RAAF Korean Mustang - A68-809 - Eduard 1/48

[Ray_W]

In a recent post, I mentioned that the bubble-top P-51s never really enthused me — my preference has always been for the earlier versions of this classic aircraft. However, with my interest in RAAF subjects and Eduard’s recent release of their excellent 1/48 P-51D in a Korean War double boxing, featuring A68-809 as one of the options, I felt my enthusiasm begin to rise - besides who doesn't like a good NMF with a mix of painted and polished surfaces..

 

A68-809 is an extremely well-photographed example — in fact, there are images of it from all angles. Special thanks to Peter @Magpie22 for assistance with the images. 

 

 

So, I picked up the double boxing.

 

 

A68-809 is Eduard’s Option "I". Sadly, Lou Spence lost his life in this aircraft during a raid on Angang-ni on 5 September 1950.

 

 

As you can see, I haven’t cracked open the bags yet.

 

 

I noticed that two different fuselages are provided — frets 'D' and 'E' — so in this boxing, you're limited to building an F-51 and an RF-51. That’s no loss, though, as the second subject — a USAF RF variant — is also of interest to me.

 

A couple of nice PE frets are included:

 

 

Ditto for the cockpit:

 

 

As usual, I’ll be interested to see how much of the photo-etch I actually end up using. With a mix of excellent moulded detail and included decals, I often find the latter can, in my view, produce a more realistic effect. We’ll see.

 

Now, the bane of Eduard kits — their decals. However, I’ve seen some exceptional NMF-finished Mustangs built using Eduard’s decals, so it seems their process is improving. I also like the variety of subjects included in the box, so I’m happy to give them another go. They certainly look good on the sheet.

 

 

  

I’m really looking forward to this one and expect to get underway with the build very soon.

 

Ray

[Rabbit Leader]

Good to see you and this kit coming along for the ride Ray. I’m sure you’ll treat us to an informative and educational WIP with this excellent Mustang. 
 

Cheers and all the best.. Dave 

[Ray_W]

41 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Good to see you and this kit coming along for the ride Ray.

 

Thanks, Dave. I hate to admit it, but this is actually my first Mustang build. Back in Australia, I’ve got a stash of 1/48 kits — Accurate Miniatures, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Eduard, and maybe even ICM — collected over quite some time, yet I’ve never cut the plastic. I think I’d be horrified if I pulled them all out and counted them! So I’m really looking forward to this build as a way to finally get into a few of them. 

 

Ray

[Rabbit Leader]

I’ve got a similar track record with Meteor kits, I’ve got virtually every version, yet have failed to finish one, although two have come quite close!  
 

There are many subtle differences with the D version Mustang and am sure many on here can help you out if you need advice. Saying that, I think Eduard has taken away much of the guesswork, so you’re on a real winner here. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Ray_W]

10 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

There are many subtle differences with the D version Mustang and am sure many on here can help you out if you need advice.

 

I’ll be getting David Muir’s Southern Cross Mustangs, although I won’t receive it until I’m back in Australia — so this build will have to go ahead without that reference. Hopefully, with little bit of help from my BM friends, I won’t get it too wrong.

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

17 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

’ll be getting David Muir’s Southern Cross Mustangs

I’ve got a copy… happy to delve through it if required. 👍

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Welcome to the build Ray, an Aussie Mustang in Korea should look good. 

[Ray_W]

I have finished my F-16 and now this Eduard kit is on the work bench. I am currently doing more research on A68-809 to settle on colours for the cockpit and wheel wells. At this stage, I am leaning towards a late WW2 Inglewood scheme of interior green cockpit (Gunze FS34151 C351) and wheel wells in zinc chromate yellow (Gunze FS33481 C352) with main spar and some detail in aluminium. Any challenge to this decision would be welcome.

 

Also trying to source some replacement aftermarket wheels. Trying to match this image, which is not very clear. The boxing comes with diamond pattern which these are not.

