1/48 P-51H MustangThe North American P-51 Mustang, produced beginning in 1941, was one of the most versatile U.S. fighters of World War II. It was deployed on both the Pacific and European fronts to oppose Luftwaffe aircraft. It was mainly employed as an escort fighter to Boeing B-17 bomber formations, but also as a fighter bomber. It was also employed in the first phase of the Korean War, although it had by then been overtaken by the first jet-powered aircraft. In some air forces it remained in service until the early 1980s. Designed by Edgar Schmued, built and flown in just 117 days, the P-51 was among the largest piston-powered fighters ever. In its later versions it touched the upper limits attainable by a piston-powered machine. It was the product of two cutting-edge technologies: from the U.S. aircraft industry and the British engine industry.