The Away Team Part 4
RAAF Squadrons of the BCOF
Australian Mustangs in Japan

Red Roo Models,1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Xtradecal's 1/32 Fw 190 Stab Decals will be available online from Squadron.com

This decal release by Red Roo Models features P-51D Mustangs operated by the three Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) squadrons involved in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan between 1946 and 1952. To quote Red Roo’s instruction booklet:

The primary objective of BCOF was to enforce the terms of the unconditional surrender that had ended the war... The BCOF area of responsibility was the western prefectures of Shimani, Yamaguchi, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Shikoku Island….The RAAF component was stationed at Bofu, in Yamaguchi Prefecture.  The RAAF squadrons which served were Nos 76, 77, and 82, all flying Mustangs.

The release is a typically comprehensive product from Red Roo, and tellingly subtitled ‘A Southern Cross Mustangs Authorised Product’. This is a reference to David Muir’s superb 2009 study of Australian and New Zealand P-51s, which is an essential companion to anyone interested in these machines. I compared the decal instructions with the relevant sections in my copy of Southern Cross Mustangs, and it’s clear that Red Roo used Muir’s book as its primary source.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

With some decal releases it seems as if the instructions are almost an afterthought; this is definitely not the case here.  If anything the reverse is true:  Red Roo has provided an information booklet that also includes decals.  The booklet consists of eight double-sided A4 pages, printed in full colour and stapled together at the top left hand corner.  It’s broken into two parts – a written section that includes useful background information and practical instructions for applying the decals, and an illustrated section with profiles of the featured aircraft.  The written section is structured as follows:

• A road map includes instructions on how to use the decals, and an image of the main decal sheet showing which of the decals (there are ten) have been superseded by replacements on the smaller supplementary sheets.

• British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan – as quoted from above, this section outlines the purpose of BCOF and the role played in it by Australian forces, including the RAAF.

• National markings – a short explanation of the changes to the national insignia worn by RAAF Mustangs during their time as part of BCOF.

• Unit markings – 82 Squadron Badge decals – instructions for application of these unit markings, which according to the instructions have been printed separately on the smallest of the decal sheets to “retain the fine detail of the design”.

Moving on to the illustrations, these are arranged according to squadron and feature full colour port and starboard profiles of each machine as follows:

• Three 76 Squadron aircraft: A68-722/A, A68-738/SV-P, and A68-751/SV-U

• Four 77 Squadron aircraft: A68-700/AM-A, A68-724/K, A68-787/AM-A, and A68-789/AM-D

• Three 82 Squadron aircraft:  A68-710/FA-O, A68-791/FA-E, and A68-811/FA-U.

All were finished in “unpainted aluminium except for the wings and fabric covered rudder which were finished with aluminium lacquer”.  The profiles are clearly printed, and the accompanying captions are equally valuable with their descriptions of propeller types and other salient features.

To help with paint matching there are colour swatches printed at the bottom of pages 4 and 7, and generic top and undersurface views showing where the roundel decals should be placed.

The decals themselves are well printed with good colours and registration.  There are a few stencils that aren’t particularly crisp, but no-one’s going to read them so I don’t think this matters much. 

There is a reasonable amount of carrier film on the decals, including the roundels, so make sure they’re applied to a very smooth glossy surface (which you’ll need anyway to replicate the unpainted fuselage and aluminium lacquered wings).

There are two smaller sheets of supplementary decals for A68-791 and A68-811, which correct the font of the squadron codes as printed in the original, large decal sheet.

This is another high-quality product from Red Roo Models – you’ll be stretched to find a more comprehensive sheet of markings for Australian Mustangs.  Red Roo’s attention to detail, particularly the wealth of information available in Southern Cross Mustangs, means you can embark on your chosen project with confidence that it will result in an accurate and attractive model.

Thanks to Red Roo Models for the review sample

Red Roo Models products are available online from their website

Review Text Copyright © 2017 by Brad Fallen
This Page Created on 14 March, 2017
Last updated 14 March, 2017

Back to HyperScale Main Page