Kit: No. 02401
Scale: 1/24
Manufacturer: Trumpeter (China), distributed by Stevens International, P.O. Box 126, Magnolia, NJ 08049, 856-435-1555
Price: $119.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 364 parts (3 resin, 14 photoetched, 9 metal, 8 vinyl, 1 film), decals
Pros: Good parts fit, excellent surface detail, fine vinyl tires, optional prop blades, excellent engine, optional clear cowl, openable gun bays, sprung landing gear, hinged control surfaces
Cons: No seat harness, some interior parts undersize, undersize exhaust pipes, tricky assembly of hinged control surfaces, incorrect color recommendations
The North American P-51 Mustang is probably the most popular model subject of all time. So do we need another P-51D kit, even if it is in 1/24 scale? Do we want a feature-packed Mustang with an 18" span made with today's technology? Sure, we do.
A peek inside the box is almost overwhelming: recessed surface details, three cast-resin pilot figures, vinyl tires, sprung landing gear, two different sets of propeller blades, "paper" and metal drop tanks, 500-pound bombs, a detailed engine and mounts, optional clear engine covers, movable flight surfaces, a detailed cockpit, openable canopy - the works. I just sat there wondering where to start.
The large-format, 16-page instruction booklet includes parts maps, 31 assembly steps, and color recommendations. There's also a color four-view markings guide. The large decal sheet provides markings for only one aircraft, flown by Lt. Col. Glenn T. Eagleston. The only paints recommended are Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color enamels that are hard to find in the United States. Trumpeter's recommendation of a metallic blue-green seat and olive drab engine bearers is off the mark. Bert Kinzey's P-51 Mustang in Detail & Scale Vol. II will help you determine the right colors.
The engine and its mount comprise 57 parts, and each must be painted prior to assembly. The fit of parts is good, but you may want to enlarge some of the alignment-pin holes on the engine block, oil pan, intake manifold, and cam covers for a better fit. Don't forget decal No. 56 that goes on the front of the engine bulkhead. The pipes molded on the exhaust manifolds are too small.
The cockpit interior is a straightforward assembly. The holes for the back-mounted instruments are too small, the cushion on the gunsight too thin, and the seat too narrow. There are no seat harnesses provided in the kit. I suspect there will be aftermarket interior improvement sets out for this kit soon.
Be sure to check page 19 of the instruction booklet before gluing the fuselage halves together. After the fuselage halves are glued, it is difficult to install the aft radiator ventilation flap (part No. J29), the tail-wheel gear, and especially the rudder. I had no trouble installing part J20, the radiator grille, after gluing the fuselage halves together.
All the flight controls are hinged with metal rods through photoetched metal tabs. You'll have to be especially careful here. There is flash on some of the alignment-pin hole edges, and some of the slots for the hinges need cleanup. Alignment of the upper and lower surfaces is crucial.
Mounting the hinged rudder is difficult. You must hook and hold the photoetched hinges over the lip on the inside of the vertical fin and apply super glue at the same moment with just your two hands. I failed and repeated this step several times and found the lip on the trailing edge of the vertical fin quickly wore out, making the process nearly impossible. The same problem occurs when you install the flaps, ailerons, and elevators.
The main gear struts are sprung, a nice idea, but the slots for the retaining pins that hold the lower parts of the struts inside the upper parts are too large, allowing the wheels to toe in. I glued the strut sections, preferring proper alignment to the spring feature. The gear mounts into small square holes in the wings, and the resulting joint is weak. The wheel construction, vinyl tires, and vinyl brake lines make the landing gear look perfect.
Except for mounting the hinged ailerons and flaps, the wing assembly went well. Detailed gun bays with separate .50-caliber Brownings and ammunition belts are provided for both wings. Painting the .50-caliber rounds in the magazines was a bear; the cases are brass, the bullets could be either silver or copper, the connecting links are gunmetal, and every fifth round was a tracer with a red tip.
Trumpeter provides six underwing rockets with "zero- length" launch stubs. I left them off my model, but the mount-ing holes show.
The fit of the upper wing panels at the wing roots is excellent. My model required no filler here. Once again, I enlarged the alignment pin holes in the wing before joining those parts. The leading and trailing edges needed only a little sanding to hide the seams.
Trumpeter provides cuffed and uncuffed prop blades. Eagleston's plane (and most World War II Mustangs) had the cuffed version. The decal placement guide shows the Hamilton Standard logos too far out on the prop blades; they should be close to the cuff's edge.
I painted my model with Testor Metalizer non-buffing aluminum. A coat of Testor Metalizer sealer prepared the surface for decal application. The decals are good, but the fuselage codes are larger than the those shown on the color guide, and the blue in the U.S. insignia is too light. I found out the hard way that Solvaset is too strong for these decals; stick with Micro Sol. I used the right side of the optional clear cowl so I could see the detailed engine inside.
It took more than 70 hours to complete my Mustang, and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It's not a kit for beginners. Despite its size, some of the parts are tiny, and some require care in assembly - like those durned photoetched hinges. Measuring the model shows it's just under a scale foot short in length and span, but that's not a problem. It looks right.
If you want loads of details and features, Trumpeter's Mustang should provide lots of modeling pleasure.
Alan F. Jones