Kit Review: Arma Hobby’s 1/72 P-51D Mustang Very Long Range (Kit No. 70073)

On August 7, 2026 By acarothersvlrmIn Arma Hobby, Kit ReviewsLeave a comment

Arma Hobby recently released an Iwo Jima VLR Mustang boxing of their popular 1/72 North American P-51D Mustang kit. It was released in mid-May 2026, and is now making its way into US online retail hobby stores. The box art is striking with a 21st FG VLR Mustang loaded out with 165 gallon drop tanks and six HVAR rockets. Very cool!

There are two decal options. The first is a 531st FS, 21st FG P-51D-20 NA (Serial No. 44-63918) 312 Snortin’ Phyllie flown by 1st Lt. Herbert Straughn. Nice to see a decal option for a 531st FS Mustang other than Major Harry Crim’s 300 My Achin’ Ass.

The second decal option is a 458th FS, 506th FG P-51D-25 NA (Serial No. 44-72612) 576 Little One/Jeannie assigned to 1st Lt. Max E. Ruble and 2nd Lt. Francis J. Pilecki. On June 10, 1945, 1st Lt. Ruble was credited with shooting down a Mitsubishi JM2 Raiden.

Again, thanks to Arma Hobby for providing two decal options not seen in other kits, and not well covered by after market decal manufacturers (decals for 576 Little One/Jeannie are provided in all three scales on the decal sheet which comes with the book: 506th Fighter Group: The History of the 506th Fighter Group, Iwo Jima 1945 by Robert Grant). This book is published by AJ Press as part of their Fighting Units in Color series. My review of this book can be found here: https://iwojimamodels.com/2019/12/14/book-review-506th-fighter-group-the-history-of-the-506th-fighter-group-iwo-jima-1945-by-robert-j-grant/

On to the sprues. Arma Hobby’s original release of its 1/72 P-51D Mustang (Kit No. 70070) contained three sprues; two molded in light gray plastic (A & B), and one in clear plastic (T) for the canopies and other clear parts. The Very Long Range boxing includes an additional sprue for the 110 and 165 gallon drop tanks, sway braces, and HVAR rockets. As can be seen from a review of the sprues, you can build any variant of the D model from the D-5 to the D-25 from this kit.

The first sprue (A) consists of the wings, control surfaces, standard drop tanks, bombs, landing gear components, wheel well components, propellers (both Hamilton Standard and Aeroproduct), and the two Uncle Dog antennas (parts A4 & A5). Arma Hobby gives you two different horizontal stablizers; one with fabric covered elevators and one with metal covered elevators. A nice feature on Arma Hobby’s part, and each set is molded as one piece which should help with construction and alignment.

A couple of items worthy of note. First, the panel lines on the wings are very faint except for the parts of the wings which would be accessed be maintenance crews. I am assuming this was done in this manner so if you wanted to represent model as having the puttied wings, it would not take much to fill the panel lines. In addition, the top wing halves have been molded as one piece so as to provide detail for the top of the wheel wells. Again, a nice touch on Arma Hobby’s part as this will allow for ease in masking the top of the wheel wells when painting the support stringers.

The second sprue (B) consists of the fuselage halves, interior and cockpit parts including both the Warren-McArthur and Shick-Johnson seats, separate spinners for the Hamilton Standard cuffed propeller and the Aeroproducts propeller, both types of dorsal fins (swayback for modified D-5s and early D-10s and the regular dorsal fin for later blocks), and both shrouded and unshrouded exhaust stacks.

A couple of items worthy of note. First, unlike the 1/72nd Eduard P-51D Mustang, the rivet detail on the fuselage halves is very restrained. So if rivet detail is important to you in 1/72nd scale, you are going to have to break out your riveter. Second, the structure of the cockpit sides is molded into the fuselage halves as seen below.

I like this approach because the cockpit sides will be easier to paint and detail and it should allow for an easier insertion of the completed cockpit into the fuselage.

The additional sprue contained in this boxing includes both styles of drop tanks carried by Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs, the sway braces for each type of tank, and six HVAR rockets that were carried during strike missions toward the end of conflict in the Pacific Theater. The shapes and contours of the drop tanks look good.

The sprue containing the clear parts (T) contains the windscreen, all three variations of the canopy, and the other clear parts. The windscreen and canopies are crystal clear and the clear sprue is bagged separately to avoid scratches.

The additional parts at the top of the sprue are parts for a display stand and/or construction jig as shown below. The main landing gear wheels fit in the slots at the front of the stand with wing supports at the sides and fuselage support at the back. Neat idea.

Are there necessary parts missing? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is yes. Arma Hobby failed to include the SCR-695 IFF transmitter that was situated behind the SCR-522 radio transmitter on Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs as shown in the computer generated image below.

This omission is confirmed by their own assembly instructions.

