Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you can hardly have failed to notice that Mustang Fever has swept the modelling world, thanks to Tamiya's new 1:32 kit!

Eagle Editions have been quick to draw on their extensive reference library to produce a new range of attractive alternative markings for the kit - and, of course, also available in each of the other main aircraft modelling scales.

Set #140 offers markings for a trio of Mustangs - each very distinctive:

1. "Hun Hunter / Texas" – P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13305, WR*Z, 355th FG
2. "Lou IV / Athelene" – P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13410, E2*C, 361st GF
3. "Sharkmouth" – P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13878, HO*Y, 352nd FG

The decals are a classic example of just why the custom-printers Cartograf are so highly regarded. The registration is absolutely perfect on the review sample, and the most remarkable aspect is that the carrier film is trimmed so tight to the edges of items such as the national insignia as to be virtually non-existent. This is obviously a huge plus on natural metal finishes; in fact I'd have been tempted to go one stage further and do the same for the squadron codes too, even though this would have made their application marginally fiddlier.

Some of the original aircraft were field-painted with camouflage, leaving a narrow border of natural metal around the national insignia. To avoid any tricky paint masking on the model, this is represented on the decals with silver. Again, this is excellent, with a really smooth finish that shows none of the "speckles" I've seen on sheets from some rival printers.

Accompanying the national insignia and individual aircraft markings is a comprehensive set of servicing stencils with a placement guide. Having not been fortunate enough to see the Tamiya kit, I can't say whether EageCals' stencils are intended as corrections for the kit decals, or merely alternatives. However, on the smaller scale editions of the sheet, the stencils will definitely be useful for some of the many Mustang kits available.

One thing that regularly impresses me with EagleCals is the attention the designers pay to providing references where possible. Concise instructions are provided for each aircraft. These include details of the specific aircraft and any notable characteristics, along with a description of the colour scheme. Additionally, there's a separate sheet with B&W photos of two of the aircraft and very informative captions. One interesting point that's picked up is the distinct overspray from the spinner onto the roots of the propeller blades when "Sharkmouth" was painted at squadron level. I wonder how many modellers will be prepared to risk accusations of a "bad paint job" by replicating this accurately?...

EagleCals P-51D sheets are priced as follows

1:72 - $11.00
1:48 - $15.00
1:32 - $17.50

Conclusion

This is another great sheet of EagleCals, combining top-quality decals with detailed references for a trio of interesting schemes. Even the well-known "Lou IV / Athelene" has a twist in how it's depicted that I haven't seen before and is bound to be the centre of many discussions. Highly recommended.

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