1:32 Mustang P-51D - P51K

Two Mustangs from two different wars

The last year of the fighting found the Mustang in both main theaters, and the sheet shows that well. One of the subjects served in the Pacific with the 531st Fighter Squadron of the 21st Fighter Group, which from the newly taken Iwo Jima escorted heavy bombers over the Japanese islands. Its pilot, Major Harry C. Crim, commanded the squadron, and his machine with the serial number 44-73623 carried a personal inscription on the left side of the nose. Flights over the ocean lasted as much as seven hours and were among the most demanding fighter tasks of the whole war.

The European counterpart

The second subject is the machine with the serial number 44-11622 and the tactical letters G4-C, named Nooky Booky IV. It was flown by Major Leonard Carson, nicknamed Kit, one of the most successful pilots of the 362nd Fighter Squadron. This is version K, which differs from the ordinary D in a propeller of different manufacture, so it has a different shape of blades and spinner. A model built after this subject therefore calls for attention when choosing a propeller set. Most machines of version K came from the manufacturer's Texas plant and reached the European units in the last months of the fighting, when the fighter escort was already turning into hunting over enemy territory.

Contents and use

The sheet brings personal inscriptions, national insignia, serial numbers and tactical letters for both of the aircraft mentioned. The artwork is separated one piece at a time and transferred with water, ideally onto gloss clear polished beforehand. The set contains no plastic parts, no propeller and no painting colors.