“Big Dick” in the craps is a pair of fives. Ten as a pair of 5’s may also be known as “puppy paws” or “a pair of sunflowers” or “Big John.” taking into account that “Dick” is a diminutive for Richard, one can guess that for this play on words the captain, and later Major Richard A. Hewitt has chosen the name for a plane which is the subject of this gallery: P-51D-20NA serial number 44-64147 code MX-U, 82nd Fighter Squadron 78th Fighter Group, in Duxford.

On 21 March 1945 Hewitt became commander of the 82nd Fighter Squadron. Two days before that, flying on that plane shot down a pair of Bf-109 near Osnabruck. He had also a lot of luck, because rejecting underwing tanks  (started the fight  with tanks) he forgot to switch on the internal tanks and engine immediately lost power – but somehow he managed to start the engine again and two Bf-109 went to the ground – the pilot of the first one rescued his life with a parachute jump, the second pilot was killed in the wreckage of his machine. [Http://www.ulongbeach.com/78th_Combat_Reports_1945.html]

On 17 April 1945 also piloting this Mustang, Hewitt destroyed one Me-262 on the ground for sure and probably another one, which he caught landing during the attack on the airport (Lechfeld?) – Unfortunately, this victory could not be formally confirmed as the only witness was his wingman, who during the same attack was shot down and captured [Aces of the 78th Fighter Group, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, Osprey Publishing 2013].

Officially confirmed were a total of 4 Hewitt’s air victories and 4.3  enemy planes destroyed on the ground.

The number of swastikas on the canopy frame visible in the photos suggests that the photographs have been taken in the second half of March and April 1945, and one can assume that it shows all victories attributed to the pilot, including those not officially confirmed.

Hewitt survived the war with a score of more than 100 combat missions in two rounds (he joined the 78 Group stationed at Duxford in August 1943 ending the first round just before D-Day, to return to the front in July 1944, serving until the end of the war).

The model is a Tamiya product, supplemented with:
1) resin wheel wells and covers from Aires (replacement of the original wrong wells, seems to be a problem of most of models of Mustang in this scale)
2) resin cockpit from Aires,
3) metal barrels from Master,
4) resin exhausts from Quick Boost
5) Print Scale Decals (48-039).

Painted with AK Extreme Metal, washed with Panel Liner from MIG, weathered with pigments from AK.

The decals failed  – checkerboard under the exhaust does not correspond to reality. Technically, however, they were fine.

Yope you like it – the model is not perfect, but I learned a lot during the construction.