This new decal
sheet from Cutting Edge
Modelworks includes markings for two different 1/48 P-51D Mustangs.
The first aircraft is a P-51D-5-NA Mustang flown by Lt.
Walter “Moon” Mullins with 55th FS of the 20th FG out
of Kingscliffe, England in the fall of 1944.
This particular Mustang is an earlier P-51 and doesn’t have the fin
fillet, so if your kit comes with the fin fillet…..you’ll have to cut it
away and fill in the hole. The
paint scheme on this aircraft is overall bare metal/silver in appearance with
Olive Drab for the anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen and behind the
canopy on top of the fuselage and up the leading edge of the tail. The top of the wings and tail surfaces are Olive Drab with
black stripes. The underside of the
wings have black stripes matching the top of the wings. The nose art is applied to an Olive Drab base and comes with
a white decal to place under the noseart decal to avoid colour bleed through.
The prop spinner has a white tip with the rear part of the prop spinner
being black. The forward edge of
the engine cowl has a black stripe with a white stripe behind the black stripe
(the white stripe is provided as a decal).
The code letter on the side of the rear fuselage are “KI S” with a
blue and white national insignia between the letter.
The tail contains a large black triangle with a large “S” in the
center….this triangle reminds me of the triangle sometimes seen on B-17’s
that operated over Europe.
The noseart decals are delicate and two are included
for each plane in case
you mess up the first ones. Exacting
instructions are included on how to prepare and install these decals…..read
these instructions carefully to avoid disaster. Apparently these noseart decals are very thin and need
special care, but once installed they will look very accurate and realistic.
The nose art decals are printed on a one piece decal sheet, so you’ll
need to cut the decal free from the rest of the decal film…..patience is the
key here. The noseart decal is
beautifully printed with fantastic detail and lovely shading.
Sadly Lt. Walter “Moon” Mullins died in a crash over the North Sea on
a training flight on October 18 1944.
|