. . . To change its mind. To those of us that inquired, Eduard initially indicated that they were going to produce a Pacific Theater VLR Mustang and release it as a separate boxing in 2020. Well, that has changed, but only in the way the kit is going to be released and the timing of release. Eduard announced in its September edition of INFO Eduard that the Iwo Jima VLR Mustang would be a part of their Royal Class boxing. Below is an excerpt the of newletter’s editorial:

“I welcome you to today’s newsletter, one that will focus on September’s new releases and developments. The end of August saw the sell out of the first boxing of the Mustang kit, a total of 6700 kits with the title Chattanooga Choo Choo, released as a Limited Edition kit on the occasion of the American IPMS National convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The show itself was very nice, held in a nice town. The interest in the Mustang was huge, both at the show, and on the internet. We sold a thousand kits in 24 hours, which, at the moment, represents a record for us in terms of a single item sale, and the overall sales for this kit are also the best to date for a Limited Edition release of a kit. Discussions around the Mustang are continuing at a feverish pace, and inevitably touch on the distant future to cover any possible release of the P-51B/C as well as a scaling down to 1:72nd scale. This will happen, but the timing of these items cannot yet be nailed down with any precision. But I can say with certainty when the Royal Class boxing of the P-51 kit will come out and what it will look like. As usual, it will follow the Dual Combo concept, and will contain plastic for all the P-51D versions. Contrary to our original plans, we decided to exclude the photo reconnaissance F-6D, but to include an extra plastic sprue for the Pacific theatre Very Long Range Mustang. This will allow the inclusion of the oversized drop tanks that were used in the PTO. A part of the Royal Class boxing will be dedicated to the British Mustang Mk.IV. All in all, this will be a very striking item, and will be an ideal gift at Christmas. Don’t forget to tell your wives!” – Vladimir Sulc, INFO Eduard September 2019 Newsletter

So there you have it; a definitive answer regarding a release date and an item for your Christmas list to boot. Pretty sure I will not be taking Mr. Sulc’s recommendation about telling my wife to buy me the Royal Class boxing as a Christmas present. Considering the number of unbuilt kits I have in my stash, I can see my wife rightly rolling her eyes at the thought of feeding my addiction. She lovingly jokes that I am a model kit collector, and not a model builder. I definitely need to cull the herd at some point in time.

My first reaction to Eduard’s announcement was one of disappointment. With its own boxing as a ProfiPACK edition, Eduard normally includes five or six decal options. However, once I got over my own selfishness, Eduard’s decision only makes sense. With the Royal Class boxing, a modeler can build two variants of the D model within the range of a D-5 to a D-25. It is my hope that Eduard will provide at least three decal options for Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs in the their Royal Class boxing. It would be nice to see one decal option from each of the three Iwo Jima VLR Fighter Groups.

Will we see a separate Pacific Theater VLR Mustang boxing? I believe we will. It has been Eduard’s practice to rebox kits overtime. For example, as part of their September 2019 releases, Eduard is re-releasing its 1/48 Bell P-400 Airacobra kit as a ProfiPACK edition. Originally released in 2000, the kit is still a very nice kit. To coincide with this release, there is a very nice article in the September 2019 INFO Eduard newsletter describing the four P-400 raids in late August 1942 against the Japanese airfield near Buna, New Guinea. I like how Eduard provides modelers with some history behind the planes contained in their releases. While the VLR Mustang Groups were in combat no longer than five months on Iwo Jima, their history is so rich and their story is so compelling. In addition, each squadron within the VLR Mustang Groups had different markings, which provides a multitude of interesting decal options. I believe the release of a quality P-51D Mustang kit is a “license to print money”, and that Eduard will profit handsomely over the years by re-releasing this kit. The fact that they sold out the initial release of the kit in a month’s time is a testament to the popularity of the P-51D Mustang in general, and specifically this kit, among modelers. Patience I tell myself.

Disclaimer: I have given a certain amount of praise to both Eduard and Tamiya for giving modelers the option to build an accurate Iwo Jima VLR Mustang. If I give praise to a manufacturer for a model kit, paints, decals, or other aftermarket products, please know that I have no affiliations with any company or individual producing these items, nor do I have any contract or receive compensation to promote said kits or products on this blog. I do think it is important to give credit where credit is due. So if I believe a kit or aftermarket product is worth your attention, I will point that out.

When I launched this blog, I realized it would not generate a tremendous amount of traffic because of its limited scope, and certainly not enough to attract attention of kit manufacturers. As stated in the Introduction, my intent is to honor the Iwo Jima aviators, and to tell their story, through modeling.