174Unique parts
743Total parts
The P-51D is one of the most iconic aircraft designs every conceived. Designed during the Second World War to be an Allied fighter aircraft, its sleek design, high performance, and recognizable sound solidified itself in history and in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts. After the war, the airframe was used to participate in air races and break world records. Even today more than 100 of these historic aircraft fly today either as tributes to the past or as racers that participate in live aerial races! This particular design reflects that of the famous "Tuskegee Airmen" or "Red Tails". This group of aviators were pioneers and among the first African American US combat pilots. Not only did they combat the enemy overseas, they fought racism and a culture war back at home and secured themselves their place in history!
As an aviation enthusiast and pilot, the P-51 has always captured my attention. Although many MOCs have been built of this aircraft, I wanted to try my hand at a larger desk model in 1/26 scale using techniques that I have learned during my Lego journey. SNOT techniques as well as mixel joints are used in this design to give the wings their dihedral appearance as well as actuate the main landing gear. The main flaps are also poseable. The most difficult part was capturing the iconic shape of the aircraft in Lego, especially maintaining its smooth appearance. This was accomplished using slopes, SNOT, and tiles. I hope that this design can inspire builders to look into aviation history and the feats that engineers, like Lego builders, have achieved to produce the sleekest and most up to date designs possible.
