In early 1943, the British MI-5 accomplished an amazing coup when Major Chauncey Wigbotham managed to successfully acquire the plans for both major German jet engine development programs (BMW 003 and Junkers Jumo 004), both without arousing suspicion. The plans were shared with the American government, who assigned them to the NACA research center at Langley. By the mid-summer of 1943, a crash program had resulted in a running engine, producing better results even than the Germans had due to use of higher quality metals (although the Americans did not know that). The production engine was entrusted to General Electric (maker of most US turbochargers - a similar technology). Simultaneously, North American Aviation was tasked with adopting the P-51 Mustang to jet power. NAA was assigned the designation P-57 as a deception measure (being a re-use of that designation from the failed Tucker pursuit program).
NAA proposed two different solutions: the YP-57A was a single-jet version of the Mustang, later renamed P-57A Stallion. See here:
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=4487.0The second NAA solution was designated YP-57B and was very different, mounting two Jumo 004 copy engines under the wings with a redesigned nose. The nose of the P-57B carried four 20 mm Hispano M-2 cannon.
The Model: you will not be surprised to learn that I used another Airfix P-51D along with the engines of a HobbyBoss Me 262, all in 1/72 scale. The nose is scratch built from sheet styrene and putty (lotsa putty). If I were to do it again, I would try the nose of a P-80 (that's what it came out looking like anyway).
Hope you like it.
Chuck
