Arguably one of the most famous fighter pilots to serve in the U.S. Air Force during the war, Col. John Landers was also the most experience. He was an ace in both the Pacific and the European theaters (one of only a small group of pilots to achieve this feat), where he saw action in all major combat types. Scoring six victories in the Pacific with the 49th FG while flying P-40's, Landers was posted to a succession of Eighth Air Force fighter units, flying a series of P-38's and P-51's, all of which were named "Big Beautiful Doll". From the 38th FS of the 55th FG, scoring four kills in P-38 Lightnings and flying various P-51 Mustangs, he was promoted to command the 357th FG between October 11 and December 2, 1944, before moving to Duxford to take command of the 78th FG. He scored 14.5 victories, 8.5 of them while serving with the Eighth (4.5 in Mustangs), collecting a further 20 ground victories, including eight during one mission! The P-51D Mustang, built by North American Aviation, is a single-place, low-wing monoplane powered by a Packard-built Rolls Royce engine. Although designed primarily as a fighter airplane, it may be equipped to carry bombs, chemical tanks, or rockets. Provision is also made to allow installation of external drop tanks to increase operating range. The airplane also has six .50 caliber machine guns as standard equipment. Armor plate is installed in the cockpit area for protection of he pilot during combat. The P-51D Mustang has a wingspan of 37 feet and a length of 32 feet and stands 13 feet high. The gross weight can be as high as 12,300 pounds when external armament and fuel are carried. This limited edition vintage P-51D Mustang die-cast metal bank is a replica of the one flown by Col. John D. Landers when he was Commanding Officer of the 78th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force in 1945!