P-51B Mustang royal hybrid 1/32

The North American P-51B Mustang is one of the most significant fighter aircraft of the Second World War and became a symbol of the Allied air campaign over Europe. The P-51B version marked a major turning point in the development of the type — thanks to the fitting of a British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine (manufactured under licence by Packard in the US), the Mustang achieved performance levels that made it a first-class high-altitude fighter. It was precisely this combination that gave rise to a long-range escort fighter, capable of accompanying heavy bombers deep into enemy territory and protecting them throughout the entire mission. The P-51B thus played a key role in securing air superiority over Europe and became the aircraft associated with many successful American pilots of the USAAF’s 8th and 9th Air Forces.

This Eduard kit, in 1:32 scale, is part of the Royal Hybrid range, which combines classic plastic parts with modern 3D-printed components. Large sections of the aircraft’s airframe — the fuselage, wings and other parts featuring surface details such as rivets and hinges — are produced using tried-and-tested plastic injection moulding (HPS) technology in metal moulds, ensuring a high-quality finish and easy assembly. In contrast, the small parts and assemblies for the cockpit and landing gear bays are produced using 3D printing technology, which allows for a level of detail unattainable through conventional moulding. 3D printing also allows larger assemblies with numerous details to be combined into a single part — for example, the base section of a landing gear bay consists of a single part containing most of the details, to which only a few small parts are glued, these having been separated primarily to facilitate the painting of the entire assembly. It should be noted that the printed parts are an integral part of the kit and the model cannot be built without them.

The pack also contains a decal sheet enabling you to build the model in one of eight colour schemes used by aircraft serving with the 8th and 9th Air Armies of the USAAF, a 3D-printed pilot figure, a small photo-etched sheet for fine details, masking tape for the cockpit, and Omask plugs for the landing gear bays. Also included is a 96-page book/publication dedicated to the P-51B, which provides modellers with a wealth of information and inspiration for construction and paint schemes. The large 1:32 scale stands out for the richness of detail in the cockpit and landing gear bays, as well as the overall impressiveness of the finished model. The pack does not contain the paints or adhesives required for assembly.