P-51B Mustang Deluxe Set
History
(From the ArmaHobby web site) The P-51B/C was armed with four 12,7 mm wing-mounted machine guns, while under-wing pylons allowed it carry 250- and 500-pound bombs, as well as aluminum or paper fuel tanks with a capacity of 75 and 108 gallons, respectively.
The P-51B/C versions of the Mustang entered service in the European Theatre of Operations towards the end of 1943, and went on to play a key role in breaking down the resistance of the Luftwaffe’s fighter arm – the Jagdverbände – throughout 1944. They were also used in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations and in the Burma and China campaigns. Apart from providing escort cover, Mustangs flew ground support missions and were actively involved in combating the V-1 rockets. From mid-1944, they were gradually replaced with a still newer version, the P-51D/K.
The Kit
Upon opening the box you are presented with a bag containing 4 sprue of light grey injected plastic, 2 sprue of clear parts,a set of 3D printed parts, 2 sets of masks, a decal sheet and a 20 page instruction book. Study the instructions as there are a few choices you have to make depending on the marking option you choose. The plastic is cleanly molded with just a few pin marks that need attention and no noticeable sink marks. The clear parts are very clear and thinly molded. The printed parts are highly detailed and the decal sheet is nicely printed and crowded!
Construction
Construction starts with a very detailed cockpit with 12 steps needed to complete this, along with the air intake and tail wheel. Not including the fuselage halves, that have some fine detail molded on them, the pit is made up of 20 parts and 30 decals. You are provided decals for the seat harness or a very nice 3D printed seat with harness. (I chose the decal version). Everything fit perfectly but one warning I have is that there are some very small decals involved so take your time. I did one area at a time and took a break between each one so as not to give myself too big of a headache!
Step 13 is the fuselage assembly and before you do this you have to decide which version you want to do, with dorsal fin or without. I chose to do one of each. If you want the dorsal fin you have to do some very minor surgery on each half. Also, you’ll have to scribe the seam on the top of the cowl as somehow Arma missed this, no big problem.
Steps 14-17 deal with the wing assembly which was fairly easy and all fit well. Actually the toughest part of this was removing the wing halves from the sprue and cleaning them up without damaging them…..A razor saw is a must IMHO. Step 18 is main landing gear assembly and I did have a little problem attaching the doors to the struts so take your time and test fit.
Step 19 is where you place the tail and horizontal stabilizers (that almost securely snap into place) and the main gear and inner gear doors, which I left off till later due to having to paint the invasion stripes. Steps 21 & 22 deal with small final parts to add such as intake scoops, exhausts, antenna mast & propeller. You have a choice to make on the exhaust not only which style but also injected or 3D (3D parts are already hollowed out).
Steps 23 & 24 deal with the canopy and again a choice is given, hinged canopy or Malcolm Hood. The hinged canopy is simple to place and you can choose open or closed. The Malcolm Hood is just a little more involved due to the extra part to place (canopy rails that are VERY fragile). You have a choice of open or closed but if you choose closed you have to cut part of the rail off….I chose the open option. The last step before decaling is choosing what to place on the wing racks. You have a choice of two types of external fuel tanks or bombs.
Finishing
You are given nine marking options in this kit. Four are OD over grey, one is an RAF camo scheme, one is overall NMF and three are a mix of NMF and OD.
- P-51B 43-6913 Shangri-La, Capt. Don Gentile
- P-51B 42-106950 The Iowa Beaut, Lt. Robert Hulderman
- Mustang Mk III 43-6533 Wing Cmdr. Stanislaw Skalski
- P-51B 42-106839 Bald Eagle III, Lt. Robert Turnbull
- P-51B 43-6638 Lt. Fred Buckner (my 1st choice)
- P-51B 42-106924 Salem Representative, Lt. Ralph Hofer
- P-51B 43-12375 Bonnie B, Major Don Beerbower (My 2nd choice)
- Mustang Mk. III 43-12146 309 Squadron.
- P-51B 43-6638 354FG Now probably a squadron hack
The decals are nicely printed and settled down well. The only problem I had was some of the small decals, and there are many of them, didn’t want to stick and I had to use thinned out white glue on them.
I used Testors Model Master Acrylics for the interior and Mr. Color Neutral Grey & Tamiya OD Green Lacquers for the exterior.
After painting and adding the decals I attached the main gear and inner gear doors. Most of the pictures I have of P-51s show the inner gear doors closed or mostly closed while on the ground. If you want to pose them this way you have to modify part #B27 by cutting the actuator arms off.
Conclusions
These are VERY NICE kits that are nicely engineered and fit very well. While I wouldn’t recommend these to beginners everyone else will enjoy them. I would like to thank ArmaHobby for the this kit and the review corps for letting me build them.
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