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New Zealand P-51D "checker board" Mustang decals. RNZAF/TAF
By Malcolm laird
May 15, 2020, 20:37

New Zealand Territorial Air force P-51D Mustangs. Ventura have several decal sheets covering these colourful Mustangs from the 1950's in 1/72, 1/48th and 1/32nd scales. Wellington, Canterbury and Otago Squadrons are included in our 1/32nd scale sheet, V3275.

Shop for our RNZAF Mustang decals here.



NZ2419 of No.2 (Wellington) Squadron, New Zealand Territorial Air Force. It was taken on charge in July 1952 and reduced to spares in June 1955. In early 1953 the TAF squadrons adopted checker-board bars in provincial areas colours. Wellington’s are yellow and black. NZ2419 wore 36 inch roundels on upper and lower wing surfaces.


NZ2427 of No.3 (Canterbury) Squadron. Wings, plus all moving control surfaces, spinner and the undercarriage doors are painted silver. The fuselage, fin and fixed tailplane are natural metal. The aircraft has a red spinner cap and white (not yellow) propeller blade tips, 48 inch upper wing roundels and 36 inch lower wing. Decals 8 and 9 appear on both sides of the cowling


NZ2430 of No.4 (Otago) Squadron, 1955. Note the blue radio mast and spinner cap.


NZ2427 of No.3 (Canterbury) Squadron. Wings, including ailerons, plus all other moving control surfaces and the undercarriage doors were painted silver. The fuselage, fin and fixed tailplane were natural metal. The prop blades are black with white tips. This photo was taken in 1958 at Omaka, near Blenheim, near the end of the Mustangs service in New Zealand. (Robert E Montgomery)


NZ2417 was sold to Mr R Feckney for 140 Pounds in 1955 (NZ$280). While NZ2417 had large under-wing serials, NZ2427, also of No.3 Squadron did not. (Anthony Galbraith)


A well worn, NZ2419 after a forced landing on 19 February 1953. Wings, including ailerons, plus all other moving control surfaces, the spinner from blades forward and undercarriage doors are painted silver. The fuselage, fin and fixed tailplane are natural metal. The prop blades are black with yellow tips. (via Anthony Galbraith)


No.4 (Otago) Squadron’s NZ2430 with a natural metal fuselage, black anti-glare panel and blue radio mast. This photo was taken after a crash at Ohakea, north of Wellington on 10 February 1955. The New Zealand Mustangs were Dallas Built P-51D-25-NT aircraft. (via Anthony Galbraith)


NZ2419 with No.2 Wellington Sqn TAF about January 1953. Note the natural metal finish with standard USAAF stencil markings. This photo gives a clear impression of the matt black anti-glare panel generally applied by RNZAF painters. (via Anthony Galbraith)


The blue and yellow checker boards included for Mustang NZ2430 may also be used for Harvard trainers of No.4 (Otago) Squadron. The Mustangs require one fewer column of checks and the excess checks from decal (6) need to be sliced off when building NZ2430. (Rev. John Harrison)


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