Warbird Information Exchange

I see that Sweet & Lovely is pending on Platinum and Little Rebel is not.

Little Rebel is one of my all time favorite Mustangs. I am a HUGE fan of the more recent restorations being finished that have natural finish aluminum panels in all different shades of dark and light (Lopes, Sierra Sue, etc.).

Sweet & Lovely is a beauty, but it just doesn't have that same effect on me.

What's everyone's preference?

Having been around 60ish Mustangs, I can say that Sierra Sue II has a completely different feel to her. That is one that puts off a vibe of being a weapon versus a show pony. It feels authentic because it is. I love how they've let the Alcoa stamps gradually wear off. It is like a time capsule that flies fairly often. That's my personal preference.

The sport plane schemes of the 70s...just my opinion.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/foxtrotalp ... 564411/amp

Race fan from birth, civilian and race scheme will always be top for me as well!

Sierra Sue II

_________________
remember the Oogahonk!
old school enthusiast of Civiltary Warbirds and Air Racers

_________________
remember the Oogahonk!
old school enthusiast of Civiltary Warbirds and Air Racers

that rustang sure looks like the one i remember seeing at Torrance in 1966 when i lived there.

_________________
GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Lately I've been eyeballing Stars and Bars. The clean look lets Mustang speak for itself.

The year that "Little Rebel" was first completed and made its debut at Oshkosh, I was surprised by how little people photographed it and how many seemed to walk right past it - tons of photos of the polished and glossy "Sweet & Lovely", parked next to it, but only a few rare shots of the more authentically-finished "Little Rebel". I was so glad to finally see it in person a year later so I could see it in detail. To me, it is a more special restoration for the attention to authentic detailing that went into it compared to the earlier "Sweet & Lovely" restoration. It was one of the first to be restored with natural mil-finishes on the aluminum skins (no polishing or faux-patina), and hand-painted nose art where you can see the brush strokes.

"Sierra Sue II" is still the one that checks more of my boxes than any other. For the forensic level of accuracy achieved on "SSII", for that specific airframe, and its history/provenance, it is just unbeatable.

Hello all -

Below are some of my photos from Oshkosh 2010 of "Little Rebel"

Enjoy!

2010 Oshkosh Gallery Link:

https://www.vgbimages.com/AirShows/2010 ... shkosh-WI/

Well I, for one, hate these new Mustang restos. Because I'm a modeler. Back in the 1980s, when all the Mustangs looked like they were just big models sprayed with Testors rattle can silver, it was easy to paint a model P-51. Now I have to master 10 different finishing techniques just for the base color.

Long live the silver spray bomb Mustang!



August

I like it when aircraft are painted in authentic markings, and the paint allowed to fade. I know it doesn't win prizes, but the realistic look is what does it for me. But it also shows the work that went into keeping these birds flying. Grease from boots crawling over it, greasy hand prints, areas with the paint touched up here and there, repair patches.

But they aren't mine, and until I win a lottery, it's just my opinion.

_________________
Mike in Florida
TSgt USAF Retired
Jan 86 - Sept 08
Aircrew Life Support
"Your Life Is Our Business"
(122X0, 1T1X1, 1P0X1)
NRA Life Member

You can polish old skin and make it look pretty shiny, or paint it. To get the "authentic" look though, you may need to replace all the skin. So which do you prefer, real WW2 vintage skins or full skin replacement? Of course some have the skin replaced for that perfect polish job too.