"Blue Nose Birds 
of Bodney"

P-51Ds in
1/24 scale

Eagle Strike Productions

Reviewed by John Kerr

No doubt one of many new 1/24 scale decal sheets we'll see released for the Trumpeter 1/24 scale P-51D Mustang ( also released under the Hobbycraft label). 

While this kit has been the subject of much scrutiny and discussion on various internet modelling discussion groups; I'll just make comment on this particular set of decals.

A/C #1  "STRAW BOSS 2 / LITTLE SANDRA" P-51D-10
s/n 44-14111 "PE-X"

flown by Lt. Col. James Mayden from the 328th FS.  Finish is Natural Metal with Dark Blue nose, Red rudder and fin tip, two Black ID stripes on lower horizontal tail stabilisers and partial Black and White D-Day stripes on the underwings and lower fuselage.  "STRAW BOSS 2" name nose-art on the left nose and "LITTLE SANDRA" name nose-art on the right nose (completely different style between the two examples of name nose-art).  Gun-slinging cowgirl nose-art is below the cockpit on the left fuselage side.

A/C #2 "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" P-51D-15 s/n 44-14906 "PE-P"

flown by Maj. George E. Preddy of the 328th FS as depicted on December 25, 1944 when the pilot was tragically shot down and killed by friendly ground-fire.  "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" is considered by many as the most famous and colourful of all bubbletop Mustangs given George Preddy was the top scoring Mustang ace of WW2.  

Finish is Natural Metal with Dark Blue nose, Red rudder and two Black ID stripes on lower horizontal tail stabilisers.  The additional colourful markings are very interesting; "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" name nose-art on the left nose (two part decal), barber pole nose-art on right nose, pilot's name in Yellow on Red background on left canopy frame, Red barber stripes on White radio mast, Red and White chevron stylised designs on flying surface tabs, Red semi-circles on wheel covers, and wing leading edge panel painted White with Red tear drops (the Red "tear drops" are provided in top and bottom decals, ie. two decals for each "tear drop").  Having recently done this scheme on a 1/48 TAMIYA P-51D I would expect masking off the wing leading edge panels to paint these areas White will be easier in this large scale.

For those interested; the origin of the "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" nickname for Preddy's P-47s and P-51s supposedly goes back to 1942 when he was flying P-40Es with the 49th FG based south of Darwin (Northern Territory), AUSTRALIA.  George liked to drink and play craps with other servicemen and "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" was then a very well used Australian / English expression that he liked to use. 

#3  "PETIE 3RD" P-51D-15 s/n 44-15041 "HO-M"

flown by Lt. Col. John C. Meyer from the 487th FS.  Photos of Meyer's later "PETIE 3RD" did not surface until recent times.  I find it a more interesting scheme than Meyer's earlier well-known P-51D "PETIE 2ND" which seems to have been covered by almost every kit manufacturer and decal producer in the smaller 1/72 and 1/48 scales.

Finish is again Natural Metal with Dark Blue nose while the rudder is also Blue.  Black ID stripes are on the wings and horizontal tail stabilisers.  Two Black D-Day stripes are on the lower fuselage (note the slightly different location of the stripes on "PETIE 3RD" compared to "CRIPES A'MIGHTY").  All those kill markings and the 487th unit badge on the left side plus the pilot's name in White on a Black background on the canopy frame (left side only) make for another colourful scheme.

Expect to see many new decal sets for the Trumpeter 1/24 scale P-51D from most of the regular decal producers.   I would be very surprised if there are not more 1/24th P-51D sets from the Eagle Strike / AeroMaster stable.  

Back to this decal set... the side and surface profiles for the three aircraft on the coloured instructions are excellent.  Included are scrap views of the starboard nose of both "STRAW BOSS 2" and "CRIPES A'MIGHTY" as well as the painted wing gun panels and muzzles on "CRIPES A'MIGHTY".  The inclusion of national insignia will replace the incorrectly coloured insignia decals found in the kit.

The actual decals (which are quite large in this scale) are crisp and in perfect register (no bleeding on the edges of the Red and Yellow areas). 

On-line sales are available from the AeroMaster Products / Eagle Strike Productions web site