"Cripes A' Mighty, Then and Now" - Released! (Payware)

[Bomber_12th]

It always gives me great joy in introducing new products, and perhaps none so greater than this most latest offering from Warbirdsim.

Having long been inspired by World War II's greatest Mustang ace, and a certain benchmark-setting restoration in particular, Warbirdsim is proud to introduce Major George E. Preddy Jr.'s P-51D "Cripes A' Mighty", then and now. From the wear and tear of combat, to the polish and perfection of an award winning restoration, this product features fully authentic reproductions of Preddy's last wartime mount as it would have been seen in late 1944, as well as the modern example restored in his honor, depicted as it was fresh out of restoration. From the dual-mounted Spitfire mirrors, to the fully reproduced red & white barbershop pole markings, this product provides for a level of accuracy in reproducing these particular aircraft that has never been made possible before. Whether you are interested in re-living the past, or recreating the present, available now is both the chance to fly the P-51D as Preddy would have known it in the last months of 1944, or as current pilots will find it in the meticulous restoration of today.

For more infomration, here is a link to the product page: http://warbirdsim.com/Store.do?state...=33&category=1

For product and sales related support, please refer to: support @ warbirdsim.com (no spaces)
Or also for product support/questions regarding the aircraft, you can also send me an e-mail directly at: johnterrell87 @ comcast.net (no spaces)

[Bomber_12th]

One of the areas that got some new attention for this product, is the cockpit. Having learned to make collimated gun sights when designing "Little Friends II", I put this to use on the static-reticle for the K-14 mounted within these aircraft. This is a completely accurate reproduction of the static reticle as found with the K-14, when the static reticle is selected. For those who enjoyed the gyro-animated former reticle, it is still in-place as well, turned on when selecting the gyro reticle via the gun sight control box. Unfortunately, however, the gyro reticle could not be collimated, but at least you are provided both options. Both the fixed and the gyro reticles also feature the new "lit-material" as used for the first time on the N-9 reticle featured in "Little Friends II". Of course the gyro reticle remains adjustable as well, via the range dial on the gun sight, and the reticle moves to compensate for the movements of the aircraft.





Here are some other assorted day and night views of the two different cockpits between the original P-51D-15-NA and the restored P-51D-30-NA.

[Bomber_12th]

During the restoration of P-51D-30-NA 44-74813, with the aim at making the aircraft a clone of the original wartime "Cripes A' Mighty", original 352nd FG armorers were consulted, as each group were a bit different as to how the gun bays were configured and loaded on their individual aircraft. It just so happens that these vets were able to confirm that in late December of 1944, the last days that Preddy saw action, the ammunition used was armor-piercing rounds, as indicated by black tips. They did not use tracer rounds, but instead, every fifth round was an incendiary round, as indicated by a silver tip. As a result, this was duplicated in the restoration, and recreated in this product:

[Bomber_12th]

It is a fact, that there was never a P-51D produced with rear-view mirrors mounted to the exterior of the aircraft, but instead, a great many, at least in Europe, would be modified in the field with the addition of a mirror (or mirrors) that could be sourced from other aircraft. The most common were those of the semi-spherical Spitfire type. In the case of George Preddy's 44-14906, he had dual Spitfire mirrors mounted to the windscreen (left in the factory-applied black paint). When 44-74813 was being restored, there was no documentation available as to how this was done - there was never one set-way in which the mirrors were mounted, and it sometimes differed quite a bit from one Fighter Group to the next. Several photos of 44-14906, and other 352nd FG Mustangs at the time, were studied to understand how they went about it, and to recreate the brackets as best as possible. The end result on the restored aircraft was extremely accurate, and the work that went into the real-life restoration was used as a guide for recreating the mirrors for this product.

[Bomber_12th]

