Hi, Andy!
Oh, I didn't mean for you to make your '51 look glossy, unless you might have considered that choice- I was only sharing a bit of information as a "general" thing. Other modelers might have thought about it, too...
Bear with me, Friends- When I write, I try to impart a feeling of "having a friendly conversation" with everyone...
Of course, the US OD paint being a dead-flat lusterless paint, the shine from the wax didn't stay glossy for very long. Actually, the "finish" was more of a "satin"-look, rather than a "high gloss', as seen on toys and brand-new 2019 cars. Crew Chiefs and Mechanics were pretty busy with other "priorities", so the waxing didn't happen on a "daily"-basis, I'm sure.
If you should have the time to check a few photos of the 357th Fighter Group's P-51s, you'll see that there was a high incidence of "chipping" and wear on their aircraft. This was because the OD and Neutral Gray paints were applied to their aircraft without PRIMING the metal skins before applying the camouflage paints in their combat theatre. I do know that normal maintenance of the 357th's airplanes was done at night, and lot of this painting and stripping with the change of seasons was usually done OVER-NIGHT after the regular maintenance was done, which must have made for some pretty tired Crew Chiefs and Mechanics the next day...
On another note, American 56th Fighter Group P-47 Ace, Robert S. Johnson's Crew Chief and Mechanics waxed and polished his various P-47s, but I don't know how regular this practice was. To quote from Bob Johnson's book "Thunderbolt", the airplane was sanded smooth, polished and waxed "until it shone like a new car". The book is a very interesting and wonderful account of what American Fighter Pilots went through, upon arriving in the U.K. The 56th's Pilots were mostly inexperienced, with very few of them having flown combat. RAF Pilots imparted as much of their experience as possible, but the "Yanks" still had to learn a lot on their own...
So there's glossy paint info, for what it's worth, anyway...
Your "Pony" is turning out VERY NICELY!!!
PS- I've received news today from my seller that my two kits should be arriving at their store any time now. So hopefully, I could be seeing them as soon as a few weeks from now. I requested "Standard Mail", which was about $13.00 USD less than "Priority". I'm a patient fella, so the "suspense" is really non-existent for me...
