North American P-51D Mustang

Mushroom Model Publications is a company that until recently was based in Redbourn, Herts UK. They just moved to Petersfield, Hants UK. Their books on aircraft, and few armor subjects are all printed by Stratus in Sandomierz Poland in the English language.

The book is in MMP’s usual 9” x 6 ½” page format for their series of aircraft books, and is 152 pages long.

This latest Yellow Series book from Mushroom Models Publications (MMP) describes the design and development of the P-51D Mustang, the most iconic and successful American fighter of WWII. Details of the –K variant and the CAC versions built in Australia are also included. The extensive operational history of the Mustang in WWII, Korea and elsewhere has been told many times, so this book concentrates on the technical details. Differences between production blocks are described, backed up by 1/72nd scale plans, of which there are 5 side profiles and three 2-views.

A very extensive walk-around section in color covers all aspects of the airframe, combining wartime photos and 31 excerpts from technical manuals and color photos of many restored Mustangs. Midwest Aero Restoration’s P-51D-30-NA, serial no. 44-74452, N74190 “Jack’s Go Buggy” is extensively pictured. It is reckoned by many to be the most authentic P-51D current flying. Mike VanBoncour of Midwest lent a lot of assistance to the making of this book Steve Atkin also provided photos of the detail work being carried out on Peter Teichmans “Jumping Jaques” (P-51D-20-NA, G-SIJJ) to a similar standard.

The book contains 52 black and white photos, 3 data charts and 31 illustrations out of P-51 tech manuals.

Color photos are shown of P-51D’s with the nicknames:

• Double Trouble two
• Comfortably Numb
• Ferocious Frankie
• Annemosse
• Big Beautiful Doll
• Twilight Tear
• Old Crow
• Daddy’s Girl

There is a color photo of a line up of 5 P-51D’s at Rickenbacker Airport in Columbus, Ohio USA. The nicknames on them are “Lady B”, “Lucious Lisa”, “War Bird”, “Red Dog” and the 5th one’s nickname is obliterated by the wing of the aircraft next to it.

Color profiles at the rear of the book include:

• P-51D-20-NA “Big Beautiful Doll”
• P-51D-20-NA “Three of a Kind”
• P-51D-20-NA “The Flying Undertaker” (as a 4-view)
• P-51D-30-NA Flown by Maj. Arnold “Moon” Mullens in the Korean War.
• P-51D-5-NA “Marie” (as a 3-view)
• P-51D-5-NA “Miss Marilyn II”
• P-51D-10-NA “Old Witch” (as a 4-view)
• An Australian P-51D fuselage code AM roundel G, with a sharkmouth nose.
• A RAF P-51D serial no. A68-809
• A Australian CA18 Mk. 23 serial no, A68-141
• P-51D of the Bolivian Air Force, with a sharkmouth nose.
• P-51D of the Canadian Air Force, with “City of Winnipeg Sqn.” On the nose.
• P-51D of the Nationalist Chinese Air Force
• P-51D of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force of China (communist).
• P-51D of the Costa Rican Air Force
• P-51D of the Cuban Air Force
• P-51D of the Dominican Republic Air Force
• P-51D of the El Salvadorian Air Force
• P-51D of the French Air Force
• A captured P-51D-5 of the Luftwaffe
• P-51D of the Guatamalian Air Force
• P-51D of the Indonesian Air Force
• P-51D of the Israeli Air Force
• P-51D of the Italian Air Force
• P-51D of the Netherlands Air Force
• P-51D of the New Zealand Air Force
• P-51D of the Nicaraguan Air Force
• P-51D of the Philippines Air Force
• P-51D of the Polish Air force
• P-51D of the Samolian Air Force
• P-51D of the South African Air Force
• P-51D of the South Korean Air Force
• P-51D of the Swedish Air Force
• P-51D of the Swiss Air Force
• P-51D Mk. IVa of the RAF (as a 4-view)

A bonus in the book is a large sheet, that is 24” x 17 ¼”. It has 1/48th scale line drawings on one side of a P-51D-5, P-51D-15 NA, F-6K-10-NT, P-51D-15 NA (as a 7-view, including a side profile of it mounted with bazooka launchers and one side profile of it mounted with 150 U.S. gallon impregnated paper drop tanks), P-51D-20-NA, and a

P-51D-25-NA equipped with AN/APS-13 antennas. Illustrations of the Aeroproducts propeller and the Hamilton Standard propeller are also shown.

The other side of the sheet features repeats of the P-51D-15 NA as a 4-view and the P-51D-25 NA with antenna, along with repeats of the 2 propeller types in 1/32nd scale.

These drawings will prove invaluable to modelers, as well as the 1/72nd ones in the book.

There are several color shots of the inside of cockpits of the P-51D that will also prove to be valuable to modelers. The Mustang has always been one of my favorite aircrafts. This is truly one whale of a book.

I want to thank Dr. Roger M. Wallsgrove, Editor-in-Chief of MMP and the folks at Stratus sincerely for this review sample.

MMP books can be seen at www.mmpbooks.biz