P-51D Mustang

Mighty Eighth - 65th Fighter Wing

Eduard LIMITED, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The 65th Fighter Wing was an important component of the Eighth Air Force fighter command during the Second World War. Activated in England during 1943, the wing played a critical role in escorting American heavy bombers over occupied Europe and Germany during the strategic daylight bombing campaign.

At the time, bomber formations of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator suffered heavy losses once they moved beyond the range of Allied fighter protection. German fighters attacked relentlessly, exposing the urgent need for long-range escort units capable of protecting bombers deep inside enemy territory.

The 65th Fighter Wing initially flew the rugged Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Powered by the massive Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine, the Thunderbolt proved to be a durable and heavily armed fighter, capable of surviving intense combat damage while escorting bombers through fierce opposition. Wing units conducted bomber escort missions, fighter sweeps and ground-attack operations across Western Europe.

During early 1944, many units transitioned to the North American P-51 Mustang. The arrival of the long-range Mustang transformed the air war. With the ability to escort bombers all the way to Berlin and back, Allied fighters could now challenge the Luftwaffe continuously over German territory.

The wing participated in many major operations, including the famous “Big Week” attacks of February 1944 against the German aircraft industry. During these operations, American fighter wings deliberately engaged German interceptors in large-scale aerial combat, inflicting losses the Luftwaffe could no longer replace.

Following the D-Day landings in June 1944, the 65th Fighter Wing expanded its role to include armed reconnaissance and close support missions against railways, transport networks and troop concentrations in support of Allied ground forces advancing across France and into Germany.

Operating from crude grass airfields, the pilots and ground crews of the 65th Fighter Wing played a vital part in securing Allied air superiority over Europe. Though less well-known than some other fighter groups, the 65th Fighter Wing contributed significantly to the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany.

Eduard debuted their 1/48 scale P-51 Mustang family in 2019 with the Chatanooga Choo-Choo Limited Edition.

The parts in that kit allowed it to be finished as a wide range of production blocks from the D-5 up to the D-30 in the European or Pacific theatres. There are two styles of fin fillet supplied - one field installed and a second style that was fitted at the factory.

When combined with other optional parts on the sprues, the modeller can build a later block Mustang too, including P-51Ks.

Eduard also released an RAF and Commonwealth version, the Mustang Mk.IV / IVa followed by a dedicated P-51K Mustang boxing.

The new kit, with the theme of the Mighty Eighth - 65th Fighter Wing, shares the same versatile combination of plastic parts as the original Chatanooga Choo-Choo and Mustang Mk.IV releases.

The new boxing comprises 233 parts in grey plastic, 17 parts in clear plastic, nine resin parts, one colour photo-etched fret, self-adhesive masks for wheels and canopy and colourful new markings for 13 P-51Ds.

This parts count is not really anywhere near as high as might sound. Owing to the large number of options and parts for other versions, 64 of the grey plastic parts are marked "not for use", and four clear parts are also destined to stay on the sprues. You can subtract another dozen or two for alternate parts.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

This boxing offers a bonus of nine resin parts.

These cover the wheels, separate hubs for the main wheels and exhausts in both common types - shrouded and unshrouded. The wheels feature diamond pattern tyre tread.

The photo-etched fret is revised for this model and offers two styles of instrument panel, half-tone harness straps and lots of lovely cockpit detail. A few exterior details are incuded too.

The parts breakdown is quite conventional although there are a few fuselage and wing inserts to provide for various options.

Surface textures on the plastic parts is beautifully done with crisply recessed panel lines and selected rows of rivets. There are also a small number of subtly raised rivets where appropriate.

Recessed panel lines are present on the wings but rivets are not. I think this combination should satisfy the majority of modellers.

The fabric control surfaces feature restrained and convincing raised tape texture.

Two different fin fillets are included. Part D5 (on the left in the photo below) is the early field installed version appropriate to the P-51D-5 schemes on the decal sheet. The fillet on the right is the factory fitted version that applies to later production blocks.

Construction gets underway in the fabulously detailed cockpit. First up is a seven-part plastic pilot’s seat, enhanced with photo-etched harness straps. Photo-etched parts are also used for the instrument panel with raised bezels, quadrants and various handles and switch panels.

