Introduction

The Mustang must rank alongside the Spitfire and the Hurricane as one of the allies most Iconic aeroplanes , but is best known in the ‘D’ model, powered by the ubiquitous Rolls Royce Merlin engine. This book is not about that one, but the previous models powered by the Allison V-1710 powerplant.
The Allison powered Mustangs performed a different role to the far more glamorous high level bomber escort role of the ‘D’. Ground Attack and tactical reconnaissance were this planes forté.
In contrast to the shiny NMF finish of later war planes the planes covered by this book went into battle in camouflage, which allows for some interesting schemes to be portrayed.

History

The Mustang came into being due to the need for modern fighter planes by the RAF in 1940, with North American Aviation initially being asked to build the P-40 under licence, but this was not what the company wished to do. So they decided to design a new place – this was what became the Mustang. As is often the case in times of war, it was designed very quickly, and an initial order was placed before the plane had even tasted the air…

About the book

Title - P-51 Mustang – Part 1 Allison Powered
Author – Malcolm V Lowe
Publisher – SAM Publications
ISBN – 9781906959029
Format – 176 Pages, Softcover
Chapters
Mustang Genesis
Britain’s need for fighters sparks the design of a classic
Britain’s Finest
Early RAF operations confirm the prowess of the Allison-engined Mustang
Service Excellence
The sterling service of the RAF Allison-engined Mustangs later in WWII
America Takes an Interest
Combat necessity for the USAAF overrules entrenched opposition
Early US Operations
The First US Mustangs in Combat
Successful US Service
US-operated Allison-engined Mustangs in successful world-wide service
Future Projects
Development initiatives to enhance the Mustang with the superlative Merlin Engine
Other Operators
Little known operators of Mustangs with Allison Engines
Mustang in Colour
Rare contemporary colour images of Allison-engined Mustangs – Including Side view artwork.
Modelling the Mustang in popular scales
Walk Around
Technical Diagrams
Appendix 1 – Allison Mustang Specifications
Appendix 2 – Power for the Allison Mustang
Appendix 3 – Allison Mustang Armament
Appendix 4 – Production and serial numbers
Appendix 5 – RAF Mustangs
Appendix 6 – Understanding the subject
Appendix 7 - Kitography.

This book follows the tried and tested format of the SAM Publications Comprehensive guide series, the first 8 chapters of the book being more of a history book, well researched and spattered with excellent reference photographs, following the plane from it’s initial prototypes through to the final in service planes. Also included in the book are some very nice period colour photographs.

There are side views of 25 different planes, most of which have been the subject of photos or commentary in the book.
This first section of the book,is in my opinion, of interest to anyone with a passion for WWII aircraft – not just modellers. Well written, informative and a pleasure to read, but we ARE modellers, so the rest of the book is the section of most interest.
Modelling the Mustang in popular scales.
The beginning of this chapter is a run through of the difference between the external differences in the early mustangs, illustrated by built kits, along with tips on achieving a realistic finish for the OD that a lot of the American planes were finished in. This section is followed by in depth build details of 4 planes. One in 32nd, two in 48th and one in 72nd.

Straight after the builds we come across the walk around section – 23 pages of high quality detail photos of planes in museums – excellent reference material for super detailing. A nice touch is this section is on different colour paper, for ease fo finding the section, useful when your work bench is as cluttered as mine. Technical drawings follow this section – again excellent references for the super detailers, and interesting for the anoraks amongst us.

The usual Kitography section is at the tail end of the book, listing the available kits, aftermarket and decals sheets that are available at the time the book went to press.

A fold out section at the back of the book has scale plans of the aircraft in the three scales covered in the build section.

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