 

 

Loadout is decided. I am building Lou's aircraft per this image. Note missing inboard MG. There is a photo of the aircraft from the right hand side showing the same. 

 

 

 

I happen to have these in the stash:

 

 

 

Next post should show some action.

 

Ray

Edited May 5 by Ray_W
Removed duplicate image

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

These are the ones you need. 
 

https://spruebrothers.com/edu648504-1-48-eduard-brassin-p-51d-mustang-wheels-cross-tread-edu-kit/

 

Or 

 

https://spruebrothers.com/edu648503-1-48-eduard-brassin-p-51d-mustang-wheels-oval-tread-edu-kit/

Edited May 5 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Ray_W]

8 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

These are the ones you need.

 

Thanks, Dennis, for the assistance. I’ve had a good look at Eduard’s offering, but I don’t think they are correct for Lou Spence’s aircraft. With Peter Malone’s input, as discussed here:

 

and by referencing David Muir’s excellent book, I believe the so-called ‘square block’ pattern is correct:

 

 

I haven’t found a suitable aftermarket replacement that matches this.

Eduard’s closest are 648505:

 

 

And 648647:

 

 

I’ve ordered both and will decide which gives the best effect. From the images, my most likely choice will be 648647. Neither is entirely correct, although interestingly, a combination—some odd hybrid of the two—would probably come closest to the mark.

 

Thanks again for the input. All suggestions and corrections welcome.

 

Ray

[Ray_W]

I'm into the cockpit and wheel wells stages, but have somewhat stalled while chasing a bit more information. I still have a few unresolved points:

 

1. Wheel Well Colour (a P-51 favourite topic)

I had planned to paint the wheel wells mostly in Zinc Chromate Yellow (ZCY), with natural metal visible on some structural components and the main spar. I’m comfortable with using ZCY, as there are colour images of these aircraft showing it on the inside of the gear doors. My hesitation is whether, by 1950—after five years in service—the RAAF might have fully painted the wheel wells for improved long-term corrosion protection. Images of my subject aircraft from June and early July 1950 (the first month of the war) show it beautifully maintained—possibly even polished where appropriate. Could that same level of care have extended to the wheel bays, resulting in a full repaint or touch-up?

 

2. Cockpit Colour (another P-51 favourite)

I’m fairly confident the cockpit was Interior Green when the aircraft was received. However, considering USAF practice during the Korean War, and again the age of the aircraft, could the RAAF have repainted the cockpit black? I’ve seen images of USAF F-51s with repainted black interiors, so I’m wondering whether the RAAF followed suit.

 

3. Radio Setup and Rear Deck

I’ve yet to find a clear image of a RAAF P-51 showing the rear cockpit deck and radio installation. I expect the aircraft retained the SCR-522-A set—still in use during the Korean War—with the battery relocated/hidden, as was typical on later D-25 airframes. Hopefully I can dig up some information to confirm. Eduard depict it that way (Option I) as follows:

 

 

 

 

Also, there seems to be a rear deck cover that’s usually fitted—what’s its purpose? Any detail or insight would be much appreciated!

 

 

Rather than wait until I'm back in Australia to consult David Muir’s book—which would delay the project far too much—I placed an order for my copy this week and had it sent to my son’s address. He’ll thumb through it, and we’ll go over things via video call. “The marvels of modern science,” as Captain Aubrey would say. Hopefully, Dave’s book covers some of this. In the meantime, any insight you can offer would be very welcome. I’ll keep working through the clean-up and prep while I wait.

 

Ray

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Ive got photo’s of that deck cover from WW2 and Korea ? Maybe a sun shade to keep the radio cooler ? 

[Magpie22]

The 'thing' behind the pilot's seat is a ferry pack, (empty in the shot above). It is available from RedRoo for about $5-$6 for Tamiya and Hasegawa kits. You could probably adapt it to fit Eduard kit.

