Tag: 457th Fighter Squadron

Kit Review: Eduard’s 1/72nd P-51D Mustang “Tales of Iwo Jima” Limited Edition Dual Combo Boxing

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit Reviews, Kit/Product ReviewsLeave a comment

Eduard recently released its 1/72nd P-51D Mustang “Tales of Iwo Jima” Limited Edition Dual Combo boxing. The box art is very appealing.

Eduard

As can be seen from the kit’s aircraft profiles below, the decal options are similar to the 1/48th scale limited edition boxing in that it provides 12 decal options that cover all nine Iwo Jima VLR Mustang squadrons. They will be the same decal options with one change. The 457th Fighter Squadron decals will be for 539 “Lil Ole Meanie II”, flown by 2nd Lt. William G. Hetland and Lt. Hinkle, instead of 542 “Fighting Lady” flown by 1st Lt. Ralph Gardner and 1st Lt. Chester Jatzcak. The decals for 542 “Fighting Lady” are included in the 1/72 P-51D Mustang Profipack boxing.

Eduard

Below is a large aircraft profile of 539 Li’l Ole Meanie II. I am assuming it was included due to the pin-up art below the canopy of the beautiful woman in state of being partially undressed.

Eduard

I am not going to review the actual plastic parts as I have done that previously. You can find that review here. It is a beautiful and well engineered kit with exquisite rivet detail for a 1/72nd scale kit.

Eduard

No resin parts are included in this limited edition dual combo boxing. Customary of Eduard for limited edition boxings, a color photo etched fret is included for each kit that consists of cockpit components and scribing templates (Parts PE7 and PE19) to create accurate panel lines for the VLR Mustangs. The photo etched frets also contain the scribing and placement template, and parts (PE22-25) for the AN/APS-13 rear warning radar installed on the tail of late model Mustangs. Nice touch on Eduard’s part.

Some of Block 20(NA), and all of Block 25(NA) produced P-51Ds had the AN/APS-13 rear warning radar installed. The AN/APS-13 was a low power UHF tail warning radar transmitter/receiver which was used to detect aircraft approaching from the rear. Below 1500 feet it would have to be turned off, otherwise it would receive false readings from the ground. Its effective range against small fighter sized targets was 280 – 320 meters. When it detected an aircraft, a small red light would come on and a bell would ring. Below is a photo of a 462nd FS Mustang showing the location of the AN/APS-13 radar antennae on the tail.

Loomis Dean/USAAF/National Archives via Fold3

The AN/APS-13 radar was seen as somewhat of a blessing and a curse by pilots. Some 506th FG pilots that I have interviewed indicated it was an annoyance during formation flying because it would keep going off when a threat was not present unless you were the tail end Charlie. 1st Lt. William G. Ebersole of the 462nd FS indicated that it was common practice for pilots on VLR missions to turn the radar off during the long over water approach to Japan, and the long return trip back to Iwo Jima, only switching it on upon reaching the Japanese home islands.

There is a minor error on the assembly instructions that warrants pointing out. The avionics transmitters were different on Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs due to the addition of the SCR-695 IFF transmitter which was located right behind the SCR-522 radio transmitter. This addition necessitated moving the battery to the rear of engine compartment. Below is a nice computer generated image of how this set up looked.

John Terrell

Eduard has accurately produced the SCR-522 radio transmitter and SCR-695 IFF transmitter as one part (E3). Eduard also provides the normal configuration of the SCR-522 radio transmitter and battery as part E2. Below is page 3 of Eduard’s instructions (Step A) showing the assembly of the cockpit parts. Please note that the instructions indicate the correct part (E3), but the assembly drawing is of the SCR-522 radio transmitter/battery part (E2). Do not be confused by the wrong pairing of the part number and drawing. If you are building an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang, use part E3.

Eduard

Kudos to Eduard for putting out a 1/72nd Dual Combo Limited Edition boxing that provides decals for all 9 Iwo Jima VLR Mustang squadron. Nice to not to have to rely on the aftermarket decal industry to supply those options. If you want to build an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang in 1/72nd scale, this is the kit and the boxing to buy.

Memorial Day 2025; Honor Those Who Have Served to Protect Our Liberty and Freedoms

On By acarothersvlrmIn History, Intro/Miscellaneous1 Comment

“Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald W. Reagan, 40th President of the United States of America

Joe Rosenthal/Associated Press via Fold3

This Memorial Day we have a chance to pause and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We owe them such a tremendous debt, for the freedoms we enjoy today were paid for with an extremely high price! Their sacrifices ensures that our liberties and freedoms largely continue today – from the ability to gather with loved ones, to worship together, to speak as we see fit (and the companion right not to be forced to speak that which we know to be false), and to assemble and peacefully protest to effectuate change.

