New Mustang kit targets first time modellers

Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.

As some of the first new tooling announcements we made at the beginning of this year are beginning to arrive in our warehouse as stock items, we will be featuring one of them in this week’s edition of Workbench, our first new Starter Set release of the year. Regarded as arguably the finest fighting aeroplane of the Second World War, the ‘D’ variant of the North American P-51 Mustang didn’t arrive in any quantities at US fighter bases in England until March 1944, which makes the impact it had on the air war all the more impressive. For an aircraft of this pedigree, it will come as no surprise to learn that the Mustang has been a kit favourite in the Airfix range since the late 1950s, however, this latest addition to the range really is something special, an Airfix Mustang kit for everyone.

By way of welcoming this new kit to the current Airfix range, we will be taking one final look at this project and thanks to the support of the kit’s talented designer Ethan Barker, we have a selection of kit frame component images to share with you, which includes its now incredibly popular shadow stand, the largest individual component of the kit. We will also be taking a look at the scheme option supplied with this kit, one which inspired the creation of the beautiful new box artwork and the aircraft which was the mount of a famous Eighth Air Force ‘Ace’ pilot and a man who had a Messerschmitt Me 262 victory to his name.

Thanks to Ethan’s design efforts, modellers of all abilities and experience can now have a beautiful scale representation of this aviation classic on their display shelf in no time at all.

An American aviation classic which owes much to Britain

Built sample image of the latest addition to the Airfix Starter Set range, a North American P-51D Mustang in the colours of USAAF Ace pilot George Ferdinand Ceuleers.

Although they weren’t actively participating in the war which had erupted in Europe during the late 1930s, America did play a huge part in the fortunes of that war for the Allied nations and Britain in particular. By allowing a significant amendment to their Neutrality Act to pass through congress, they effectively allowed Britain and France to purchase military equipment from the US, on the proviso that those nations were prepared to pay for them and transport them on their own ships, at their own risk. This move was regarded as the right thing for their great nation to do at the time, as doing nothing would effectively help German aggression continue unabated.

With a desperate need to obtain more fighter aircraft to take the pressure off home based manufacturing companies which were already working at maximum capacity, the British Purchasing Commission approached the Curtiss-Wright Company to supply Britain with hundreds of P-40 fighters. Unfortunately, as they were already working at maximum capacity on existing USAAF contracts themselves, they approached the relatively new and at that time, underused North American Aviation to see if they would be interested in building the P-40 under licence.

In an unexpectedly bold move, North American said they could produce a new, better fighter than the P-40 and crucially, that it would be ready for evaluation in a shorter amount of time than it would take them to establish Curtiss production lines in their facility. As the British were looking for a capable fighter to take on the Luftwaffe, they clearly had some reservations, particularly as North American had never previously designed or built a fighter aircraft and this project would probably not have got off the ground, had their position not been so desperate. As it was, they agreed to the proposal and hoped that they would still be in the war when the new aircraft was finally ready to take to the air.

Repaying the faith borne out of necessity the British placed in North American Aviation, what their design team achieved was nothing short of miraculous and even though their impressive new aircraft incorporated a host of advanced new features, their prototype aircraft (NA-73X) was rolled out on 9th September 1940, only 120 days after the production contract had been signed. The aircraft was powered by the same Allison V-1710 engine used by the Curtiss P-40 and if the potential of an aircraft went hand in glove with its appearance, the new fighter was destined for great things.

The first flight of the new fighter took place 47 days after it was first unveiled and other than the usual issues associated with the first flight of a new aircraft type, it immediately showed great promise and was clear vindication of the confidence North American Aviation had in their design and manufacturing capabilities. Rather than this being nothing more than an impressive stopgap first attempt at producing a fighter aircraft in record time, what they had actually produced was a thoroughbred fighting aeroplane, one which although they didn't know it at the time, would go on to be a war winner.

A design screenshot which perfectly illustrates the beautifully clean lines of the Mustang and its laminar flow wing, and aircraft bred for speed and endurance.

Once in Royal Air Force service, Britain would give the Mustang its combat debut in the European theatre, with the first aircraft arriving in the UK during October 1941 and after work up, seeing operational service from early the following year. These first machines were powered by the tried and trusted Allison V-1710 V-12 liquid cooled engine and whilst perfectly adequate for low and medium altitude operations, the lack of a supercharger did affect its performance at higher altitudes, therefore restricting its effectiveness as a fighter. Whilst the Mustang found plenty of roles to perform, these were predominantly at lower altitudes and usually in ground attack/support roles, however, pilots were extremely complimentary about the aircraft and just had a feeling that it was capable of much more.