Alternative plasic instrument panels, lower switch panels, gun sights, coaming and sidewall switch panel parts are offered for the D-5 and later production blocks up to the D-20.

The sidewall frame structures are separate parts.

To the rear of the pilot, parts are suppied for three styles of radio, battery and IFF installation

Three styles of propeller blades are included - Hamilton Standard with cuff, Hamilton Standard without cuff and Aeroproducts . These are moulded in pairs with a separate hub. Two subtly different propeller spinner assemblies are also included.

The main landing gear bay is beautifully detailed and the shape is correct.

The diamond tread tyres and wheel hubs are separate parts.

Ailerons and landing flaps are separate parts held in place with tabs. Two sets of separate elevators are included representing the early fabric covered and the later metal skinned. The flaps feature a mix of raised and recessed rivets - just lovely.

The rudder is also a separate part.

The machine gun panels on the wing leading edge are separate inserts. This avoids the tricky seam/join that would otherwise run through the centre of the gun muzzles.

The radiator flap may be posed open.

Three different carburettor air filter intakes for the lower sides of the engine cowling are also included.

Other options include two 108 gallon paper drop tanks, two 75 gallon metal drop tanks, two 100lb bombs, two 250lb bombs, two triple rocket tubes, ten 5" HVAR rockets and a DF loop.

Many of these options are not required for the P-51D-5 markings supplied in this kit, but if you are impatient to build a later version, you'll find almost anything you could hope for right here on the sprues.

Three styles of sliding canopy are included - Dallas early, Inglewood early and Inglewood intermediate. These will cover variants from the D-5 to D-25.

The clear bubble section is moulded with the frame, so you won’t have any trouble getting a nice clean painting line. The windscreen is moulded with a small section of the upper fuselage, once again ensuring a clean join and painting demarcation.

All transparencies are clear, thin and free from distortion.

Two canopy mounted rear view mirrors and a number of lights and lenses are also moulded as clear parts.

Markings

Markings are supplied for 13 striking schemes.

A nice selection of different colours and markings over bare metal and lacquer are offered. Details are:

• P-51D-20NA, 44-63223, 2Lt. Arthur R. Bowers, 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, February 1945

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14570, Capt. Ted Lines, 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, October 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14787, Maj. Frederick W. Glover, 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, December 1944

• P-51D-15NA, 44-15625, Col. Claiborne Kinnard Jr., CO 355th FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, early 1945

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14402, Capt. Fred R. Haviland, 357th FS, 355th FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, November 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14163, Capt. John F. Tulloch Jr., 358th FS, 355th FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, January 1945

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14309, Lt Col John A Brooks III, 2 nd Scouting Force, 355th FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, January 1945

• P-51K-5NT, 44-11568, Lt. Col. Wallace E. Hopkins, 374th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF, ALG A-84 Chievres, Belgium, February 1945

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14164, Lt. Urban L. Drew, 375th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF, Little Walden, United Kingdom, October 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14809, Lt. Donald F. Vulgamore, 376th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF, Little Walden, United Kingdom, November 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14651, Capt Barkley Holister and Lt. John C. Donnell, 434th FS, 479st FG, 8th AF, Wattisham, United Kingdom, November 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14354, Lt. Phillip D. Gossard, 435th FS, 479st FG, 8th AF, Wattisham, United Kingdom, October 1944

• P-51D-10NA, 44-14351, Col. Hubert Zemke, HQ 479st FG, 8th AF, Wattisham, United Kingdom, September 1944

A second sheet with stencil data is also included.

Decals are printed by Eduard

Eduard's latest 1:48 scale Mighty Eighth 65th Fighter Wing is every bit as nice as its Mustang predecessors in this thoroughbred family.

Surface textures are class-leading while cockpit and wheel well detail are quite clearly the best of any 1/48 scale Mustang kit currently available.

The large number of optional parts opens all sorts of possibilities too.

This really is a Gold Standard Mustang and a very versatile kit.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample.

Text and Images Copyright © 2026 by Brett Green
Page Created 12 May, 2026
Last updated 12 May, 2026

Back to HyperScale Main Page