Eagle Editions get their decals custom-printed by Microscale, so you can pretty much guarantee the quality is going to be superb. As you'd expect, the designs are beautifully thin and glossy with excellent colour accuracy and depth. The registration is excellent and the sheet contains a comprehensive set of stencils along with the individual markings for the four 352nd FG aircraft covered.

P-51B-10 s/n 42-106451 "Cripes A'Mighty" as flown on 12 June, 1944 with 12 victory markings.
P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13321 "Cripes A'Mighty 3rd" as flown on 29 June, 1944 with 17 victory markings
P-51D-15-NA s/n 44-14906 "Cripes A'Mighty" with 31 victory markings in two forms - before and after the addition of red & white trim by Preddy's crew chief, Art Snyder.

As a bonus, the sheet also includes a really spectacular aircraft:
P-51B, s/n 43-6506 flown by Capt. John Bennet, featuring the only shark-mouth markings carried by the 352nd FG.

What really makes the Golden Eagles release rather special is that the decals are backed up by an excellent magazine-style 25 page booklet by Mark Proulx and Sam Sox, Jr., printed in colour on high quality paper. The booklet covers each of Preddy's Mustangs in a depth I've not seen elsewhere, revealing a few surprises along the way. For instance, it's long been assumed that Preddy's first P-51 was named "Cripes A'Mighty 2nd" following on from his earlier P-47. Newly found photos make it clear that the P-51B s/n 42-106451 was simply called "Cripes A'Mighty". The booklet also includes unique colour stills from an original 16mm film of the 352nd FG taken in the summer of 1944.

The booklet is broken down into 3 sections:
A background to Maj. Preddy's career.
An analysis of each of his P-51s.
A detailed account of his tragic final sortie when Preddy and his flight came under intense Allied anti-aircraft fire.

One of the problems that have beset modellers has been judging the correct colour for the 352nd's distinctive blue nose trim. The booklet makes it clear that two shades of blue were used (both probably locally obtained British paints) and gives the nearest equivalents in available model paints and FS values.

The original B&W photos are printed large and very clearly with excellent captions. To complete the package modellers are treated to a set of excellent full-colour profiles of each of the decal subjects by Thomas A.Tullis, plus a very handy stencil placement guide.

Golden EagleCals EC#100 is available in three scales - 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32. All are priced identically and you must be careful to specify the scale you require when ordering (those shown here are in 1/72 scale).

Conclusion

Previous EagleCals releases have always been excellent, but this new Golden EagleCals manages to go even further. Along with the usual top-notch decals themselves, the depth and quality of the accompanying reference booklet should ensure it has a long life as a Mustang reference long after the decals have been used. Highly recommended.

Contact details

Eagle Editions Ltd.
P.O. Box 580
Hamilton MT
59840 USA

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.