Captain John W.L. Benbow, 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group; Lost on the July 16, 1945 Strike Mission to Nagoya

The statue below is outside of the National Archives building in Washington D.C. It is of an ever watchful soldier holding his helmet, sword, and shield. The inscription below the statue reads “ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE OF LIBERTY”.

Guardianship Statute by James Fraser (Photo by Jeff Reed, National Archives)

Let us not be asleep at the wheel. We have forces from within that are intolerant, and this intolerance is being cultivated in our schools, colleges and universities. Speech which a few years ago was considered normal speech, is now being touted as hate speech. And we are now being told that we need to address certain individuals in ways that has no basis in reality.

Six thousand eight hundred twenty-one United States servicemen lost their lives securing in the battle for Iwo Jima. Many more, like Captain Benbow, lost their lives in bringing World War II to a close. If we do not protect our liberty and freedoms, the sacrifices made by them, and so many more, will have been in vain.

Kit News: Eduard Includes Decals for 542 “Fighting Lady” in its 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang ProfiPACK Boxing

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit/Product News3 Comments

Eduard recently released the 2nd ProfiPACK boxing of its popular 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. Most of decal options are of fighter aces; Lt. Col. John D. Landers’ Big Beautiful Doll, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer’s Petie 3rd, Maj. Leonard K. Carson’s Nooky Booky III, Lt. Col. Glenn T. Eagleston’s P-51D-20-NA, and Capt. Fredie F. Ohr’s “Marie”.

Eduard

But it also includes decals for 542 Fighting Lady, a P-51D-20-NA assigned to the 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group. Neither of the pilots assigned to fly Fighting Lady were aces.

Eduard

542 Fighting Lady was assigned to 1st Lt. Ralph Gardner and 2nd Lt. Chester Jatzcak. Below is a nice close up picture of the pin up art that adorned the fuselage.

542 Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

While the quality of the below photo is not the best, it does clearly shows the position of the name Fighting Lady on the nose below the engine exhaust stacks and the elegant design of the Mustang’s nose.

Unknown ground crew member lying on the wing of Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

Norma Jatczak, 2nd Lt. Chester Jatczak’s wife, was of the belief that the plane’s name was “Broadway Gal”. Unfortunately, the 506th Fighter Group Association does not have a photo to substantiate her belief. Eduard suggests in its instructions that the name of the plane was changed from Fighting Lady to “Broadway Gal” at a later date.

2nd Lt. Chester Jatczak crouched on the wing of “Fighting Lady” (506th Fighter Group Association via Norma Jatczak)

Please note the photo below does not have the name Fighting Lady on the nose yet. This photo was most likely taken in June of 1945 as the plane has a solid green tail instead of the initial squadron markings of diagonal green stripes on the tail.

1st Lt. Ralph Gardner in the cockpit of Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)

I interviewed Ralph Gardner at the 2013 506th Fighter Group Reunion in Chino, California, but did not think to inquire about whether the plane had the name of “Broadway Gal” at one point in time, or whether the name was on the right side of the nose. The photo below appears to dispel the notion that “Broadway Gal” appeared on the right side of the nose.

1st Lt. Ralph Gardner flying Fighting Lady (506th Fighter Group Association/Dr. John Benbow)
457th Fighter Pilots in front of Fighting Lady – Front row left to right; Lts. Alan Kinvig and George Hetland; Back row left to right; Lts. Ray Miller, Martin Ganschow, Ralph Gardner and Larry Grennan (506th Fighter Group Association via Ralph Gardner)

1st Lt. Gardner was credited with an aerial victory on June 10, 1945.

Thanks to Eduard for including decals for an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang in this boxing!

Kit Review: Eduard’s 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang Royal Class Dual Combo

On By acarothersvlrmIn Kit Reviews, Kit/Product Reviews3 Comments

I received Eduard’s 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang Royal Class Dual Combo boxing recently. In scaling down their 1/48th scale P-51D kit to 1/72nd scale, Eduard made it so can you build any variant from a D-5 through a D-25,including the K, without having to buy any extra sprues or after market accessories. For instance, you can build an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang from any boxing they release because all of the necessary parts are present in the kit. Wise decision on Eduard’s part. On to the sprues.

Eduard

The first sprue (A) is the clear parts and they are crystal clear and provide all three of the variations of rear portion of the canopy. The clear parts are bagged separately to protect against scratches.

