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1/48 - North American P-51D/F-51D & Mustang lV/P-51K by Airfix - released


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The wing root leading edge fillets as a separate part makes me think for sure there will be a B/C version to come as these earlier ones had shallower fillets but the 'D' undercart doors would need to be different too. However I too noticed the louvred breather plates . With those and the Aeroproducts prop, RAF ones would be on the cards.  Overall though, it looks to be a very smart kit.

 

 

By the way, regarding the filling of those panel lines on the wings, it will be really authentic for us modellers to fill 'em our selves ..." just like the real thing!"

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Looks very nice, with Aeroproducts prop and cowling gills for UK models. Pity there's no filletless fin, though offering the two styles of fillet is a nice touch. I don't really do 1/48 but might be tempted...

 

Justin

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4 hours ago, Bedders said:

Looks very nice, with Aeroproducts prop and cowling gills for UK models. Pity there's no filletless fin, though offering the two styles of fillet is a nice touch. I don't really do 1/48 but might be tempted...

 

Justin

 

Surely the filletless tail insert will come in a future boxing, otherwise it's a wasted opportunity.

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2 hours ago, Mike Esposito said:

I like the new Airfix  and all....but do you guys think this kit will surpass the Tamiya kit?

 

:hmmm:

 

In some ways yes - accuracy, in some no - molding quality. I'll still build my Tamiya kits, I might pick one or two of these up, but I'll wait to see the Eduard kit first.

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1 hour ago, Max Headroom said:

Dooleybird maybe?

 

Now then, what colour will the name be?!

 

:P

 

Trevor

 

And roll out a version of Roy Huxley's famous Matchbox artwork - that one always excited me as a young (and old) kid. 

 

Cheers.. Dave

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14 hours ago, Paul J said:

By the way, regarding the filling of those panel lines on the wings, it will be really authentic for us modellers to fill 'em our selves ..." just like the real thing!"

 

Nice one Paul!  

 

I like the look of this kit and, as others have said, filling a few unwanted panel lines is a damn sight easier for many of us than scribing new ones.

 

It'd be nice to see a scan of the instructions: I suspect there are quite a few separate bits for the cockpit that are moulded integrally in other manufacturers' kits.

 

The parts breakdown has already attracted adverse criticism on other fora, for example the top cowling panel being separate and the same for the breather panels, but in this case Airfix have saved us some work and themselves the cost of tooling two separate sets of fuselage parts to cater for, in the latter case, a comparatively minor modification.

 

Personally I can't wait for the RAF and Commonwealth air forces boxing(s), even if Dooleybird isn't included in the kit markings options.  I once met a former 112 Squadron Mustang pilot (a really lovely man) and I'd love to replicate an aeroplane that he might have flown.  Come on Airfix: please get on with it, pronto!

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9 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

Dooleybird maybe?

 

Now then, what colour will the name be?!

 

:P

 

Trevor

 

I'd rather they did Doley's earlier camouflaged aircraft. Or preferably something a little less well known. Maybe one of the Polish squadrons, or 5 Squadron SAAF in Italy?

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14 hours ago, stever219 said:

 

Nice one Paul!  

 

I like the look of this kit and, as others have said, filling a few unwanted panel lines is a damn sight easier for many of us than scribing new ones.

 

It'd be nice to see a scan of the instructions: I suspect there are quite a few separate bits for the cockpit that are moulded integrally in other manufacturers' kits.

 

The parts breakdown has already attracted adverse criticism on other fora, for example the top cowling panel being separate and the same for the breather panels, but in this case Airfix have saved us some work and themselves the cost of tooling two separate sets of fuselage parts to cater for, in the latter case, a comparatively minor modification.

 

Personally I can't wait for the RAF and Commonwealth air forces boxing(s), even if Dooleybird isn't included in the kit markings options.  I once met a former 112 Squadron Mustang pilot (a really lovely man) and I'd love to replicate an aeroplane that he might have flown.  Come on Airfix: please get on with it, pronto!

 

It might be easier to fill the panel lines but every P-51 produced so far has had unfilled wings, it would be nice if someone did filled wing since most aircraft had them filled the least time would be spent scribing compared to filling.

 

We are getting three new P-51s quite close together and it looks like not one of them will have filled wings, but may be Eduard will surprise us.

 

I prefer the top cowl separate as it allows them to mould it more accurately and as long as the fit it good it shouldn't be a problem. It should be a good kit, I just hope the moulding quality is a bit better than their other recent kits.

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Having looked at the sprue photos on page 5 again, and assuming that this is the finished article, there won't be as much rivet detail to remove as on the Meng version. The wing was filled and puttied for the first 40% of the chord out to the wing tip joint according to my copy " Building the P-51 Mustang " 

 

John

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I mentioned to Airfix team on SMW 2016 that filled wings or additional sprue with them would be great as no other kit has that option, but I presume that added cost of tooling for extra sprue put a stop to that. Also, as they had sprues on show, tooling has been done, and any changes to it would be a possible minor tweak if issues with short shot parts, fit, or excessive flash were found.

 

Experience tells me that any sprues on show, even if a year or two before the regular release, almost always mean that tooling is final. The only exceptions I know of were a significant retooling of Trumpeter 1/32 Grumman Wildcat which had disastrous early reviews, and a minor adjustment to Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk.IX after prop shape and symmetric hatches on rear fuselage were reported.

