Mustang - For Tophe. Finished pics Pg 5.

[zenrat]

And now it's blue.

Tophestang WIP 25-08-2024 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

It's a slightly darker blue than the Vampire.  Deep Sky Blue rather than Sky Blue.  I grabbed the wrong bottle.  I think i'll keep it though as IMO it's a better colour.  Tophe Air Peace are fairly lax about paint specs after all.

[zenrat]

Tophstang WIP 02-09-24 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[ericr]

            

[NARSES2]

Splendiferous sir   

[sandiego89]

Wow, fantastic! 

[Wardukw]

Same thing I said on the Vampire build ..ya nailed it mate 👌   

[kitbasher]

Lunacy of the highest order there, sir! 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

Nearly done now.  I did something on this I haven't done for 40 years - I glued the canopy on before hand painting the framing,  Turned out all right but it is very simple framing.

[su27rules]

  

[zenrat]

UC doors sorted - just need paint.
UC painted.
Did some light weathering.

[Wardukw]

  
Looking forward to this mate 

[zenrat]

Me too.   

[zenrat]

I think this is done apart from stringing an aerial wire.
Pics tomorrow.
Probably.

Now I have a back story to write.

[zenrat]

Töphstang.

Tophstang - 5 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

This aircraft was built from a crashed North American Mustang and whatever Tophe Air Peace had stacked up at the back of the "pourrait être utile" hanger.  That it is a two seater is obvious but it is not known why the second seat has its own pod nor why it is separated from the cockpit.  There are no flight controls in the pod so it may be that its occupant is a navigator or observer.  Or maybe they and the pilot have argued.  Or maybe their love is so great they cannot be too close lest they lose control?

Tophstang - 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Tying the disparate components together are extruded spars and skin of Tophalumin.  This is a versatile material which can be cast forged or milled, foamed with helium or vacuum to add lightness, welded soldered braised or glued with ease, and deep fried.  It is an alloy of Whiffium, Unobtanium, and Love with materials properties which if looked up simply say "Better".  Keen eyed observers may have spotted that despite having a radio mast there is no antenna wire rigged between it and the vertical tail in the usual manner.  This is because one is not needed.  The Tophalumin structure does the job perfectly.

Tophstang - 9 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

This aircraft is powered by an Eco Power Rainbow Stallion V1923 V14 spontaneous combustion engine.  Eco Power's Rainbow range of engines run on organically grown agri-fuels which intermingle and combine synergistically with atmospheric gases in a non-aggressive but lively expansion.  Power is thus provided without the crude aggression of sparks and explosions and the resultant bad karma and aura damage.  The exhaust products generated by a Rainbow engine reduce climate change, smell faintly of butterscotch, and glow yellow when exposed to the red end of the spectrum at high altitude (enabling the writing of messages of love for humanity in the skies at sunset – the first sign of the imminent arrival of Tophe Air Peace).

Tophstang - 6 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Tophe Air Peace is so called because as force is not the way of the pacifist the descriptor "Air Force" is inappropriate.  It is a global non-government organisation which through the use of unarmed, usually sky blue painted aircraft persuades the spread of peace, love, and understanding.  Tophe Air Peace aircraft operating over areas currently engaged in conflict carry no obvious markings.  They do carry identifiers, but they are revealed only to those wearing optivisors programmed to render them visible.
The exact methods by which Tophe Air Peace carry out their persuasion are not revealed to those outside the organisation and their success rates are not reported but needless to say those in the know claim they rarely fail.

Tophstang - 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model

Tophstang - 14 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Seminar P-51D Mustang plus one wing from a Hasegawa Intruder and a probably 1/32 drop tank from a bag of random parts purchased at a show.
Unknown small canopy from my box of clear parts.
Lots of filler.
Vallejo Deep Sky Blue acrylic paint.

Tophstang - 15 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[NARSES2]

That's brilliant mate