Cripes A' Mighty, in Wartime

P-51D-15-NA 44-14906 (C/N 109-28539) was produced at North American's <st1:City w:st="on">Inglewood</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> plant, arriving in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">England</st1lace></st1:country-region> for the 8th Air Force in early fall of 1944. Assigned to the 352nd FG, "The Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney", the aircraft would become the personal mount of the highest-scoring Mustang ace of the war, Major George E. "Ratsy" Preddy. Preddy had originally come to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">England</st1lace></st1:country-region> as part of the then newly-formed 352nd FG, assigned to the 487th FS, as early as 1943, first flying P-47's, then the P-51B, and finally the P-51D. Preddy would first use the name "Cripes A' Mighty" on a P-47, then use it again on his P-51B. Preddy's first P-51D, an early D-5-NA variant, became "Cripes A' Mighty 3rd", seeing action all throughout the summer of 1944. This action culminated with the August 6th mission, in which Preddy would down 6 enemy aicraft all within just five minutes of action. After this mission, Preddy went back to the States for some much needed R&R and to conduct speeches and interviews with the press, as he was now something of a national hero. Preddy returned to the 352nd FG in late October of '44, and was nominated as Commanding Officer of the 328th FS. Preddy was also assigned a new P-51D, this being 44-14906, which would once again be named "Cripes A' Mighty" (although this was Preddy's 4th "Cripes", it was not reflected in the name). On November 2nd, leading his squadron, Preddy would help the 328th set a new single sortie record for an 8th AF squadron, when they downed 25 enemy aircraft within 15 minutes. In December of '44, coming on the heel of the Allied advances, the 352nd was transferred to the Y29 forward airfield at <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Asch</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region></st1lace>. On Christmas Day, Major Preddy was flying 44-14906 in support of ground troops as part of the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Battle</st1lace></st1:City> of the Bulge, when he spotted a German fighter and chased it down low over the tree tops, in an area guarded by U.S. Anti-Aircraft guns. Tragically, Major Preddy was killed when he and his aircraft were hit by 'friendly' fire intended for the enemy aircraft he was chasing. For his actions in both the Pacific and European Theatres of combat, Major George E. Preddy was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star w/1 oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross w/8 oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal w/7 oak leaf clusters, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Croix de Guerre, and several other medals.






Cripes A' Mighty, an Award-Winning Restoration

<o></o>P-51D-30-NA 44-74813 (C/N 122-41353) was manufactured too late in the war to see any action and was instead placed into storage. In the post-war years, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Canada</st1lace></st1:country-region> purchased a number of Mustangs from the USAF, totaling 130 in-all, between 1947 and 1951. 44-74813 was amongst one of the last of this bunch, purchased on January 10, 1951 for the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft served at RCAF Station Chatham as 9261. With the entry of jets into active service as early as 1948 and ’49, it is thought that 9261 was likely used in a training role. By 1956 the Canadian Mustangs began to be phased out, with the last being stricken from service 1960, with most of the Mustangs already in storage by this point. 44-74813 was first civilian-registered in the summer of 1958, as N6301T. It then passed through a number of owners from the 1960's through to the 1990's. During the mid-90's the aircraft was painted as "Cripes A' Mighty IV", a less-than-accurate depiction of 44-14906, and had succumb to many civilian modifications since its original manufacture. With the level of authentic warbird restorations ever increasing, when the aircraft was purchased by Ken Wagnon in 1996, he enlisted Midwest Aero Restorations (already then well known for their quality and authentic restoration work) to rebuild the aircraft into completely stock form, the aim being to make it a clone of the 44-14906 that Preddy flew in late 1944. Through nearly 6-years of research and hard work, the aircraft was taken completely apart, down to minimal components, and re-finished, part by part, to match the original factory specifications. All original wartime hardware and systems were re-installed and made to work, including items that had not yet to be seen in most Mustang restorations to that point, including the fuselage fuel tank, period radios, armor plating and a working gun sight. The same level of care was given to the markings, which were extensively researched through the use of period photos, with the blue paint of the nose even matched to a paint chip made from the remnants of the original "late-blue" paint used at the time 44-14906 was in-action (which happened to have been found applied to the walls of a bathroom that was still standing at the former 352nd FG base at Bodney, England - this paint was confirmed to be that of RAF Deep Sky Blue, the same paint used on Photo-Recon Mosquito’s). Even the installation of the dual Spitfire mirrors was handled with great attention to accuracy and authenticity. Without any documentation on how they were originally fitted, period photographs were studied to find the answers. When out-fitting the gun bays, 352nd FG armorers were consulted with, so as to configure the gun bays to exactly the way they would have been seen on Preddy's aircraft in December 1944. The aircraft was rolled out for the first time in late 2001, with the last of the restoration work completed in early 2002, setting a new bench-mark in authentic Mustang restorations. At the 2002 Oshkosh Air Show, the restored "Cripes A' Mighty" was awarded the highly coveted Warbird Grand Champion award, and would go on to win another highly coveted award, the Rolls Royce Heritage Trophy, at the 2007 National Aviation Heritage Invitational event in Reno, NV.

[Bomber_12th]

Note the modern avionics antennas mounted below the wings on the restored "Cripes A' Mighty" (these are the accurate type, as fitted to the real aircraft, in the same locations).





Landing gear down, flaps 20-degrees, and canopy open.

