After our very successful IPMS club group build in 2013, which was based on the newly tooled Airfix 1/72 F-86 Sabre (see my build
here) we decided to have a second group build and this time selected the Airfix 1/72
P-51D kit. Like I had done with the F-86 I decided to match the P-51 up with a suitable adversary in the form of the Airfix Me-109.
I was a bit concerned that displaying propeller aircraft in flight would look a bit odd with the props frozen but decided to push on as I wanted to participate in the group build and was not interested in displaying the model on the ground.
Note that I did consider using some form of prop blur but the rules of the group build required all models to be built 100% out of the box. As the build progressed my thoughts started to turn to the display base and following a quick google search I found a high quality color wartime photo of B-17's in formation (you can even see a red-tail P-51B escorting them) and so a plan started to hatch.
I have tried to position (and photograph) the two fighters in such a way so as to convey the high speed dynamics of the unfolding dogfight as the "Little Friend" (as the B-17 crews used to call their escort fighters) tries to dispatch the hunting Me-109 before he can make a successful run on the bombers.
