Hasegawa 1/48 P-51D Mustang

The P-51 Mustang may have been the most important and famous American fighter of WWII in the European Theatre (ETO), but its importance in the Pacific Theatre (PTO) was somewhat less since most of the early production units were deployed to the ETO and the Mustang was not as widely deployed in the Pacific. Mustangs saw action in three major areas; Chinese-Burma-India (CBI), Philippines, and Iwo Jima.

The improved Merlin-engined P-51B’s were first posted in April 1944 to the 311^th at Dinjan, India replacing the Allison-engined P-51A and A-36 models. The long range of the Mustang was well suited to the vast distances in the Chinese Theatre and they were mainly used in the ground attack role, strafing and bombing transportation targets and neutralizing enemy airfields.

In early 1945, the Mustang was deployed to the Philippines to provide a better fighter capability against Japanese aircraft, and it was here that William Shomo earned the only Medal of Honor given to a Mustang pilot in the Pacific by downing seven Japanese planes in a single mission. Lastly, the Mustang was sent to Iwo Jima in March 1945 and while their first days of combat were spent in ground attack missions, after the islands were secured they participated in long-range escort duty for B-29 raids based in the Mariana’s flying missions against the Japanese homeland. These flights tested the endurance and range of the Mustang to its maximum, featuring 1,400 mile round trips while spending eight hours in the air.

The kit is a re-release of the older Hasegawa release of the P-51D with new decals from the Pacific Theatre, and the parts needed (propeller & canopy) to build the P-51K model flown late in the war. The kit is typical Hasegawa; a high quality injected molded plastic with detailed recessed engraving. The kit consists of approximately 100 injected molded plastic parts that are the envy of the business in quality. Two decal options are provided in the kit, a P-51K flown by LTCOL William Banks, and a P-51D flown by LTCOL Edward McComas. The instruction sheet is typical Hasegawa, an eight-page foldout with color references for Gunze-Sangyo paints.