[Bomber_12th]

Blue Paint

As I'm sure many here know, the 352nd FG went through three different distinct "Blue Phases", as I like to call them. Each darkened over time, with Preddy's last "Cripes", the focus of this product, painted in the last/darkest of the blues used by the 352nd. For many decades, this specific shade/type of blue, nor the origin of the paint used, was not known - all that could be used to go by were old B&W photos and a few rare wartime-color photos. It wasn't until the late 90's, when through the research of Sam Sox, and correspondance in England, the paint was finally confirmed. As it turns out, this same shade of blue paint was also used in the bathroom at Bodney, for some artwork on the walls, and the bathroom still remained with the paint intact (some of the 352nd FG vets recalled taking one of the cans of blue paint from the paint locker on the base, to use in the painting of the bathroom - which took place during the time that the late/darkest-tone blue paint was being used). A paint chip was made from a sample of the paint from the Bodney bathroom, and it was confirmed to be RAF Deep Sky Blue (8th AF Fighter Groups were supplied paint by the RAF), the same blue paint used on some PR Mosquitos during the war. This information was found in-time to be put to use on the restored "Cripes A' Mighty", ensuring the highest level of accuracy/authenticity in the finished paint application.

[dougal]

Cripes!

...and i just bought LF1 ;-)

[Bomber_12th]

Not to worry, Dougal, I simply like the idea of providing these alternative options of aircraft that aren't quite like those produced before - it can't hurt to at least make them available. For those who already have any of the other P-51D products, these aircraft will actually slot right into place amongst the aircraft of the other, larger products, of both the Restored and the Little Friends categories. For those who do not have any of the previous Warbirdsim P-51 products, it is a full stand-alone product in itself, with all of the same features and details as the previous products combined.

Also, I want to apologize for the use of logos in all of the images. I have found my images of the Warbirdsim P-51D's being used to advertise a number of different non-related products, as well as re-posted without much of any indication as to the who/what/when/where/why, so hopefully by having the company logo included in the shots, this will be prevented, to some degree, in the future.

[Bomber_12th]

I should add too, that the restored P-51D "Cripes A' Mighty" is what really got my true interests in WWII aircraft and attention to accuracy and authenticity going, back when it first came on the scene in 2001 and 2002. Because of it, for the first time I learned about the fact that P-51D's were manufactured with filled, sanded, and dull-silver painted wings, and learned the difference between what constitutes a nice restoration, with that of an accurate/authentic restoration - its never been the same since. ; )

[Bomber_12th]

Throughout P-51D production there were numerous production blocks, with hundreds of changes introduced into the P-51D, from the earliest P-51D-5-NA, to the last P-51D-30-NA’s and D-30-NT’s. While Preddy’s original wartime 44-14906 “Cripes A’ Mighty” was a D-15-NA model, the restored “Cripes A’ Mighty” is a P-51D-30-NA, so as a result there are some noticeable differences between them, even though the restored example is very authentic to a WWII-era Mustang. The culprit for the most difference between the two is the introduction of support for the zero-rail rocket launchers, which was introduced mid-way through P-51D-20-NA production. When this happened, the lower-surfaces and structure of the wing was re-designed to support the installation of ten sets of rocket launchers, five sets underneath each wing. The center electrical/switch panel also had to be re-designed, in order to house the controls for the rocket launcher system. While Preddy’s aircraft wouldn’t have had this, the restored “Cripes A’ Mighty” does. Externally one can see all of the miniature mounting and connection holes in the lower surfaces of the wings on the restored/later example, and associated stencils, which cannot be seen on the lower surfaces of the wings on the original wartime example. The result too is that the wartime “Cripes” has all of the engine electrical switches on the center panel, and the bomb/payload switches on the lower left side of the instrument panel, while the restored “Cripes” has the later configuration, with all of the bomb/payload and rocket switches on the center panel, and most of the engine electrical switches are on the instrument panel. With the K-14 gyro gun sight not introduced into P-51D manufacture until mid-way through P-51D-20-NA production, Preddy’s 44-14906 would have originally been manufactured with an N-9 reflector gun sight, but through period photos, the aircraft was clearly upgraded in the field, with the replacement of the N-9 for the K-14. This in-field mod was carried out using the same locations for the K-14 control box and spare bulbs bracket as that of the later models like the D-25-NA and D-30-NA, so this is something that both the earlier wartime and later restored variants actually share in common. Produced as a P-51D-30-NA, the restored 44-74813 would have originally been manufactured with the tail warning radar set installed, but through restoring the aircraft and making it appear as close to the original, which did not have the tail warning radar, this was purposely not installed on the restored aircraft. The external drop tank fuel and pressure line connections were also changed and made simpler with later models, thus although the drop tanks are the same, as displayed on the wartime “Cripes” and the restored example, the plumbing is different. With a keen eye to detail, other differences between the aircraft (like the two different instrument panel shrouds) should present themselves to you.

(P.S., most of these differences between the individual aircraft can be spotted just within the screenshots already posted to this thread.)

[Bomber_12th]

- Although the user guide includes, at length, descriptions and images of all of the features and unique functions of the aircraft, one item that was added in late and did not make it to the user guide, is the ability that you can click on the seat in the restored-"Cripes A' Mighty", and what this will do is change the pilot from wearing a modern flight suit and helmet, to being dressed in complete period-garb, which is often done by modern pilots for photo-shoots.

