Reviewed by Rodger Kelly
 

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Thoroughbred Mustangs 24-012 is the second of Custom Aeronautical Miniatures (Cam Decals two new P-51B sheets in 1/24 scale. 

As with their P-51D sheets, the P-51 B sheets provide markings for a single aircraft only.  Unusual for a WWII fighter, this one does not carry a name.  P-51B, serial number 43-6500 was flown by LT Stanley Miles of the 486th Fighter Squadron, 352^nd Fighter Group, the “Blue Nosed Bastards”, out of Bodney, UK in 1944.  A check on the Little Friends site (link below) also lists this aircraft as flown by a LT Bernard H. Karl. 

This aircraft also is in olive drab over neutral grey with a full set of D-Day markings.  Her spinner and entire nose are medium blue (the placement guide does not specify a FS match nor does it or offer any matches to readily available model paints. 

Her markings include:

• A full set of national insignia,
• White PZ squadron codes and individual aircraft in squadron letter S.
• Yellow serial numbers for the fin and rudder.
• A full set of stencil data in white is also provided. There is no data block provided at all.

The D-Day markings are not supplied so you will have to paint them yourself.   This is probably a good idea as trying to position what would be very large decals would be a bit of a nightmare anyway. 

The squadron code letters P and Z on the appropriate sides had a thin surround of olive drab paint.  No doubt this was brought about on the 1 to 1 scale aircraft courtesy of masking tape when the D-Day stripes were painted on the airframe the night before the invasion.  The squadron code letters provided as decals reflect this olive drab border. 

The decal placement guide is the standard fare from Cam Decals - an A-4 sized sheet with black and white profiles of both sides of the fuselage and a plan view of the top surfaces of the wings and fuselage and the bottom surfaces of the wings. There is also a colour left hand side profile on the aircraft on the header card. 

The decals have been printed by Microscale and are well up to their high standards. They are all sharply printed and in perfect register.  

The placement guide, decal sheet and header card come packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag.  

The recommended kits are the Airfix and Trumpeter P-51Ds but as far as I know, neither of these companies have kitted the P-51B in this scale.  Maybe Cam Decals know something that we don't and there is a new 1/24th scale kit on the way.

 Nice stuff from Cam Decals. 

Thanks to Brookhurst Hobbies for the review sample.

A great reference site for 8th Air Force Mustangs is Little Friends at http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/Sitemap.htm .

It covers each of the fighter squadrons that made up the 8th Air Force.  It gives a very detailed history of each squadron and it also contains a wealth of images, many in colour.

CAM Decals are available online from their website at http://www.camdecals.com and from Brookhurst Hobbies

CAM Decals 59 page 2002 color catalog of decals and resin parts is also
now available through the CAM Decals website

Review Copyright © 2003 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 04 May, 2003
Last updated 14 August, 2003

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