Hello
modelers!
As
a brief introduction, the Dominican Republic Air Force (FAD) was the most
powerful in the Caribbean and
Central America
area in the 1950’s. It had almost 50 Mustangs fighters in active service
plus several other attack planes and bombers such as the DH Mosquito,
Beaufigther, Texans and a couple of long range B-17’s. This military
expansion was driven by the ambitions of dictator Gen. Leónidas Trujillo,
who was the virtual owner of the country and saw the potential of having a
strong air force to influence the entire region. At the end of his
regime (and his life), the dominant place of the FAD was gradually taken
over by the Cuban Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria supported by the
Soviet Union
.
Click on
images below to see larger images
THE
KIT
Not
too much to say about this kit. It came from one of the oldest molds and
looked more like a toy. Its panel lines and details have heavily raised
details. There was nothing for the interiors (no seat, no back seat base,
no control panel, etc.) so I had to exploit my modest scratchbuilding
abilities. I took a pilot from another kit and used the same clear canopy,
which was also inaccurate, but I had no time to correct the fuselage to use
the much better extra canopy from the Heller kit.
PAINTING
I
took my time to decide which scheme to apply on this one. First, I
considered using a cammo version which required very few decals, but after
seeing how bad both wings fit and all the putty and sanding they
required, I went the easy road choosing the all-gloss black scheme.
DECALS
I
used the colorful Aztec set “Macho Mustangs I” which includes decals
to build several Mustangs that served in the Uruguayan, Dominican and
Salvadorean air forces.
WEATHERING
Considering
this plane was painted completely in glossy black, there was not too much
to do. I just sanded lightly most of the raised rivets and lines only to
show faintly through the paint.
CONCLUSION
This
Mustang was built in a few hours during a week, just to bring something
different to the local club meeting. Nothing special to win any kind of
prize, but I think it accomplished its goal attracting some attention.
It
is a good addition to my recently started collection of military aircraft
in Latin American service.
Thank
you all and regards from Monterrey, México.
Fernando
|