The P-51 Mustang. An icon of WWII held in the same esteem as the Spitfire, Thunderbolt and Hurricane by enthusiasts and historians alike. Aviation historian martin W, Bowman has compiled a wonderful album of photos of all marks that saw combat, from the P-51A to the F-82G.

Some of these photos will be familiar to all, but many are new or have seldom been seen. There are nine pages of introductory text that give a brief overview of the history of the mustang from April 1940 when NAA proposed a new design to the British through its final military service with the Dominican Air Force, last flight of which occurred in 1984.

Each of the photos has a fully informative caption giving the needed information. The only “funny” thing is on the cover it advertises “Rare photographs from Naval Archives” which is corrected on the inside cover page where “Nava;” becomes the far more accurate” Wartime”!

Background

Doll and Hobby GA is a specialized hobby distributor focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and comic related model kits. They carry the latest releases from Moebius Models, Round 2 (AMT, Polar Lights, MPC, Lindberg) and more. They focus on subjects like Star Trek, 2001, Space 1999, classic monsters, and comic book heroes. Their warehouse is located in Lawrenceville, GA, just east of Atlanta. Owned by Steve Iverson who purchased the company from Frank and Joanne Winspur in 2018. Steve Iverson might also be familiar since he also owns CultTVman’s Sci-Fi Modeling.

Their first kit was the Land of the Giants Snake Diorama that was originally released by Aurora in 1968. This release featured new box art and a two sided backdrop to display the completed model. Their second release was the Lost in Space Cylops and the Chariot Diorama that Aurora released in 1966. Future releases will include ex-Aurora kits The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Guillotine.

Who is Gallery Models?

The following statement was sent to me by a Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) representative upon requesting a short synopsis of who Gallery Models is, "Gallery Models is a concept developed by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC). The first model was developed in 2009 together with prominent designers, artists, mold-makers, historians, and modelers. The central idea propelling Gallery Models is to select subjects that will challenge the hobbyist’s imagination and building skills while providing detail and enormous intrinsic kit value. Gallery’s selection includes helicopters, armor, and ships."