When it comes to looking at the development history of the Mustang, everything appeared to happen very quickly and there was always an element of 'opportunity' about pivotal moments, and that was certainly the case when it came to unlocking its true potential. As the capable new aircraft continued to be operated by several development units in Britain and more pilots had the opportunity to fly it, one Rolls Royce test pilot who was impressed with its handling broached the subject of installing the latest variant of the Rolls Royce engine in the aircraft with his superiors. Was the performance of this magnificent aircraft capable of being improved still further?

In August 1942, the Mustang X program saw several Mustang airframes experimentally fitted with Rolls Royce Merlin 61 two speed, two stage supercharged engines and the results were nothing short of spectacular. In this configuration, the Mustang was capable of achieving an impressive 441mph at 29,800ft, a speed which was approximately 100mph faster than the Allison powered Mustang I at the same altitude, a truly spectacular improvement. The magnificent Mustang had just been given its fighting wings!

News of this development was immediately shared with officials at the North American Corporation and a programme put in place to have the Packard Motor Car Company produce licence-built Merlin engines in the US. Developed further, the latest variant of the Mustang would be produced with Packard Merlin powerplants, with aircraft carrying the P-51B designation being produced at Inglewood, California, whilst those referred to as P-51C variants being almost identical, but produced in Dallas, Texas.

One of the most famous aircraft in the history of aerial combat, its often surprising to learn that the P-51D variant only entered the war in large numbers just prior to D-Day.

The combination of the Mustang's advanced laminar flow airframe, excellent overall design and new Packard Merlin engine transformed what was always a promising fighter into a world-beater, one which was destined to have a dramatic impact on the course of the Second World War.

As far as the US bomber pilots who had been engaged in fighting their savage daylight bombing campaign against targets right across enemy occupied Europe and into Germany itself, many of those who had been lucky enough to survive this relentless onslaught only regarded the war as being in two stages for them, the time before the Mustang’s arrival and operations after it. Once the Mustang had entered service and been equipped with long-range external fuel tanks, they had a fighter which was not only capable of escorting them all the way to their targets, but also possessed the speed, manoeuvrability, and firepower to cope with anything the Luftwaffe could throw at them along the way.

Indeed, the performance of the Mustang proved to be so impressive that with numbers of enemy fighters seemingly reducing with every sortie, US fighters we freed to go and hunt their foes wherever they could find them, be that in the air coming to challenge them, or on the ground at their home airfields. The USAAF needed the right aircraft with which to get this vital job done and in the Mustang, they had just that, a fighting thoroughbred. Quite a reputation for an aircraft which started out as a request for licence-built Curtiss P-40 fighters for the Royal Air Force.

Latest Airfix Mustang is a kit for the masses

Recreating an aviation classic, not only did Airfix designer Ethan Barker have the responsibility of creating our latest scale tribute to the marvellous Mustang, but he also had to make in in a way which would support even the most inexperienced of modellers during what might even be their first model build attempt.

If we think back to the early days of our own modelling journeys, Airfix kits and the subject matter they presented us with, provided fertile young minds with plenty of inspiration for finding out a little more about the aircraft, military vehicles, cars, and other craft they represented, particularly their interesting shapes and colours. Even though we will all no doubt have our own particular favourite subjects we remember so fondly from those days, the Mustang will be high on the favourites list of many and will have been one of those kits many young modellers attempted time and time again in those carefree days, by virtue of the variety of scheme options available.

Back then, and whilst still honing our modelling skills, this was usually something of an exercise in personal development, because we were normally left to our own devices, unless we had a modelling older brother or father to help us out, but as with everything in life, you don’t make things better without first making a few mistakes along the way. The only thing that mattered to us back then was to finish our current build, before cracking on with the next – model kits were everything to us back then.

Even though we would have been flushed with our modelling successes, this was a journey we had to make by ourselves in the main, however, with the absence of too many other distractions for our attention at that time, are we being too presumptuous in suggesting kids were a little more persistent back then? What certainly isn’t up for debate is the fact that young people today have so many distractions demanding attention in their spare time that they are in danger of missing out on the simple pleasures of building a model kit altogether, and if we don’t do something about it, the thrill of making something and following instructions to help achieve this will be a process they will have little knowledge of.

