August 30, 2026

Review: Eduard's 1/32nd-scale P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid - Pt. I

To really do Eduard's new-tool P-51B in 32nd scale kit justice, we had split the review into two parts. Today, Gary Wickham explores in great detail the markings, decals, etch, masks, the special booklet included in this Hybrid edition & the real aircraft before he assembles the kit.

Review: Eduard's 1/32nd-scale P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid - Pt. 1

P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid
From Eduard
1/32nd scale
Kit #93201
Reviewed: Aug 2026
New-tooled kit
Eight marking choices
Photo-etch included
Maks included
3D-printed parts are also included.
Canopy masks included
Price: $165 US
It's not often that we are treated to a brand-new-tooled 1/32 Eduard kit, and true to the "Royal Class" name, they've gone all out with this P-51B release – packing in a level of detail and extras that sets it well apart from a standard boxing. 

This new kit is part of their growing "Hybrid" range, which combines injection-moulded plastic with 3D-printed components, each part engineered for maximum detail and buildability. The P-51B Mustang launches the new Royal Hybrid range, a premium tier above Eduard's standard Hybrid line.

Eduard 1:32 P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid (932011) - kit contents
The kit's plastic parts, decals, and eight marking options are all produced directly by Eduard (this is not a rebox of someone else's plastic), and the package includes photo-etched parts, painting masks, and resin parts covering the cockpit, undercarriage bays, wheels, guns, and exhausts. As a very welcome extra, a 112-page pictorial book on the service history of the P-51B/C Mustang, written by Jan Zdiarský, is included.
The Subject: The North American P-51B Mustang
The North American P-51B Mustang was a major leap forward from the earlier Allison-engined Mustangs, introduced in 1943 after the airframe was mated with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine (built under licence by Packard as the V-1650-7). This combination transformed the Mustang from a capable low-altitude fighter into one of the finest high-altitude fighters of the war, giving it the speed, climb rate, and performance at altitude needed to escort heavy bombers deep into enemy territory.

P-51B "Bald Eagle III" (B7-D, 42-106839), 361st Fighter Group, Bottisham, England, D-Day 6 June 1944.
Armed with four .50-calibre machine guns and carrying drop tanks that extended its range to well over 1,000 miles, the P-51B was the aircraft that finally allowed Allied bombers to have fighter cover all the way to targets in Germany and back, a turning point in the air war over Europe.

P-51B Mustang 43-12172 FT-T of the 353rd FS 354th FG at an 8th Air Force Base in England, 27 December 1943
Distinguished from the later P-51D by its framed "razorback" fuselage and lack of a bubble canopy, the B model (and its Dallas-built twin, the P-51C) proved the Mustang's potential and paved the way for the definitive D variant that followed.

IN THE BOX - Eduard 1:32 P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid (932011)
On first opening the box, the number of plastic sprues looks surprisingly light for a 1/32 kit — but that's by design, since only the larger structural parts (fuselages, wings, and other airframe sections carrying fine surface detail like rivets and hinges) are moulded in traditional grey plastic. Smaller parts and sub-assemblies, such as the cockpit and landing gear bays, are produced by 3D printing, achieving a level of detail traditional injection moulding can't match and allowing intricate assemblies to be printed as single, integrated pieces rather than split across multiple small parts. It's important to note that the included 3D-printed resin parts are essential to the kit, not optional extras, like we've seen in previous Profipack and Weekend edition kits. The model cannot be completed without them, as no plastic alternatives are provided.

Eduard 1:32 P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid (932011) - plastic parts
Eduard 1:32 P-51B Mustang Royal Hybrid (932011) - resin parts

Markings included in this kit.
The kit provides markings for eight aircraft from the 8th and 9th Air Forces, all dating from around the mid-1944 D-Day period, with a full set of stencils included for one model. Eduard have built in plenty of variety across the schemes: four aircraft wear the early birdcage canopy and four the UK-designed Malcolm hood — a bulged, single-piece canopy fitted to some early P-51B/C Mustangs as a field or depot modification. The selection also mixes Olive Drab and natural metal finishes, with both pre- and post-D-Day markings on offer.

Marking A - P-51B-5-NA, s/n 43-6819, Capt. Duane W. Beeson, 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, March–April 1944
Beeson was one of only ten USAAF pilots to become an ace on two different aircraft types, scoring 12 kills on the P-47 and 5.3 on the P-51B. A former RAF/Eagle Squadron pilot who transferred into the 4th FG, he achieved his first kill in May 1943 and was made B Flight Commander shortly after receiving his P-51B, "Bee", in February 1944. On 5 April 1944, he was hit by flak and captured after helping down a Ju 88 near Brandenburg. He survived the war but died shortly afterwards from a brain tumour, aged 25.

