P-51D Mustang 'Tuskegee Airmen'

[woody37]

P-51D Mustang 'Tuskegee Airmen'

Hasegawa 1:48

The timing of this kit is perfect following the recent release of the Lucas film 'Red Tails' that's based on the Tuskegee Airmen (how much it's based on is not for this review !). Initially, the Mustang was powered by a low altitude Alison V12, but this was changed to a licence built Packard Merlin to improve it's performance at higher altitude. Early aircraft had faired cockpits which were unpopular with pilots in terms of visibility, so NAA redesigned it with a bubble canopy and cut down rear fuselage giving the infamous shape we all know as the P51D and of which is modelled here. This reduced lateral stability which was an issue that stayed with the later models, particularly under combat load, however the issue was improved by enlarging the tail with a leading edge fillet. The Merlin powered Mustang was an alround performer. Where it stood out was it's combat radius, a welcome capability for the bomber crews being mauled over Germany as they now had a fighter that could stay with them and drive German defenders away. The infamous Tuskegee Airmen were the all-black 332nd Fighter Group that served with distinction throughout the war using the Mustang, not just fighting an enemy, but racial segregation from within. By the end of the war, the 332nd had claimed 112 aircraft shot down, 150 destroyed on the ground, 148 damaged and even shot down 3 jets in one day over Berlin.

The kit

The kit comes in a top opening box with four light grey sprue's holding the kit parts in their own bag. The decals and clear parts are packed into a separate bag to prevent any scratching. The detail in the kit is very nice indeed and in all there are 118 parts. The panel lines are finely recessed and the plastic in the fuselage is thin, noticeably around the tail which helps to keep scaling accurate for chord thickness. Design of the kit is traditional for single engined fighters, left and right fuselage halves, one piece bottom wing and separate top wings. The detail in the cockpit is attentive and very good as far as injection moulded detailing goes. The seat has moulded seat belts which with a wash should display well unless you prefer to sand them off and use aftermarket parts. The adequate panel has a choice of moulded detail or a decal option.The only slight negative feature is that the exhausts are fitted from inside the fuselage. I usually leave these off until the end of a build and paint them separately, however this prevents you from doing that. The cockpit, radiator internals and tail wheel are sandwiched between the fuselage halves before closing it up.

The wheel wells are beautifully moulded with intricate framing and pipework although they don't look deep enough, however, I certainly wouldn't let worry me too much. A healthy selection of armament is included in the kit, large & small drop tanks, 3 pack rocket launchers, ground attack rockets and 500lb bombs. I'm not sure what loadouts the 332nd carried, but the choice is yours. There are some small sink marks in the lower wing where location holes for the various loadouts are skinned over, depending which ones you decide to use, however they are barely visible.

The transparencies are crisp with two styles of canopy. The earlier type appears to suffer less from distortion than the later one with a deeper rear end, however both are nicely produced and thinly moulded. Formation and wingtip lights and HUD are included on the sprue.

The decals

Two options are on the sheet:

• Aircraft of the 99th Fighter Sqn, 332 FG, 15th Airforce, Italy 1944
  
• Charles Whites 'Creamers Dream' of the 301st FS, 332 FG, 15th Airforce, Italy 1945
  

The decals are nicely registered and vibrant. The pin ups on 'Creamers Dream' for each side of the nose appear quite basic, but adequate.

Conclusion

This is a great kit. The detail is beautiful and there's plenty of weapons to choose from if you want to load it up. Whilst you could probably squeeze more detail into the cockpit with aftermarket accessories, it certainly won't be be lacking if you build straight from the box. The shape looks very good. I'm very pleased to get my hands on this review and look forwards to getting stuck into it.

Review sample courtesy of

UK distributors for

[Paramedic]

Just bought one of these boxings, 2nd hand - to compare to the Tamiya, newer Airfix and later Eduard (not built one yet). And I like it! Apart from the mentioned tail wheel and exhaust stacks you need to insert early.. And maybe the non-dropable flaps. But the kit is excellent for its age! I prefer it over the Airfix and maybe over the Tamiya.. But those two feel close with pros and cons on each.

I guess Eduards new one is just superior - but maybe fiddlier to build? We´ll see.