Description “Normandy 70th Anniversary” P-51B USAAF 1/48 Scale Kit Limited Edition, Accurate Miniatures tooling. Plastic model assembly kit, requires paint and glue Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after the Second World War, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Numerous examples of the aircraft survive to this day, often as heavily modified air racers. The two XP-51Bs were a more thorough conversion than the Mustang X, with a tailor-made engine installation and a complete redesign of the radiator duct. The airframe itself was strengthened, with the fuselage and engine mount area receiving more formers because of the 355 lb (161 kg) greater weight of the Packard V-1650-3 compared with the V-1710. The engine cowling was completely redesigned to house the Packard Merlin, which, because of the intercooler radiator mounted on the supercharger casing, was 5 in (130 mm) taller and used an updraught carburetor, rather than the downdraught variety of the Allison. The new engine drove a four-bladed 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)-diameter Hamilton Standard propeller that featured cuffs of hard molded rubber.
