The North American™ P-51B/C Mustang™ History

Soon after the commencement of the aerial offensive against the Third Reich it became apparent that the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) needed a reliable, low-cost and long-range fighter that would be able to accompany the bombers to their targets at high altitude. The first versions of the P-51/P-51A Mustang, equipped with an Allison engine, performed capably in the fighter and reconnaissance role when operating at lower altitudes, however the lack of a second engine compressor stage made it impossible to achieve satisfactory performance at heights in excess of 4,500 metres. To complicate matters, the P-47 fighter was limited by its range, while the P-38 was not available in sufficient numbers. A solution to the problem was found by fitting the P-51A with the British Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 engine (used in the Spitfire IX/XVI). Importantly, this power plant had a two-stage compressor and was already being manufactured in the United States under licence by Packard with the designation V-1650. The version of the aeroplane thus developed – the P-51B Mustang – was easily capable of flying from England to Berlin as an escort on daytime bombing raids.

Kit contents:

Kit features parts needed to build 1/72 scale miniature of following variants: P-51 B/C, Mustang Mk III and F6C.

• plastic parts
• photo etched parts
• decal with 6 marking options (4x USAAF 2x RAF)
• masks for canopy and wheels

Markings options included in the kit:

• P-51B-5-NA Mustang, 43-6315/AJ-A, "Ding Hao", pilot: Maj. James H. Howard MH, 356th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, Boxted UK, April 1944.                                 
• P-51C-11-NT Mustang, 44-10816/278,   "Evalina", pilot: 1st Lt. Oliver E. Strawbridge, 26th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, China, January 1945. Kit also includes Japanese markings of the captured aeroplane in 1945 (pilot Maj. Yasuhiko Kuroe).
• Mustang III, KH516/WC-F, pilot: Kpt. Jerzy Mencel DFC, 309 Squadron Polish Air Force, shot down Me-262 jet fighter on 9 April 1945.
• F-6C-1-NT Mustang, 42-03213/IX-H, "Azel"/"Boomerang", 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, Chalgrove UK. Aeroplane flown by 2nd Lt. Stanley F.H. Newman during D-Day preparations in Spring 1944.
• Mustang III, FB244/CV-V, 3 Squadron RAAF, Fano in Italy, April 1944. Aeroplane flown by several pilots mainly in ground support role.
• P-51C-10-NT Mustang, 43-25045/C3-W, "Snookie", pilot: Lt. Edward T. Pawlak, 382nd Fighter Squadron, 363rd Fighter Group, France, July 1944.