Thankfully, this is a situation the Airfix team didn’t intend to take lying down and in order to provide novice and first time modellers with an ever expanding range of excellent kits to tempt them towards a first hobby experience, they have developed a range of kits which have been designed with ease of assembly in mind, but with the finished model being a stunning scale representation of the subject which inspired its creation. What is more, although these kits intentionally support the first steps into a modelling experience, they are not exclusively for first timers, as the quality of design and manufactures means they can be enjoyed by all.

Better by design, just as the Mustang was during the Second World War, Ethan has designed his latest scale tribute not only to be a fine representation of the fighter which inspired the project, but also one which was much simpler to assemble. The first two images here feature frame components from the new kit, including the distinctive shadow stand which is the largest single component in the kit. Ethan grabbed these images on his desk, just so we could include them in this final project review.

Clear guidance throughout, Ethan worked closely with our Graphics Illustrator Richard Petts to ensure the kit’s instructions provided all the support any modeller could need when creating their scale tribute to one of the world’s most famous fighting aeroplanes.

As we welcome the latest kit addition to a Starter Set range which will be growing yet again throughout the coming year, Ethan Barker, the designer of our new 1/72nd scale North American P-51D Mustang, is keen to see how his latest scale masterpiece will be received by the modelling world. He is clearly hoping that his efforts will result in a large number of people taking what may well be their very first steps in a hobby which continues to be enjoyed by so many people. From a subject perspective, taking an iconic aircraft such as the Mustang and applying some clever design techniques in enabling it to take its place amongst the growing ranks of new Starter Set kits will hopefully prove appealing to a great many people, but more importantly, could this be the kit which sets a new generation of hobbyists on their own modelling journeys?

With quite a wide variety of subject choice now residing within the Starter Set kit range, Ethan has kindly supplied us with this selection of Mustang frame images to include in this review, however as the kit was released earlier this week, the eager beavers amongst us might even have the kit on their own workstations by the time we publish this update and be inspecting the components ‘first hand’. Ethan’s Mustang design edition of Workbench can be viewed once again by using this link, but for now, let’s take a closer look at the appealing, if less well-known scheme option this fabulous new kit is supplied with.

North American P-51D Mustang 44-72719/N2-D ‘Constance’, 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, USAAF Station 375 Honington, Suffolk, England, 1945

The new Packard Merlin powered North American P-51B Mustang fighters entered service in the European Theatre from December 1943 and immediately presented Allied commanders with an aircraft which would enable them to clear the skies of Luftwaffe aircraft in advance of the proposed Normandy landings. Equipped with new lightweight external drop tanks, USAAF daylight bombing raids could now be supported by fighter protection all the way to their targets and should the Luftwaffe dare to show themselves, Mustang pilots were only too happy to show them what their impressive fighter could do.

Despite the fact that Mustang fighters only made their European combat debut at the end of 1943, constant development of the aircraft and a desire to produce the best fighting aeroplane of the war, quickly led to the introduction of arguably the definitive variant of the Mustang, the blown canopy equipped P-51D. Working closely with ETO combat units and taking the combat experiences and requests of pilots flying the existing B/C variant against the Luftwaffe, the already impressive credentials of the Mustang were further refined in an attempt to enhance its superiority in European skies still further. One of the main concerns pilots had related to the relatively poor field of view from the framed canopy of the first aircraft and as any fighter pilot will tell you, in combat, vision is everything.

The new aircraft benefitted from a host of improvements, which crucially included better visibility for the pilot, increased operational range and more firepower, in an attempt to make the Mustang an even more capable fighting aeroplane. With ever greater numbers of Mustangs filling the skies over enemy occupied Europe, it's interesting to consider that the 'D' variant of the Mustang was only in combat service for just about twelve months before the war in Europe ended, however, it would make a massive contribution towards securing air superiority for the Allies at that crucial stage of the conflict.

Full scheme details for Major George F Ceuleers Mustang ‘Constance’, an aircraft which helped him achieve ‘Double Ace’ status during WWII. This is followed by a selection of model images finished in this beautifully clean scheme.

The airfield at Honington in Suffolk was constructed in 1935 and opened as an RAF bomber station during the summer of 1937. During the early stages of WWII, Honington was an extremely active bomber station and home to the Wellingtons of Nos 75, 215 and IX Squadrons, prior to the airfield being handed over to the Americans in June 1942. From that point, it was referred to by its new owners as USAAF Station 375 and would have the distinction of being the airfield used for the longest period by USAAF Eighth Air Force units during WWII, only being handed back to the RAF in February 1946.

