The whole warbird scene can be a little complicated. My aircraft has been registered in the 'Normal/Standard' category as opposed to the Limited/Experimental category of warbirds. That's because my machine was originally designed as a civilian machine so Cessna has put out drawings and instructions on how to 'de-militarise' it so it can be put back into civilian register. The main issues were to remove the foam anti-explosion material in the tanks, remove all the radios and racks in the passenger compartment, install some extra components and install decals and placards. I did all that and had it registered in the US and C of A'd for export and then brought it here. I then needed to do the usual stuff when importing aircraft (check all SDs and SBs, make sure all the appropriate safety gear was installed, do any further servicings and get VH registration... and there you have it. A genuine warbird in the standard category certified for IFR charter.
Conway
Obviously you are a patient man. There were a couple of ex USAF 02A's that were donated by the U.S. Government, and languished in Honiara for over a decade, (mentioned them on a previous thread) and it would have been a nightmare to get one of them onto a civil register with the red tape involved. (with or without a bit of palm-greasing, of course)