawings). The anti-glare is Olive Drab (again as factory drawings). The invasion stripes have been quite neatly applied and the nose red does look rather glossy. Not too many stencils/stamps visible apart from the 'STEP HERE' on the port wing root but it seems many got worn off quite quickly in service.
Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:07 pm
I am not sure the anti glare panel is olive drab.
August
August
???
Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:30 pm
I am not sure the anti glare panel is olive drab.
It is!
Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:31 pm
k5083 wrote:I am not sure the anti glare panel is olive drab.
August
Really? I thought towards the front gave it away as being olive.
t~
Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:42 pm
Look at the tires...thats one heavy kite!!!!
jim
jim
Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:01 pm
Originalboxcar wrote:k5083 wrote:I am not sure the anti glare panel is olive drab.
August
Really? I thought towards the front gave it away as being olive.
t~
It's subjective. There's a lot of color shift in this image and very little yellow or green left. The parts of the panel that look yellowish have a lot of glare on them. (Note the same yellow tinge on the exhausts.) The best-exposed parts are right in front of the windscreen area and they look black to me. Overall I really can't tell from this pic, and wouldn't believe anyone who says he can.
August
Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:34 pm
It's olive drab. Compare it to the invasion stripes, or the black of the dash (which is in the same light).
One in twenty adult males is color blind, so it is, indeed, subjective. However, USAAF Mustangs were almost always painted with olive drab anti-glare panels. I say almost always because as soon as I say always, someone will scrounge up a photo of a hot pink anti-glare panel...but they were almost uniformly painted olive drab. Which makes perfect sense, since the flat drab paint was both abundant and less reflective than black.
One in twenty adult males is color blind, so it is, indeed, subjective. However, USAAF Mustangs were almost always painted with olive drab anti-glare panels. I say almost always because as soon as I say always, someone will scrounge up a photo of a hot pink anti-glare panel...but they were almost uniformly painted olive drab. Which makes perfect sense, since the flat drab paint was both abundant and less reflective than black.
Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:22 pm
Remember that it would not have been painted at the same time or with the same black paint as the invasion stripes. So the fact that it looks different from the invasion stripes is not informative. OTOH the panel looks similar to the black wing stripe and the tiny bit that we can see of the black vertical tail stripe. But that is not conclusive either. Comparison with dash is the most convincing argument for OD.
I agree that it is probably olive drab. Not certainly. Not enough yellow or green left in the pic to distinguish that reliably from black (e.g. check vegetation in background).
August
I agree that it is probably olive drab. Not certainly. Not enough yellow or green left in the pic to distinguish that reliably from black (e.g. check vegetation in background).
August
Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:22 am
Jack, of course it's the all-time best P-51 photo...
4th FG....any questions?
4th FG....any questions?
Thu Apr 12, 2007 2:32 am
...I'll keep my trap shut...... 
Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:12 am
It could go either way I think. It certainly looks to be OD, but compare the color shade to the black stripe on the wing, towards the leading edge. They look almost identical.