How big of an omission is this? Not very. First, in 1/72nd scale, most people viewing a built up model in your display case or even at a model contest would not even recognize this omission. Second, you could easily sand off the detail on the battery and add some plastic pieces to accurately represent the SCR-695 IFF transmitter. Third, you could build an early Iwo Jima VLR Mustang with a single mast antenna before the SCR-695 IFF transmitter/Uncle Dog twin antennae were installed as field modifications. There are a lot of pictures of 15th and 21st FG Mustangs after their arrival on Iwo Jima in early March with the standard single mast antenna.

The decals look really good and are printed by Cartograf so they should work well. Fuselage and tail stripes are provided for the 458th FS Mustang 576 Little One/Jeannie so you will not have to do all of the complex and tedious masking. Nice touch on Arma Hobby’s part. There are also aluminum colored decals for the tops of the wheel wells at the bottom of the decal sheet. The use of the decals will eliminate the need for masking. Just paint the tops of the wheel wells Zinc Chromate Yellow and apply the decals in their appropriate locations. An interesting and novel approach.

The aircraft profiles in the instruction booklet are well done. I do not have any photos of 312 Snortin’ Phyllie, so I reached out to Mark Stevens of the 7th Fighter Command Association to see if he could share any photos he has of the plane. Surprisingly, he did not have any photos either, and I could not find any on the internet. Someone obviously has a few photos of this plane.

The 506th Fighter Group Association has several very nice photos of 576 Little One/Jeannie in its collections.

***2nd Lt. Francis J. Pilecki (506th Fighter Group Association)***

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 an excellent option.

Kudos to Arma Hobby!

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

On August 23, 2025July 25, 2026 By acarothersvlrmIn Eduard, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

On February 16, 2025February 17, 2025 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

Andrew Willet’s Tamiya 1/32nd North American P-51D Mustang; 575 My Madge/‘Julia’ll Fool Yer’; 458th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group

On February 10, 2025February 11, 2025 By acarothersvlrmIn Intro/Miscellaneous, North American P-51D Mustang, Show Us Your BuildsLeave a comment

Andrew Willet has provided us with photos of his Tamiya 1/32nd North American P-51D-20-NA Mustang finished with the markings of 575 My Madge/‘Julia’ll Fool Yer’, a 458th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group Iwo Jima VLR Mustang.

Andrew used the original boxing of Tamiya’s superlative 1/32nd scale Mustang. This boxing has the parts for the SCR-695 IFF transmitter (multi-band airborne transponder which allowed a plane to be identified on friendly radars) which were installed in the VLR Mustangs, and the bracket which allows the battery to be moved to the engine compartment. Unfortunately, the boxing does not include either the 110 gallon or 165 gallon metal drop tanks used by Iwo Jima VLR Mustang groups.

575 My Madge/‘Julia’ll Fool Yer’ was flown by Captain Goldie Marcott. If there was another pilot assigned to fly 575, we have not been able to identify who that pilot was. Captain Marcott was not credit with any aerial victories. Below are photos of Captain Marcott and both sides of 575.

*Captain Goldie Marcott (via Brian Walter)*

I think this is a great photo. It shows the graceful and aerodynamic lines of the nose/cowling.

*575 “My Madge/Julia’ll Fool Yer” (via Brian Walter)*

*575 “My Madge/Julia’ll Fool Yer” (via Dr. John Benbow)*

Andrew’s original intent was to build 551 Delta Queen, another 458th FS/506th FG Mustang flown by Captain J.B. Baker, Jr. He had seen a build of Eduard’s 1/48th scale P-51D Mustang with Delta Queen’s markings and the striped blue tail. Unfortunately, there are no after market decals for 551 Delta Queen in 1/32nd scale. Wanting to build a 458th FS Mustang with a striped blue tail, Andrew purchased DK Decals’ P-51D/K Mustang over the Pacific and Australia (32022) with decals for 575.

My review of this decal sheet is found here.

The only other after market decal sheet that includes markings for a 458th FS Mustang in 1/32nd is Hussar Productions’ P-51 Over Pacific, Part 1, which has decals for 590 “Little Que” flown by 1st Lt. Quarterman Lee.

Andrew did a great job of painting and weathering the cockpit sidewalls, and adding additional detail.

Andrew used Ammo of MiG’s Atom Acrylic Paint Zinc Chromate Green (Atom-20074) for the cockpit area, and Tamiya Yellow Green (XF-4) for all other interior areas. Tamiya’s Yellow Green is an excellent match for Zinc Chromate Yellow.

The photo below shows the assembled and painted cockpit components installed on the left side of the kit fuselage. Andrew did a really nice job of chipping the areas in front of the rudder pedals to simulate the wear of the black non-skid material down to the wood cockpit floor. Nice touch! The seat belts are from HGW.

The wheel wells of the D model of the Mustang looked like the photo below. The roof was unpainted Alclad aluminum, with the sides, ribs, stringers, other components painted primarily Zinc Chromate Yellow. As can be seen, a few parts were painted Zinc Chromate Green.

Fundekals 🙂 produced a North American P-51D stencil data decal sheet that includes the red stencil markings on the unpainted Alclad aluminum.