 

I'm very doubtful that the aircraft was changed in the cockpit or wheel wells from the colours in which it was received. However, this could be black for the cockpit as it appears this change was made from early 1945.

 

I think you are on the right track re radio fitment, i.e. not changed. On this aircraft the battery would have been in the engine bay.

 

Peter M

[Ray_W]

32 minutes ago, Magpie22 said:

The 'thing' behind the pilot's seat is a ferry pack, (empty in the shot above). It is available from RedRoo for about $5-$6 for Tamiya and Hasegawa kits.

 

Hi Peter,

Ah ha... this is the previously mentioned ferry pack. Thanks for suggesting Red Roo—this would have been a good option to bundle with the book shipping. I do like to support the local guys. That said, I suspect the book has already been sent. No worries though. I’ll need it in Bulgaria anyway, so my plan is to scratch-build something. Shouldn’t be too difficult after having a look at the picture on the Red Roo site.

 

45 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Ive got photo’s of that deck cover from WW2 and Korea ?

 

Thanks, Dennis—any info is welcome, especially since I’ll be making my own rendition.

 

Ray

 

[Ray_W]

I finally got around to starting this build. I'm largely following the instructions, although I did glue the tailwheel housing halves into each fuselage half to make painting easier while ensuring everything aligns properly and will join cleanly when the fuselage halves come together.

 

My plan is to primarily detail-paint the cockpit sidewalls, using only a limited amount of the photo-etch provided. It’s not that I dislike PE—I just prefer the well-defined 3D detail in the plastic injection-moulded parts.

 

 

Lovely detail in this kit as we know.

 

 

I will paint the wheel bay entirely in Zinc Chromate Yellow. It simplifies the painting process, and I couldn’t find any compelling evidence to justify adding the complexity of natural metal finishes. This image from North American Aviation (Inglewood) helped confirm my decision:

 

 

I assembled the rear deck and added some features related to the IFF system that aren’t mentioned in the Eduard instructions but are appropriate for Lou’s aircraft—specifically, the BC-966-A IFF receiver and the IFF receiver destruction switch mounted behind the pilot’s head armour. Thankfully, Eduard includes these parts in the box, even though they do not mention them, so no scratch-building was needed.

 

 

I based it on this layout:

 

 

I am not certain about the location of the IFF antenna, other than it is often described as being mounted underneath the starboard wing. In photographic evidence of Australian Korean War P-51s, there appears to be an antenna located close to the wheel well. Here is an image of my subject:

 

 

And here is another example:

 

 

Looking at the early P-51 IFF antenna installation drawings, it seems to use an inspection cover similar to that which is out near the wingtip. I am assuming the above images do show the IFF antenna correctly, but any thoughts on this would be welcome. 

 

Ray

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

9 hours ago, Ray_W said:

there appears to be an antenna located close to the wheel well. Here is an image of my subject:

 

 

And here is another example:

 

 

The 1st one looks more like the retraction strut for the gear door. I’d go with the second photo. 

[Ray_W]

5 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

looks more like the retraction strut for the gear door

 

Thanks Dennis, I had a closer look and I think you're right. This image of the same aircraft, from a different angle and with the gear doors closed this time, appears to show the antenna.

 

 

[Celestialsphere]

On 05/05/2025 at 16:31, Ray_W said:

Loadout is decided. I am building Lou's aircraft per this image. Note missing inboard MG.

Just a quick note. The inboard machine gun on the Mustang was mounted further aft than the other two in the wing. This was to allow the ammunition runs to clear each other. Therefore the muzzle of that gun is actually inside the wing, firing through a larger diameter blast tube, which is visible in the picture.

 

Cheers 

Andrew

[Ray_W]

I spent a relaxing evening with the airbrush, getting some base coats down in preparation for the detail painting.  As mentioned earlier, the injection-moulded plastic is beautifully detailed and should really come up nicely with a bit of careful brushwork.