[Bomber_12th]

The markings applied to P-51D 44-14906 "Cripes A' Mighty" tell a story in itself. When Major Preddy came back to the 352nd FG in October of '44, he not only was assigned a new Mustang and a new squadron to lead, but also a new crew chief, S/Sgt. Art "Snoot" Snyder. While in the service, Art decided he would make a little extra spending cash on the side, by running a barber shop on the base. On the three Mustangs he crewed, Art would use them as promotional tools for his business, detailing them with accents of red and white wherever possible, and applying a barber shop pole emblem to the right-side of the nose on each, complete with "1/3 pence" stenciled nearby (the cost of a haircut in 1944!). At a special event in late 2001, Art Snyder was invited to the rollout ceremony of the then nearly completed restoration of P-51D 44-74813, authentically finished in the exact markings of Preddy's last "Cripes A' Mighty". As one of the finishing touches of the restoration, Art applied the "1/3 pence" artwork to the nose of the Mustang, and also signed the rudder. During the war, Preddy had promised to give Art a P-51 ride, using the squadron's two-seat converted war-weary Mustang, but unfortunately Preddy was killed before this could ever happen. This was set right, however, when at the same 2001 rollout-ceremony, Art was given the P-51 flight he had never gotten, in one of the other "Blue Noser" Mustangs that attended the event.

Here's Art at the rollout-ceremony for the restored "Cripes A' Mighty", photos by James P. Church. The left photo shows Art after the completion of his first P-51 ride, 57 years after Preddy had promised to provide one - Vlado Lenoch (also pictured) made sure to set it right, by taking him up in his 352nd FG-marked "Moonbeam McSwine". The photo on the right shows Art putting the final touches on the art work on the right side of the nose of the restored "Cripes A' Mighty".



Here are some period photos showing two of the other Mustangs Art crewed, and used as advertising for his business (note that "Chub A Luk" is finished almost exactly as "Cripes A' Mighty" was). "Snoots Sniper" also had the barber shop pole artwork on the right side of the nose.







And here are a few images of the freshly restored "Cripes A' Mighty" shot in 2001 and 2002, by Jim Koepnick and James P. Church.

[Greenhouse357]

Simply perfect John!

[CodyValkyrie]

William and George Preddy are very well known where I live, having come from Greensboro, North Carolina (about 20 minutes away from where I live). The Piedmont Triad International Airport (Greensboro) has a nice few models and information about George and his brother William, who was also a P-51 pilot and killed when shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

[Bomber_12th]

Here is the great website for the Preddy Memorial Foundation: http://www.preddy-foundation.org/

One of the stories I like most about the two Preddy brothers, is when they both flew P-40's together, doing a mock dogfight in the States, in September of '44. George had just returned home from having emassed an astonishing combat record, with his name known throughout the country, and his brother Bill was just completing the last of his training and was getting ready to deploy to England to enter the war himself as a fighter pilot. George was said to have stated after the flight, "Bill is ready to take on the best the Luftwaffe has to offer.”

[Bomber_12th]

[skyhawka4m]

SWEET!!!! Kinda of answers my message from a couple days ago......lol...must have been reqading your mind! Hoping for the full invasion stripe though!! :salute:

[Bomber_12th]

John, I'll get the full invasion-striped "Cripes A' Mighty 3rd" uploaded this weekend. ; )

Regarding George Preddy's "Cripes A' Mighty" aircraft, his first was a P-47, and then a P-51B. Both of these were just named "Cripes A' Mighty". His first P-51D was then named "Cripes A' Mighty 3rd". His final P-51D, the subject of this product, was once again simply named "Cripes A' Mighty", but it is also sometimes referred to as "Cripes A' Mighty IV", despite the fact that the artwork on the aircraft didn't reflect this.

[rgatkinson]

John,

Absolutely bloody awsome. I was saving up for the FSX P-51B/Cs (will have to make do with your FS9 versions for now) but cannot resist this package. Might have something to do with fond memories of building an Airfix version of "Cripes" when I was a young lad and blue being my favourite colour!


Cheers

Taff

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you Taff!

[Thunderbolt]

nice

[Bomber_12th]

Great screenshots, Thunderbolt, and thank you!

BTW, has anyone yet removed/added the gun sight in the VC? When you add and remove the K-14, you will notice that the windscreen reflections will change too.

[RKinkor]

Excellent work John,can you tell us what other aircraft are you going to do in this series? Also reasonable price btw.

[JAllen]

I just finished reading his biography. Can't wait to get home tonight to D/L and fly your gorgeous work. So going to bring the book to life for me!!! Thank you.

Jim