As a bomber station, the Americans used Honington and its adjoining technical site at Troston, as a major aircraft repair facility, specialising in the repair of damaged Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, with reports even claiming that stricken bombers returning from operations were told to crash land at Troston, so the repair process could get underway immediately. Honington was also home to a combat unit, the fighters of the 364th Fighter Group, who initially arrived with their Lockheed P-38 Lightnings in February 1944.

The units Lightnings would be plagued by many problems during their time in England and would lose as many aircraft to accidents as they would claim enemy fighters, however, all that would change when they exchanged their fork tailed devils for Mustangs during the summer of the same year. The group consisted of the 383rd (N2 codes), the 384th (5Y codes) and 385th FS (5E codes) Fighter Squadrons, all of which would go on to serve with distinction during their time in Europe.

Having trained on the P-38 Lightning at several bases back home in the US, pilot George Ferdinand Ceuleers was sent to fight in the European Theatre of Operations with the rest of the 383rd Fighter Squadron, to be based at Station 375 Honington from February 1944. Following a period of familiarisation and in-theatre training, the squadron was committed to combat against the Germans, flying a variety of missions from escorting bombers to dive-bombing and strafing enemy targets. Operational flying with the Lightning proved quite a challenge for the squadron and whilst their combat victory tally started to rise, so did their own attrition rates, mainly due to mechanical failures and accidents.

The unit’s fortunes would change following their conversion to the North American P-51 Mustang during the summer of 1944, a conversion which was complete by the end of July. In December that year, senior pilot Major George Ceuleers was leading a formation of 24 364th Fighter Group Mustangs from Honington, providing fighter cover for around 150 USAAF bombers on a sortie into Germany. The US formation was attacked by a force of over 100 single engined Luftwaffe fighters and despite being heavily outnumbered, Ceuleers proceeded to expertly manoeuvre his forces to ensure each enemy attack was repelled, steadfastly refusing to allow his own fighters to be drawn too far away from the bombers they were protecting.

The new Starter Set P-51D Mustang has already landed in our warehouse and can be found in model shops everywhere – Isn’t she a beauty!

During this frenetic dogfight, Ceuleers dispatched four enemy fighters on that mission and for his selfless actions on that day, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for displaying extraordinary heroism in combat, the US Army’s second highest military decoration. The 364th Fighter Group would also receive a Distinguished Unit Citation.

With the Eighth Air Force establishing a hard-fought superiority of the skies over Europe, the 364th Fighter Group would continue flying their deep penetration and bomber escort missions right through until the end of the war, with the Mustang proving to be the aircraft the Allies needed at that stage of the war. Major George Ceuleers would end the war as the 383rd Fighter Squadron’s leading ace, with 10.5 victories to his name, including one against one of the feared Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters.

His personal aircraft was typical of one of the Mustangs of the 364th Fighter Group, which were quite understated from a decoration perspective and not as garishly presented as the machines operated by some other 8th Air Force units. The Luftwaffe would quickly learn that this lack of flamboyance didn’t mean a lack of combat tenacity, as the unit would become ruthlessly effective in the execution of their duties over Europe.

His Mustang was named ‘Constance’, presumably after his wife, or girlfriend and was the aircraft in which he scored his Messerschmitt Me 262 victory on 4th April 1945. George F Ceuleers would serve two tours of duty in the European Theatre of operation during the Second World War, only leaving the (then) US Air Force in 1960, having risen to the rank of Colonel.

As we already touched upon, the profound impact the P-51 Mustang had on the war is probably best described by former pilots and military historians, many of whom share the same opinion. When it comes to analysing the European Air War during WWII, there is the period prior to the introduction of the Mustang and the period after, so different were the fortunes of the Allied air forces during both those periods of aerial combat.

As a new style Starter Set kit, ‘Constance’ comes as a complete modelling project package, with poly cement, paint brush and four acrylic paints.

A relatively simple scheme on a kit intentionally designed to be an easier build project for the less experienced modeller, this scheme actually marks the aircraft flown by a celebrated USAAF ‘Double Ace’, a man who had a distinguished and heavily decorated career in helping secure Allied victory during WWII. As a potential first modelling project, this surely makes for an appealing combination.

This latest addition to the new Starter Set range of kits is available now.