LPS Hobby 1/72 North American P-51 Mustang Decals
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
There is no shortage of decent 1/72 Mustang kits out there, and understandably so as it is one of the all-time most popular aircraft. The Tamiya kit remains at the top of the heap, though, being both accurate and fun to build. These latest decal sheets from LPS Hobby are designed to fit that kit, with one sheet stretching beyond the Tamiya to include the Academy P-51C kit. With two British sheets and one American, there are plenty of interesting choices to pick from.
1/72 British Silver Mustangs: North American P-51Ks
Starting with the British subjects, this sheet provides markings for three natural metal P-51Ks in British markings. The first one is the well-known "Dooleybird", a Mustang IVa flown by F.Lt. A.S. Doley of 19 Squadron RAF out of Peterhead, England in May 1945. This plane has blue and white checkers on the nose, a blue and white spinner, and a blue line running from the nose back to the blue canopy rail. Of course the plane also has the large "Dooleybird" name on the nose. This is definitely a colorful option, and also quite popular with modelers.
The second option is CV-P, a Mustang IVa from 3 Squadron RAAF at Fano, Italy in March 1945. Flown by Sq.Ld. Murray Nash, this plane has its fuselage codes in blue and the rudder blue with white stars. The spinner is red. The third choice returns to 19 Squadron RAF with QV-F, a Mustang IVa flown by F.Lt. Davidson at Peterhead, England in March 1945. This plane is a bit more sedate, with black and yellow stripes on the spinner.
1/72 British Camouflaged Mustangs: North American P-51Ks
If natural metal Mustangs are too common for you, this sheet provides three camouflaged Mustangs. The first is a Mustang IVa "Edmonton Special" from 442 Squadron RCAF, flown by Pilot Officer John Mallandaine at Hunsdon, England in May 1945. This plane has its codes in sky, trimmed in yellow, and features a yellow spinner, antiglare panel, and canopy framing.
The second choice is GL-N, a Mustang IVa named "Sweetpea" from 5 Squadron SAAF at Udine, Italy in January 1945. This plane has a red spinner and white fin tip. The Sky fuselage band has been painted over on this scheme. The final option is CV-A, a Mustang IVa flown by F.Lt. A. "Dusty" Lane of 3 Squadron RAAF at Cervia AB, Italy in April 1945. This plane is fairly sedate, with just the blue rudder with white stars providing anything different from the standard camouflage scheme.
1/72 Tuskegee Mustangs: North American P-51Cs & P-51Ds
Returning to natural metal, this sheet provides markings for three of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. All three aircraft have red spinners and red tails, common to the Tuskegee Airmen. The first option is a bubbletop P-51D named "Dearly Beloved" and flown by 1Lt. Earl R. Lane of the 100th FS, 332nd FG out of Ramitteli, Italy in 1944. This plane has a black 31 trimmed in red on the fuselage and red wingtips, as well as a red scalloped nose.
The remaining two options are P-51Cs, with the first being "Janice" from the 302nd FS, 332nd FG, flown by 2Lt. Paul L. Green out of Ramitteli, Italy in 1944. Aside from the name on the nose, this plane has a black 78 on the fuselage side. The final option is a P-51C named "Apache II" and was flown by 1Lt. Henry Perry of the 99th FS, 332nd FG out of Ramitteli, Italy in 1944. This plane is coed A3-8 and has blue and white diamonds wrapping around the nose, as well as a squadron emblem under the windscreen.
Conclusion
All three of these sheets offer some interesting options and will definitely look good on the shelf. While each sheet provides three options, there is only stenciling for one aircraft per sheet, so if you want to build all three you might need to source additional decals from either the kit or other aftermarket sets. My thanks to LPS Hobby for the review samples.