WOW444 USAAF Mustang

Description

The North American Mustang was possibly the best piston engine fighter ever made. The P51’s ability to offer long range fighter escort, gave the Allied heavy bombers the capability to take the war to the heart of Germany.

The P51 had a remarkable birth, the engineering prototype was designed and built in 102 days, by a team headed by J.H Kindleberger of North American Aviation, in response to a requirement for the RAF. The P51 proved initially to be a great aircraft at low level flight, but not so great at higher levels flight which was required for bomber escort. With the Allison engine replace by a Rolls Royce Merlin variant, modifications to armament and pilot view, the Mustang was then transformed. Serving in all WW2 theatres, in all roles, meeting Axis piston fighters on equal terms, providing long range bomber escort and also operating in the ground attack role.

Later the Mustang went on to serve in the Korean war and was still being used during the 1970’s during Central American conflicts.

Our second 1/30 scale P-51 Mustang was flown by Captain Clyde B East, who was credited with 13 WW2 victories.  The Mustang’s name ‘Lil Margaret’ was named after his wife and he scored the majority of his victories in this aircraft.
In November 1942 he earned his wings after joining the Royal Canadian Air Force.  He flew 26 missions in a RAF Mustang Mk. I.  He voluntarily transferred to the USAAF in January 1944 and was assigned to 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron the 15^th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.  
On June 6^th 1944 he shot down an FW-190, first victory on D-Day. 
East won the first of his Distinguished Flying Cross’s when he flew in support of Patton’s Third Army an artillery director during an attack on the Trier Railway Marshalling yards.  He dodged flak for close to 2 hours as he flew at attitudes as low as 300 feet. 
In WW2 he flew over 250 missions, totalling 400 hours.  Captain East was awarded 2 DFCs, a Sliver Star and the Air medal with 36 Oak Leaf Clusters.
In the Korean War he flew 130 recon missions in RF51s, RF 80s and T 33s.  Rising in rank to Major and commanding the 15^th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.
In 1959 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel he flew recon missions over Cuba, during the Missile Crisis.  For which he earned his fourth DFC. 
In 1964 he commanded a Voodoo unit in South Vietnam during the Gulf of Tonkin incident.  East retired in 1965 and died on July 14^th 2014.  His autobiography is called ‘The Way It Happened’.

Limited to 3 pieces worldwide and priced at $699 plus postage.
The TG/K&C figures & TG accessories are not included with the model and are shown for scale comparison purposes only.