Eduard

The second sprue (B/C) contains the fuselage halves, wings, and horizontal and vertical stabilizers. All three tails are present, the D-5 without the fillet, the D-5 with the sway-back fillet, and tails with the regular fillet that were on most D-10s and all D-15s, D-20s, D-25s and Ks. Both the flaps and ailerons are molded separately which gives the modeler the ability to position them as he or she desires.

Eduard

The rivet detail is exquisite as shown in the picture below. Yet, Eduard also showed restraint and did not put them on the wings where they would have been puttied over to increase the laminar flow over the wings. Nice touch on Eduard’s part.

Eduard

The third sprue (E) contains a variety of different parts, including the cockpit parts, wheel wells and landing gear parts, spinner and propeller parts, and other external parts. Both types of pilot seats are provided; Warren-McArthur seat ( part E14 ), and Schick- Johnson seat (part E33 ).

The SCR-522 radio set and SCR-695 set which are mounted above the fuselage fuel tank behind the pilot’s seat are molded as one piece along with the mounting framework ( part E3)

Included also are the twin Uncle Dog antennae (parts E56 & E57).

Because Eduard designed the kit so you can build any variant of the D model from Block 5 through Block 25, Eduard has included three different versions of the right side cockpit panel. Nice touch on Eduard’s part.

The fourth sprue (F) contains all of the underwing ordinance and drop tanks carried by Mustangs, the Hamilton uncuffed propeller blades, the Aero Products propeller blades, and some minor cockpit parts. Included are the 110 and 165 gallon drop tanks (with sway braces), and HVAR rockets carried by Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs.

As we come to expect from Eduard, this Royal Class Dual Combo boxing comes with a lot extra goodies. In addition to two pre-painted photo etch cockpit frets and canopy masks, there are two 3D printed Warren-McArthur seats, two 3D printed sets of exhaust stacks (one shrouded and one unshrouded), two sets of cast resin main tires, and two cast resin tail wheels.

Eduard

In addition, Eduard has included a set of OMask foam wheel well plugs that make it incredibly easy to paint the wing area around wheel wells without any tape. They also included OMask foam wheel well plugs in their 1/48 North American P-51B Mustang Royal Class Dual Combo boxing and their 1/48 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk Royal Class Dual Combo boxing. Really nice touch on Eduard’s part! Let’s hope this trend continues.

There decals for 14 different planes in this boxing. Included are decals for two Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs.

Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Decals: The first set of markings is for 528 “The Enchantress” (P-51D-25-NA, 44-72671), a 457th FS Mustang flown by 2nd Lt. William E. Saks. 2nd Lt. Saks was one of the pilots lost on the June 1, 1945 “Black Friday” mission, but he was not flying 528 on that day. “The Enchantress” is popular amongst modelers because the nose art and pin-up girl that adorns the fuselage.

Eduard

The second set of VLR markings is for 555 “The Ole Lady/Little Anne/My Darlin Betty Ann” (P-51D-25-NA, 44-72628), a 458th FS Mustang flown by 2nd Lts. James E. Coleman and Ralph R. Coltman, Jr. I like the markings that appear on the right side of the fuselage, and decals are provided for the blue diagonal stripes on the tail.

Eduard

The main decals come in one really large decal sheet along with two smaller decal sheets that contain complete sets of stencils.

Eduard
Eduard
Eduard

This looks like an extremely nice 1/72nd North American P-51D Mustang kit. From what I have seen of already built models, they certainly look every bit the part of the real thing. If you are wanting to build a Iwo Jima VLR Mustang in 1/72nd scale, this is your kit.

Eduard also announced that they will do a limited edition Iwo Jima VLR Mustang boxing in the 2nd quarter of this year. If you want additional decal options, the limited edition boxing will be worth waiting for.

Kudos to Eduard!

Photo(s) of the Week; Iconic Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Photo

On By acarothersvlrmIn History, Photo(s) of the WeekLeave a comment

516 “My Girl”, a 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group P-51D-20-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-72580) loaded with 110 gallon drop tanks awaits a signal from a ground crewman to take off from North Field on another VLR mission. This is a well known photo taken by Loomis Dean who was known for taking photos from unique angles during his time as a USAAF photographer.

USAAF/Loomis Dean/National Archives via Fold3

While the photo is well known, it is unknown who was assigned to fly “My Girl”. One would think that either 457th Fighter Squadron or 506th Fighter Group records would document who flew a particular plane, but often that is not the case. Most of what we know about who was assigned to fly a particular plane is based on photographs and recollections of pilots and ground crew. If those recollections were not written down, they are now lost as there are no surviving 457th FS pilots or ground crew.

I am unaware of any decals which were produced for “My Girl”.