Best Sellers Mustang

Part 1

AeroMaster Products 

Reviewed by John Kerr  
 

HyperScale is proudly sponsored by Squadron

The P-51 Mustang. is my favourite modelling subject!

Over the years, AeroMaster has offered many decals in 1/48 scale for the ever-popular P-51 variants flown in WWII (Europe, The Mediterranean, Pacific & Far East) and Korea. The three subjects on this set have been labelled as "Best Sellers" by AeroMaster and are taken from three of their previous sets in AMD48-016, 48-131 and 48-211, all now long out-of-production;.

This is a detailed look at the each of the three aircraft.  I have taken the time to research each scheme and managed to find at least one b&w and one colour side profile for each of the three aircraft - refer to my comments below which are based on my observations. Free to email me your comments (but please be constructive) or additional interesting information.

T h e  T h r e e  M u s t a n g s

AMD48-539 Best Sellers - Mustangs Pt. 1 (3 aircraft)

Aircraft #1 P-51D -10-NA 44-14733 "Daddy's Girl" CS-L flown by Capt. Ray Wetmore of 370th Fighter Squadron (FS), 359th Fighter Group (FG) at East Wrettham, England, 1944.

Late P-51D with fin-fillet; overall Duraluminum finish with Olive Drab anti-glare panel; Bright Green nose & spinner - complete with thin White spiral (spirals were rarely seen on USAAF fighters but common to 359th FG P-51Ds, eg. "Little Ann" - refer photo from the Little Friends - 8th Air Force Fighter Groups Photo Galleries web site); Medium Blue rudder (except where serial number is located); Black 15" theatre ID bands wrap around inner wings & horizontal stabilisers; 22 kills on port forward fuselage.

I checked a well known b&w reference photo & colour profile of this aircraft in Osprey's Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force - the profile & decals look spot on to me.

NB. previously on AMD48-016 "European P-51D/K Mustangs".

---

 

Aircraft #2 P-51D -15-NA 44-15255 "Down For Double" WR-F flown by Lt. Col. Gordon Graham of 354th FS, 355th FG, March/April 1945.

Late P-51D with fin-fillet; overall Duraluminum finish with Olive Drab anti-glare panel (instructions state Medium Green while profile colour is Olive Drab); spinner, front of nose & lower nose is White (nose edged in Red); Red rudder (all of it including where serial number is); 16 kill markings (flag style) in a tight 4x4 table.

A colour profile of this aircraft is also in Osprey's Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force & is identical to the AMD profile. There is also one b&w photo and colour profile of this aircraft on the Little Friends - 8th Air Force Fighter Groups Photo Galleries web site. This photo is mostly of the port nose - it's a bit fuzzy but clearly shows AMD has captured the size and style of the artwork on the nose & fuselage. However, I cannot tell from the photo if the thin Red nose band, as depicted on the AMD profile, is present on the aircraft (of course this could have been added at a later date).  The web site's colour profile slightly differs from the AMD profile in three ways;  1) it does not have the thin Red nose band, 2) the "Down For Double" name is in Yellow as opposed to AMD's name in White (again, the b&w photo is inconclusive but to my eyes the name looks lighter in colour than the Yellow propeller tips- could be White or Pale Yellow) and 3) the serial numbers on tail/rudder are all Black (AMD have White serial numbers on the Red rudder - however the tail is NOT visible in the photo & White serial numbers on a coloured rudder was common practice for the 355th FG so I'd go with the more colourful AMD version).  

NB. previously on AMD48-131 "Aces of the Eighth Pt. III".

---

 

Aircraft #3 F-6C (recon version of the P-51B/C) 42-103622 "Satan's Son" AX-G of 107th TRS, 67th TRG, Gosselies Airfield, Belgium. Spring 1945.

The F-6C was the recon. version of the P-51C, apart from the obvious camera ports - this aircraft also has a fin-fillet so the modeller has a bit of work here to convert the basic Tamiya P-51B kit (without fin-fillet) to this configuration.  Finish is overall Duraluminum finish with Olive Drab anti-glare panel; Black spinner & nose; 3 kill markings (cross style).

Now according to my wife Sharyn, I must possess almost every P-51 reference book known to man.  Eventually I found a small b&w photo of this aircraft in Larry Davis' P-51 Mustang published by Squadron/Signal Publications back in 1995.  Photo shows aircraft did have the rather squat-looking Black AX-G aircraft codes.

NB. previously on AMD48-211 "Fighting Mustangs P-51B Pt. I".

 

AeroMaster has presented P-51s and P-47s consistently well. Even though the artwork for these three Mustangs dates back a number of years - these are three very colourful & accurate Mustang schemes !  

The comments I've made about possible subtle differences in markings on aircraft #2 "Down For Double" are based on my study of only one b&w photo of the actual aircraft and are not intended to doubt or criticise AeroMaster's original artwork.  My research into aircraft 1 & 2 once again reinforced a thought of mine that there are still an almost endless number of Mustangs from lesser known units, such as the 355th & 359th FGs, we have not yet seen in decal form. 

The actual decals are in superb register and look very full in colour density.  The multiple sets of national insignia, stencil data and Black 15" ID theatre stripes are a very thoughtful inclusion.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to AeroMaster Products for the review set.

AeroMaster, Eagle Strike and Aires Products, including the new line of AeroMaster Decals, can be viewed and purchased on-line at the AeroMaster / Eagle Strike web site.