Kit: No. 3201
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Dragon, from Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322, www.dragonmodelusa.com
Price: $41.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 263 parts (8 photoetched, 5 metal, 3 vinyl), decals
Pros: You can never have too many Mustangs; three 8th AF markings; clear or photoetched instrument panel
Cons: Inconsistent, sometimes inaccurate design and instructions; missing pitot tube; misshapen propeller
A new large scale plastic P-51D Mustang kit … very exciting! With all the recent advances in technology, this new kit by Dragon carries high expectations. But some details fall short of the mark.
The gray plastic parts are well molded and flash-free. Clear engine covers are included. The finish of exterior parts is rough, and the engraved panel lines and rivets are perhaps a bit overdone. However, the mold-seam lines require little sanding (except the canopy).
The tires are very soft vinyl – so why are flat spots molded in? The fit of the too-large tires is sloppy.
The kit offers various underwing stores and rockets as well as full-length machine guns with ammo belts – but, strangely, no gun-access panels.
The engine comprises 22 parts; one of them, D22, is not shown on the instruction sheet. It should be fixed to the bottom of part E11. Aligning the fire wall (D60), motor mounts (E19 and E21), and the fuselage framework around the engine (part E35) is especially tricky.
The highly detailed cockpit boasts 45 parts. I liked the individual instrument dial decals, but the photoetched-metal instrument panel is too large for its receptacle in part D1. In Step 7, photoetched-metal parts MA1 and MA2 were too large.
Step 8 drawings indicate metal parts MB2 between the elevators and the horizontal stabilizers, but I simply glued the elevators to the stabilizers on my model. (Note: The kit does not include elevator and aileron trim-tab actuator rods and fairings.)
I wondered how the upper and lower wing panels would fit together after the guns, gun trays, and landing-gear wells were installed, but all it took was two bar clamps to hold the seams in place while the glue dried. Window glazing putty smoothed the wing-to-fuselage joints.
What to do with Dragon’s engraved wing surface detail? Research reveals the P-51D’s laminar-flow wing was filled, sanded smooth, and painted silver at the factory. However, this gleaming paint didn’t fare well in combat service. Many crew chiefs had them stripped of paint and filler, then waxed and buffed. I probably should have sanded and polished my wings before painting.
Bombs, paper fuel tanks, or small metal fuel tanks are optional underwing stores. The holes that accept pylons for these stores are poorly located. Modelers with AMS (Advanced Modeler Syndrome) may fill and redrill these holes. The rocket-pylon mounting holes are predrilled.
Parts C34 and C35 are drawn incorrectly in Step 11 (landing gear); they look just like parts C1 and C17. Extra parts C1 and C17 are provided because sprue C is duplicated. The correct parts (C34 and C35) have a pin at the top that should fit into holes in the back walls of the landing- gear wells. Test-fit with part E25 before gluing the well to the bottom wing panel – enlarging the holes afterwards is nigh impossible.
Be very careful assembling the main landing-gear struts to avoid gluing the gear’s lower legs to the spring-loaded upper struts. The landing gear will fit in the retracted position only if the struts are fully extended. The hydraulic brake lines (parts i1 and i2) fit only if the gear legs are compressed. The main-gear doors fit in the closed position only if the inner door panels are left off.
Normally I avoid even touching clear parts for fear of damaging them. But in this case, the mold-seam line in the center of the canopy had to be sanded and polished. I used 600 wet-or-dry sandpaper, all three steps of a fingernail polishing stick, and, finally, a coat of Future. After all that, the windshield did not fit properly.
The propeller also is misshapen. This model deserves accurate propeller blades, as well as a pitot tube on the starboard wing.
I painted my model with SnJ Spray Metal, picking out individual panels with Floquil’s Old Silver. My interior paint is Testors yellow chromate enamel. Testors Model Master chrome yellow and insignia red finished off the exterior.
Choosing from three decal options for the 8th Air Force in Europe in 1944, I applied markings for Kay’s Kite, a P-51D of the 374th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group. The decals released promptly and were easy to handle, but even after an application of Micro Sol (red label) and sufficient drying time, the decals were easily damaged or even removed by touching them.
Measurements show the wing is nearly perfect 1/32 scale, while the fuselage is about a scale foot short. The model’s stance with the gear compressed looks alright.
Actual assembly time was less than 10 hours, with another 7-8 hours for masking and painting; solving problems took an additional 5 hours. Dragon’s P-51D turned out to be an interesting challenge I recommend for experienced builders.
– Al Jones