Major Duane W. "Bee" Beeson, [Boise, ID]. 334th Fighter Squadron. P-51B 43-6819 QP-B "Bee".

Marking B - P-51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106448, Capt. Henry W. Brown, 354th FS, 355th FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, June 1944.
"Baby" Brown finished the war with 14.2 aerial kills plus a further 14.5 destroyed on the ground, split between the P-47 and P-51. He became the 355th FG's fifth ace in April 1944 and briefly held the title of the 8th Air Force's most successful fighter pilot after a 30-day run of eight ground and seven aerial kills. A flak hit forced him down over enemy territory in October 1944, and he spent the rest of the war as a POW. He remained in the Air Force post-war, later leading the F-111 development programme and serving in Vietnam.

Captain Henry W. "Baby" Brown of the 355th Fighter Group with P-51B Mustang WR-Z, 42-106448 "The Hun Hunter / Texas"

Marking C - P-51B-10-NA, s/n 43-6934, Capt. Henry White, 328th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, United Kingdom, June 1944
White flew 89 operational sorties with the 352nd FG - the famous "Blue-Nosed Bastards of Bodney" – scoring two kills, on 28 May and 18 July 1944. His aircraft carried the unit's distinctive blue nose along with the nose art of a girl in a red bikini. The overview notes the squadron's overall wartime tally of 143 aerial kills and that this scheme is depicted with full invasion stripes.

Capt. Henry White, 328th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, UK, “Dallas Darling”

Marking D - P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106839, Lt. Robert Eckfeldt, 374th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF, Bottisham, United Kingdom, June–July 1944
Nicknamed "Eggie" for his thinning hair despite his young age of 22, Eckfeldt scored three aerial victories and four more destroyed on the ground, reflected in the seven kill markings beneath his cockpit. He was the son of an Army Major General and hailed from Belmont, Massachusetts. The overview otherwise focuses on the 361st FG's broader combat history, from its first mission in January 1944 through its move to Belgium in 1945.

P-51B "Bald Eagle III" (B7-E, 42-106839), 374th FS, 361st Fighter Group, flown by Lt. Robert Eckfeldt, Bottisham, England, June–July 1944.

Marking E - P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106924, 2nd Lt. Ralph K. Hofer, 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, June 1944
"Kid" Hofer was known for his youthful looks, long hair, and good humour as much as his flying — one of the USAAF's most successful and colourful fighter pilots, with 15 aerial and 14 ground kills. He was killed on 2 July 1944 while strafing a German airfield near Mostar after his Mustang was hit by flak during a bomber escort mission to Budapest; his usual aircraft, "Salem Representative", was only damaged that day, as he was flying a different mount.

P-51B "Salem Representative" (QP-L, 42-106924), 334th FS, 4th Fighter Group, with pilot Lt. Ralph "Kidd" Hofer and his dog Duke, Debden, England, 1944.

Marking F - P-51B-5-NA, s/n 43-6425, Maj. Jack T. Bradley, CO of 353rd FS, 354th FG, 9th AF, A.2 Criqueville, France, June 1944
Bradley became a pilot in 1942 and scored his first of an eventual 15 confirmed kills (plus three probables and damage to 12.66 more) in December 1943, flying "Margie Maru". Promoted to Captain and given command of the 353rd FS in January 1944, he later served as deputy CO of the 354th FG and finished the war as a Lieutenant Colonel. The aircraft is depicted with carelessly applied invasion stripes and 15 kill symbols.

This aircraft was later renamed "Edgewood's Entry" under the code FT-W after Bradley moved on. Captain Jack Bradley of the 354th Fighter Group in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang.

Marking G - P-51B-10-NA, s/n 43-6688, 1Lt. Arval J. Roberson, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, June 1944
"Robby" Robertson flew 76 missions with the 362nd FS, scoring six confirmed aerial victories with one more unconfirmed. He later flew over 100 combat missions in the Korean War and 26 more with the C-47, retiring in 1973 as the last commander of Otis Air Force Base. This P-51B was the first of two aircraft he named "Passion Wagon" – the second being a later P-51D – and he scored all his kills flying it.