 

 

I used my usual technique for cockpits: a black base coat followed by a careful application of the top colour, aiming to retain some shadow in the recessed areas. I then sprayed a lightened, thinned mix from above to highlight the upper surfaces. This approach reduces the need for a full wash—just a light pin wash later to pick out some of the finer details.

 

Paints used were Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black for the base coat, Gunze H58 Interior Green for the top coat, and Tamiya XF-55 to lighten the mix—all thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinner.

 

 

For the Zinc Chromate Yellow, I’m using MRP 129. The polished aluminium areas are done with Mr Color Super Metallic 2 (Super Fine Silver 2) SM 201—a beautiful, very fine-grained silver that, in my opinion, gives a very convincing metallic finish.

 

 

The gear struts are finished with MRP 009 White Aluminium. Close-up imagery is punishing—I think I’ll do a little more work on those seam lines. One big advantage of the MRP metallics is that, being pre-mixed, I can easily add a small amount to the airbrush to touch up those spots after tidying things up.

 

 

I am now looking forward to getting into the detail.

 

8 minutes ago, Celestialsphere said:

Therefore the muzzle of that gun is actually inside the wing, firing through a larger diameter blast tube, which is visible in the picture.

 

Thanks, Andrew, for the clarification. Since posting my original query, I’ve had the usual rapid and helpful response from the broader BM community, all confirming your findings. My only decision now is whether to enhance the kit plastic with a simple drilled-out muzzle or go the whole way with the Master’s set—very tempting! Please keep the clarifications coming—I’m certainly no P-51 expert.

 

 

Ray

 

[Wings unlevel]

Nice start, another masterclass under way! 

[Magpie22]

Good to see you back on the job, Ray. I was beginning to think that you must have gotten lost in your travels. 😳

Peter M

[Ray_W]

19 minutes ago, Magpie22 said:

Good to see you back on the job, Ray.

 

Hope to make some really good progress over this weekend!!

[Ray_W]

Just a quick post to say the project’s still ticking along. I’ve been working on some of the smaller parts in preparation for assembly ... mostly detail painting while I wait for decals and weathering. I’ll throw up some close-ups soon.

 

 

Ray

[Rabbit Leader]

Just catching up on this thread again Ray and it’s looking rather good mate. Also love all the detailed photographs and notes along the way. These type of WIP threads always make the best ones. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Ray_W]

17 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Also love all the detailed photographs and notes along the way.

 

This one’s pretty much an OOB build. No vices to report, though I’ll admit I usually enjoy a bit of kit wrangling — I like the challenge 😅. In this case, it was all about careful assembly and painting. I didn’t even thin the rear seat 'boiler plate' armour. Either I’m getting lazy, or more likely, Eduard have packed in so much detail that any changes risk throwing other things out. So, I just left it as is.

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, I just went with the kit plastic for the sidewalls — a few well-placed decals and barely any of the PE. I find cockpits tend to look a bit more convincing this way… or maybe I just prefer that slightly more 'organic' feel.

 

 

 

I’m sure the sidewall details aren’t entirely accurate for a Korean War RAAF P-51 — there’s a fair bit of variation between Eduard’s PE, the decals, and the kit plastic. But I didn’t lose too much sleep over it… most of it will disappear into the cockpit shadows anyway.

 

 

I used the kit’s PE/vinyl option for the IP, and it came up quite nicely. I applied my usual technique — a couple of coats of Tamiya Black Panel Line Accent Color, carefully wicked between the instruments and details. It’s a great way to knock back that stippled plastic look. I can still brighten the switches on the lower left with a gentle rub from a pointed cotton bud moistened with lighter fluid.

 

 

I’ve got the gorgeous Eduard Brassin sleeved Hamilton Standard prop, but couldn’t quite see the value in using it here — the kit prop is already very nicely done. I’ll save the Brassin one for another build. The kit prop still needs a bit more weathering, but it’s shaping up well.

 

 

Some nice progress is now being made.

 

Ray