Andrew used those stencils decals in the wheel wells. He first used Bare Metal Foil to simulate the unpainted aluminum, then applied the stencil decals to the Bare Metal Foil, and the added the remaining wheel well component. Very nice detail that increases the realism of the wheel wells.

Andrew also added fluid and electrical lines to the wheel wells to add more visual interest.

Andrew used various shades of Alclad II Metallics for his natural metal finish on 575. Unfortunately, there are no after market decals for the diagonal stripes on the tail in 1/32nd scale. You have to mask and paint them which most modelers shy away from in favor of a solid tail 506th FG Mustang.

The diagonal tail stripes on the actual 506th Fighter Group Mustangs were 4 inches wide. When scaling them down to 1/32nd, Andrew calculated that the diagonal tail stripes were approximately 3.1 mm. Andrew used Mr. Paint Sea Blue (MRP-237) for the stripes.

To finish the model, Andrew purchased Brengun Models resin 1/32nd 110 gallon drop tanks. They are a very accurate scaled down version of the real tanks.

The tanks are not 3D printed, but cast resin. They come with cast resin sway braces, photo etched pieces, and decals.

After applying the decals, Andrew completed the model by weathering it to reflect the actual look of the Mustangs due to the less than hospitable conditions on Iwo Jima.

Congrats to Andrew for an excellent build! He has also purchased the Revell 1/32nd P-51D Mustang in which he intends to finish using decals for 528 The Enchantress, a 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group Iwo Jima VLR Mustang. We look forward to updates as he builds another Iwo Jima VLR Mustang.

Andrew Willet is a CMDR in the Royal Australian Navy who specializes in logistics. In his more than 25years in the RAN, he has been all over the world, both at sea and ashore. Commander Willet has always had an interest in aviation especially in the Pacific. His preferred scale is 1/32nd.

Kit News: Eduard Now Taking Pre-Orders on Their New Royal Class 1/72 North American P-51D Mustang Dual Combo Boxing

On April 27, 2024May 4, 2024 By acarothersvlrmIn Kit/Product NewsLeave a comment

Yesterday, I received an email from Eduard that they are now accepting pre-orders on their new Royal Class 1/72 North American P-51D Mustang Dual Combo boxing. From the CAD drawings and the information posted on Eduard’s website, it appears they have done an excellent job of scaling down their 1/48th scale kit to 1/72nd scale.

The box art for the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing is similar to what it was for the 1/48th Royal Class Dual Combo boxing except for the orientation of the Mustang drawing and the color of the background. Like the 1/48th Royal Class Dual Combo boxing, the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing includes the exact same 14 decal options, which means that decals for two Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs are included, both from the 506th Fighter Group.

Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Decals: The first 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.

The second 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.

Like its bigger brother, you can build any variant of the D model from a D-5 to a D-25 with this kit. All the parts to make an accurate Iwo Jima VLR Mustang are present. I have included drawings of two sprues for the kit that Eduard posted on its website. It appears that the fuselage floor and fuel tank (Part E24) will be one piece, and the SCR-522 radio transmitter, SCR-695 IFF transmitter, and the rack they sit on are one piece as well (Part E27).

A major difference from their 1/48th kit is that all of the different drop tanks that Mustangs carried (75 gallon, 108 gallon, 110 gallon, and 165 gallon) are included on one sprue. In the 1/48th kit, the 110 gallon and 165 gallon drop tanks carried by Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs and their sway braces were produced on a separate sprue, and only included in the Royal Class Dual Combo and Limited Edition Tales of Iwo Jima boxings. Now, as shown below on the drawing of sprue F, they will be included no matter what boxing of the kit you purchase. Nice touch on Eduard’s part.

As is customary, Eduard includes a lot of goodies in their Royal Class Dual Combo boxings. This boxing is no exception and will include two sets of resin cast main wheels and tail wells, 3D printed shrouded exhaust stacks, un-shrouded exhaust stacks, and seats. While there are no photos yet, the information on Eduard’s website about this boxing indicates there will be two color photo etch cockpit sets included.

In addition, Eduard will included a set to solid masks for painting around the wheel wells. They appear to made of some form of a foam material, and are designed to be placed into the wheel wells to protect your already painted wheel wells when you are painting the bottom of the wings. Again, a very nice touch on Eduard’s part. They appear to be doing that for their 1/48 kits as similar solid masks are included in their P-51B Mustang Royal Class Dual Combo boxing.

According to Eduard’s website, pre-orders will be accepted between April 26th and May 8th, and kits will ship in the second half of June.

Kudos to Eduard for producing a 1/72 P-51D Mustang kit with all the necessary parts to build an accurate Iwo Jima VLR Mustang. Let’s hope that they follow suit and release a limited edition boxing dedicated solely to the Iwo Jima VLR Mustang groups in 1/72nd scale.

Here is a link to the 1/72nd Royal Class Dual Combo boxing: https://www.eduard.com/eduard/p-51d-mustang-dual-combo-1-72.html?cur=2&&force_sid=fcq1jtinhf1a75u1rb33jsl6so4dups8

Iwo Jima Models

Tag: 458th Fighter Squadron