 

Good thing is, there are only a few panel lines to fill. If you look carefully at Mustang wings, you will see a very faint trace of where panel lines were if light is just right. It is more of a slight imperfection in the smooth metal surface than a panel line, and it can only be seen when the light falls almost parallel to the surface of the wing.

 

Filling the panel lines on the model and smoothing, without trying to perfectly hide them, would be prototypical, and it should not be too hard to do. Just filling with Mr Surfacer 500 and later wiping with alcohol, or using any of the water based putties (like Perfect Plastic Putty or even white milliput) and then wiping with wet finger or tissue would do the trick, without any need for sanding.

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59 minutes ago, Vladan Dugaric said:

I mentioned to Airfix team on SMW 2016 that filled wings or additional sprue with them would be great as no other kit has that option, but I presume that added cost of tooling for extra sprue put a stop to that. Also, as they had sprues on show, tooling has been done, and any changes to it would be a possible minor tweak if issues with short shot parts, fit, or excessive flash were found.

 

Experience tells me that any sprues on show, even if a year or two before the regular release, almost always mean that tooling is final. The only exceptions I know of were a significant retooling of Trumpeter 1/32 Grumman Wildcat which had disastrous early reviews, and a minor adjustment to Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk.IX after prop shape and symmetric hatches on rear fuselage were reported.

 

Good thing is, there are only a few panel lines to fill. If you look carefully at Mustang wings, you will see a very faint trace of where panel lines were if light is just right. It is more of a slight imperfection in the smooth metal surface than a panel line, and it can only be seen when the light falls almost parallel to the surface of the wing.

 

Filling the panel lines on the model and smoothing, without trying to perfectly hide them, would be prototypical, and it should not be too hard to do. Just filling with Mr Surfacer 500 and later wiping with alcohol, or using any of the water based putties (like Perfect Plastic Putty or even white milliput) and then wiping with wet finger or tissue would do the trick, without any need for sanding.

 

Don't forget the Eduard 109 retool, probably the biggest retool going. There's been plenty of small tweaks and corrections done after release on kits as well - Tamiya 1/72 FW 190 spinner and Tamiya 1/48th Bf 109 nose are the ones that come to mind. Not that this has got anything to do with the P-51 wings, if Airfix had wanted to do it then they would have done it, it's not like it's a little know fact about the Mustang.

 

Yes it's fairly easy to fill the lines, I've done it on the 1/72nd Tamiya kit, a bit more work on the Meng kit as all the rivets need to be filled as well, but nothing to difficult. I'm just surprised that not one manufacture has taken this option as it's less work for them.

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I agree. We should not have to do it on a modern, well-researched kit. The filled and painted wings were not that well known fact among model builders and kit manufacturers 30-40 years ago, but in the past 10 or 15 years this horse has been beaten to death and now most modellers and most manufacturers either are, or should be, aware of this.

 

Thus, no excuses for not doing it really.

 

If AMK can include two sets of wings in their upcoming F-14 kit, I see no reason why someone would not be the first to either have a filled and puttied wing, or two sets of wings if they fancy rivets all over one set.

 

Let's see what Eduard do next year with their Mustang (but, knowing their love of rivets, I am not holding my breath; then again, they do make several different wing versions for their Spitfires, so perhaps we can still dream).

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1 hour ago, Vladan Dugaric said:

I agree. We should not have to do it on a modern, well-researched kit. The filled and painted wings were not that well known fact among model builders and kit manufacturers 30-40 years ago, but in the past 10 or 15 years this horse has been beaten to death and now most modellers and most manufacturers either are, or should be, aware of this.

 

Thus, no excuses for not doing it really.

 

If AMK can include two sets of wings in their upcoming F-14 kit, I see no reason why someone would not be the first to either have a filled and puttied wing, or two sets of wings if they fancy rivets all over one set.

 

Let's see what Eduard do next year with their Mustang (but, knowing their love of rivets, I am not holding my breath; then again, they do make several different wing versions for their Spitfires, so perhaps we can still dream).

 

Exactly my thoughts with Eduard, they love their surface detail so will probably give us a riveted wing, but you never no.

 

Anyway it's only a small thing, as long as the rest of the kit is good , it's a relatively quick thing to do.

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Just a thought. Although they left the factory with the puttied wings, how long did that remain? I'm thinking that over the years and with numerous stripping and reprints, this may have been forgotten about.

 

Trevor

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I believe a lot of post-war Mustangs lost the lacquer on the wings along with the putty during overhauls. In addition, later Australian built a/c didn't have the putty at all. I suppose it is easier for Airfix to provide panel-lined wings and require us to delete them than it is to provide smooth wings and us to add them for a later machine.

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4 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

Just a thought. Although they left the factory with the puttied wings, how long did that remain? I'm thinking that over the years and with numerous stripping and reprints, this may have been forgotten about.

 

Trevor

 

This has been discussed quite a bit.

 

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8 hours ago, airbus320 said:

I believe a lot of post-war Mustangs lost the lacquer on the wings along with the putty during overhauls. In addition, later Australian built a/c didn't have the putty at all. I suppose it is easier for Airfix to provide panel-lined wings and require us to delete them than it is to provide smooth wings and us to add them for a later machine.

 

I was thinking along these lines too, therefore it makes more sense to include the panel lines and leave the modeller to fill them if they so wish.

 

I was wondering whether all of those post-war operatives bothered with the putty, unlikely I'd say.

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