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The P-51D Mustang Erection & Maintenance Manual

By Al Superczynski

Want to build a *really* detailed Mustang model? How about starting with a copy of the official USAAF P-51D/K erection and maintenance manual for reference? Well, you've got it! Chris "The Flying Frog" (I love his self-deprecating humor) has done an outstanding job of transferring the original document to a compact disk usable with either Mac or PC operating systems. The manual can be viewed in either a slide show or thumbnail format and is presented in both original time-weathered form and as an easier-to-read cleaned up version. It's obvious that a considerable amount of effort was required to make it legible. Well done!

But wait - that's not all. There are also eighty-three (!) walkaround photos of a mix of restored and vintage airframes, again available in either slide show or thumbnail format. The quality of the pics varies but most are good to excellent and they feature the cockpit, engine, landing gear and bays, and external details. I have reservations, though, about some of the component colors on the restored airplanes so take them with a grain of salt. Also be careful of modernized details in the cockpits of the restored aircraft, a common occurence in warbirds.

Haven't had enough yet? Like the sound of a Packard Merlin? There's plenty of that on the CD too - turn your speakers way up and drive the pets and family nuts!

As a final bonus you get twelve large pics suitable as desktop wallpaper.

The disk retails for approximately US $73 including shipping; definitely not inexpensive but the E&M manual by itself is priceless for a real Mustang freak. Contact Chris direct for up to date pricing information and availability. Review sample provided courtesy of the Flying Frog .