Hobby Master 1/48 HA7742 P-51D Mustang NZ 2415, No.3 (Canterbury) Sqn, RNZAF, 2010

Later in WWII the Allied bombers were flying deep into Germany but suffered tremendous losses because of the lack of range the fighter escorts had. German fighters would wait beyond the range of the Allied fighters and then attack the vulnerable bombers. Once the P-51, called Mustang by the British, had the Allison engine replaced with a British Merlin it possessed the high performance that had been lacking. With drop tanks the P-51 had the range to escort bombers all the way to Berlin and back.

P-51D Mustang NZ2415 c/n 124-48258 serial 45-11505 was received in Hobsonville New Zealand’s Aircraft Assembly Depot on August 27, 1945. There it was wrapped in rubberized protectant and placed in storage in early 1946 until February 1947 when it was transferred by barge and road to Ardmore. It sat in Ardmore storage until No. 3 (Canterbury) TAF Squadron took possession in June 1952. In January 1954 the aircraft was badly damaged while landing and was stored until sold in 1958 and scrapped.