I would say that, if you are only referring to those which are flying, Happy Jack's Go Buggy and Upupa Epops are the epitome of historically accurate Mustang restorations. I say this due to not only their outward appearance, which is extremely accurate, but in their internals and especially the enormous amount of accessories/details that were incorporated as per the 'original' Mustangs during WWII. As you continue down it becomes rather subjective, as there are many more Mustangs out there with authentic finishes but modern cockpits, or authentic cockpits with modern finishes. For instance, Jack Roush's P-51B Old Crow was restored to be the safest it could for long distance flights, in any weather condition, therefore it is fitted out with new gauges, weather warning, IFR, GPS, and autopilot equipment. Kermit Weeks' P-51C Ina the Macon Belle on the other hand, has a finish which is far too polished, but the cockpit and internals are very stock and very detailed to factory specification.
I recall when it was big thing just to have filled, sanded and painted wings with a bare metal fuselage. Now we are getting into the realm of matching the same patina, the same paint numbers, reproducing all factory stamps and inspection stickers, stencils in the correct type faces, and even going as far as wiring the guns to the trigger button and getting the original radios installed and functioning, even though they are just there for looks. I still recall a Mike Vadeboncoeur interview in Warbirds International, in which he foresaw this exact same trend developing, back when he just finished the restoration of Cripes. He mentioned that if someone were to take a Mustang restoration to the furthest level, it would not appeal to most (obviously not entailing us) and would feature rough unpolished metal, plenty of oversprayed areas, and poor plumbing and wiring.
I would be curious to know which warbird currently flying has the largest amount of its original structure and is finished most accurately, of any type from any country, just for the sake of knowing.
Last edited by JohnTerrell on Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:36 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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