LIMITED EDITION
The AVIATION archive
A detailed DIE-CAST model for the adult collector
FIGHTER ACE
Major Walker "Bud" Mahurin added a solitary Japanese kill to his 20 ETO victories while flying this P-51D during his time as CO of the newly formed 3rd ACS. He claimed a Ki-46 "Dinah" on January 14, 1945, while supporting operations in the Philippines. As a young fighter pilot, bud Mahurin was always photographed with a big smile on his face, especially in his early World War II photographs. He couldn't have known that he would be one of the few U.S. fighter pilots who would be shot down in two different wars. He also couldn't have known he'd become a fighter ace, a POW and an American hero.
Designed to meet an RAF requirement for fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-51 Mustang was first flown on October 26th, 1940. This versatile aircraft was capable of escorting bombers on long-range missions, engaging in dogfights, and dropping down to destroy German targets on the ground. At least eight versions of the P-51 were produced, but it was the definitive P-51D that gave the Mustang its classic warbird appearance. Britain and the US both tested the airframe with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which gave the aircraft tremendous performance gains. The Truman Senate War Investigating Committee called the Mustang "the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence."
Corgi's 1:72 scale P-51 Mustang series includes the early war P-51B and the late war P-51D variants. P-51B releases feature either an early bird-cage style canopy or the "Malcolm-Hood" style canopy and under wing mounted pitot tube. The P-51D's large "bubble-top" canopy allows for easy viewing of a hand-painted pilot figure. A removable engine cowling is included on some releases (see photos), revealing a detailed Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This series includes models with a variety of wing mount drop tanks and ordnance and accurately modeled radiator scoops. When configured for ground display, the wing's structural detail can be seen inside the wheel wells.
Eén uitvoering;
- P-51D Mustang - 15-44-14978 Maj.Walker "Bud" Mahurin, CO, 3rd ACS/3rd ACG, Mangaldan, Luzon, 1945.