Lt. Arval J. Roberson, P51B “Passion Wagon” 362nd FS, with 6 Victories

Marking H - P-51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106647, Capt. John R. Brown Jr., 382nd FS, 363rd FG, 9th AF, Staplehurst, United Kingdom, June 1944
Brown had already destroyed four aircraft and damaged one in flying accidents before combat, joking he was "three-fifths" of an ace before ever engaging the enemy. He briefly commanded the 382nd FS/363rd FG flying the P-51B and was shot down by flak on his 99th mission on 8 August 1944 while attacking shipping in Bénodet Harbour, evading capture and returning to Allied lines within a week. He went on to command another squadron in the Pacific and later served as an air attaché in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

P-51B Mustang 42-106647 named "Big Mac Junior", 363rd FG, 382nd FS.

Decals included in the kit:
Given the number of schemes on offer and the 1/32nd scale of the kit, the decal sheet itself is physically large — quite possibly the biggest I've seen in an Eduard release. The decals are printed in-house by Eduard, so they use the now-familiar "removable" carrier film, easily spotted by the generous clear border surrounding each decal element. I'm personally in the camp that removes the carrier film after application, though I understand others are just as happy leaving it in place and treating it like a traditional decal.

The main decal sheet
Under close-up examination, the decals hold up nicely, with both colour and clarity proving excellent throughout. Each of the eight marking schemes is neatly partitioned on the sheet, making it easy to identify and separate the parts needed for your chosen option. 
The main decal sheet close-ups...
Given the timeframe covered, several variations of the national insignia are included to account for the different styles seen on ETO Mustangs during this period - a demonstration of the accuracy that reflects how markings evolved across mid-1944.
Two smaller supplementary decal sheets round out the package. Sheet 932010-OBT1 covers the full set of airframe stencils (S1–S57), including fuel and servicing markings, "NO STEP" walkways, camera and gun placards, and various data/capacity labels — everything needed to fully stencil the one model your chosen scheme calls for. 

The kit's supplemental decal sheets
Sheet 932011-OBT2 provides the cockpit and instrument detail, with a comprehensive set of instrument panel dial faces and sub-panels (K1–K32), including switch panels, first aid and medical department placards, and other cockpit data plates, alongside a handful of spare squadron code letters and aircraft numerals left over from the main national-markings sheet.

Photo Etch:
A tiny (by Eduard standards) photo-etch fret (932011-LEPT1) is included in the kit, presumably to provide a handful of very thin parts, like the ring & bead gunsight, that couldn't be reliably reproduced as a 3D print. 
The small photo-etched fret

Wheel "Omasks":
Not mentioned anywhere in the instructions is a nice surprise: a set of Omask pre-cut foam masks for the main wheel wells, shaped to match the opening precisely. These are a welcome little bonus and, as you'd expect from a one-piece foam mask, a major time saver over cutting your own from tape or liquid mask.

Special edition booklet:
The final inclusion, specific to the Royal Class boxing, is a 112-page pictorial book covering the technical development, combat operations, and marking evolution of the P-51B/C Mustang, written by Jan Zdiarský. If there's one thing we've learned about Eduard over the years, it's their commitment to excellence, and that starts with research — lots of it. I, for one, welcome the inclusion of a book like this in the Royal Class boxing, and I already know it'll prove invaluable once I start my build.

Eduard's bonus pictorial book front cover
The book incorporates richly illustrated pilot and aircraft profiles — pairing period photographs with colour side-view artwork to tell the story of individual airmen and their specific P-51Bs — alongside dedicated technical sections that dig into the aircraft's engineering, reproducing original diagrams and technical drawings. It's a mix that serves both as engaging background reading and as genuine reference material for detailing during a build.

A selection of the pages of this booklet...
History of the aicraft in the kit.
Close-up detail photo references and period drawings of the internals.
Pilot histories are also included in this carefully crafted book, unique to the Hybrid edition.
The final chapters shift gears entirely, moving into modelling territory with several pages of coloured 3D renders showing the cockpit and wheel well interiors, clearly laid out with historically accurate colour callouts. 
This section will be invaluable as a companion to the assembly instructions once it's time to paint the kit's 3D-printed and plastic parts.

That's the end of part I - Part II tomorrow!
The second part of this review is here - and it includes not only the plastic but also the 3-D printed parts and an assembly process of how the kit goes together unpainted, don't miss it!
Gary Wickham

Eduard's new 1/32nd-scale P-51B Mustang kit can be ordered from their webstore.

You can see more of Gary's amazing model-making on his website Scalespot.com