USAAF P-51 Mustang Summary

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang started with humble beginnings and went on to become the best overall fighter of WW2 due to its long range, reasonable armament and nimble handling.

Early in the war, the British were looking to procure additonal fighters. Curtiss P-40s were in short supply and the factory was running at full capacity. North American Aviation (NAA) was asked if they would manufacture P-40's under license, and NAA responded they could have a better aircraft in the air sooner than establishing a production line for the P-40.

The Mustang was designed to meet British requirements and first flew just 102 days after the contract was signed. The prototype handled well and accommodated an impressive fuel load. In addition, the P-51 was slightly cheaper to build at $51,000 than the P-40 at $53,000.

The Mustang originally had the Allison V-1710 engine, which limited high-altitude performance, and the results were disappointing in early variants.

The U.S. Army never wanted the Mustang, so it was decided to adapt it as a dive bomber which turned out to be of marginal value in the North Africa campaign.

Replacing the Allison with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine resulted in the P-51B/C model, and transformed the aircraft's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft. allowing it to compete with the Luftwaffe's fighters, without sacrificing range. 

For the USAAF, the P-51 Mustang became a solution to the need for an effective bomber escort. It used a common, reliable engine and had internal space for a larger-than-average fuel load. With external fuel tanks, it could accompany the bombers from England to Germany and back. 

The breakthrough version was the P-51D, powered by the two-speed, two-stage-supercharged Merlin engine had superb performance & range and a new bubble canopy for excellent visiblity. It could match the performance of the best German fighters while having the range of a bomber. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was quoted as saying, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."

Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in combat and another 4,131 destroyed on the ground. This was about half of all USAAF claims in the European theater and was the most claimed by any Allied fighter. Losses were about 2,520 aircraft.

The P-51 also participated in the Korean War, then redesignated as the F-51. When jets were introduced, the Mustang fulffiled the fighter-bomber role.

The Mustang is available in several paint schemes.

North Africa
England Olive Drab
Italy Red Tail
Italy Yellow Tail
England Blue Nose
England Yellow Nose
England Yellow Nose Camo
Pacific

All pieces are magnetized.

Customer Reviews

No Reviews Posted Yet - be the first! (write review)