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Hobby Boss 1:72 P-51B Duo ++FINISHED++


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I have to confess that I like the easy build Hobby Boss kits and the Mustangs are great if you want to do something

like a 8th Air Force etc nose art project.

I have not made this kit before and as they are both £4.95 I decided to do both decal options you get in the kit hence two builds.

So a box shot and 'price proofing' shot. :winkgrin:

IMG_4234_zps2f1eb272.jpg

IMG_4235_zpsdfee8bf0.jpg

You can still buy this kit for the same price.

Cheers

Alan

PS I just noticed the orange ticket under the price, £4.85, so the shop owner knew his prices. :D

Edited by Deacon
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So how many parts are there to these kits? And what is the detail like?

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back mate.

28 parts make up the airframe, 6 of these though are to make the propeller and housing up.

You then have a choice of two types of drop tank, bazookas and I think 500lb bombs (they could be 250lb)

Panel lines and detail is nicely recessed, but the wheel wells, although detailed, are too shallow so you would

just fit the undercarriage doors to have these closed.

The single piece wing joins under the one piece fuselage which leaves just a short join from the front of the wing

root to the front of the engine, very tidy.

Although the decal choices are for two standard canopy machines, you do get the Malcolm hood variety

too which is great for all those after market decals of P-51B/C's that had this hood

fitted.

Finally, the two decal choices are Gentile's "Shangri La" and Henry

Browns "The Hun Hunter of Texas". These are in good register, but some Hobby Boss decals can

be a bit stiff requiring decal solutions to get them to conform to panel lines

etc. We shall see.

I forgot to mention that there is no sidewall detail and for the two decal options used from the box you will need to

use the unshrouded exhausts.

I have also found out that there are only 1 of each of the drop tanks!

I hope this helps.

Alan

Edited by Deacon
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Thanks Alan. Sounds like they are quite good then really, and with a bit of thought and planning can be built into good models.

Sounds like you know your stuff, so I look forward to seeing the progress.

Paul

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Thanks Alan. Sounds like they are quite good then really, and with a bit of and planning can be built into good models.

Sounds like you know your stuff, so I look forward to seeing the progress.

Paul

If I'm honest Paul I've just managed to get some reference material together so was able to look things up. I'd really like to become familiar with the P-51.

Some new stuff I've learnt. On the P-51D, when the engine came to a standstill after landing, the hydraulics slowly eased and the flaps and wheel bay doors dropped. The P-51B/C didn't do this, so the wheel bay doors should be closed (not the leg doors obviously) not open as Hobby Boss would have you do.

Also, you don't need the DF loops supplied as these were only used in the CBI theatre. And finally, "Shangri La" didn't have

the short arial mast provided but had a straight longer mast called a 'sword' mast which will have tobe scratch built.

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Made a start on the builds this morning.

IMG_4239_zps12e5866e.jpg

Just thought I would show how the pit sits on the single piece wing before the wing is slotted into the fuselage. The wheel bay doors have had their locating pins removed to glue them shut as well.

Alan

Edited by Deacon
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Actually only the early P-51/P-51A/A-36 locked the gear doors up when the engine wasn't running.

P-51B/C/D/K would all droop with the loss of hydraulic pressure within minutes of engine shutdown

Great, someone who know's about Mustangs :thumbsup: . I have one or two books on the P-51 and in one book alone I counted 12 photos where B's and C's do not have dropped wheel-well doors when at rest, thankfully one of them is Hun Hunter. I don't suppose you would know why that is (bearing in mind that most of the photos show no maintenance crew and no pilot)?

Cheers

Alan

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Okay, as the wife and daughter were shopping today and my son was on a trip with the Boys' Brigade, I was able to

crack on with these builds.

IMG_4240_zps9e772fbf.jpg

Here "Shangi-La" has it's Neutral Grey undersides done and the first coat of Olive Drab. Hun Hunter is almost at the same stage, just lagging

behind on the Olive Drab.

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I'm not sure why that would be the case, unless they were modified in the field by ground crew to keep mud etc out of the bay.

Interestingly every video i've watched on YouTube of modern warbird P-51's the doors drop to the full open position as soon as the prop stops rotating.

Your cracking on with these two models, i picked up acouple of Airfix F-51D 1/72 kits for this GB today....so there will be more ponies around here soon

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I'm not sure why that would be the case, unless they were modified in the field by ground crew to keep mud etc out of the bay.

Interestingly every video i've watched on YouTube of modern warbird P-51's the doors drop to the full open position as soon as the prop stops rotating.

Your cracking on with these two models, i picked up acouple of Airfix F-51D 1/72 kits for this GB today....so there will be more ponies around here soon

The 1:72 Airfix Mustang kits are my favourite, so I'm looking forward to your builds mate.

Good start. I take it the girls of the house returned during mid painting..

Elementary my dear Watson. :winkgrin:

Edited by Deacon
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Quite like the look of these, how does it compare to Airfix new tool P-51's?

To be honest mate, get the Airfix kits if you are making a one off kit. These Hobby Boss kits are great to show off nose art for several aircraft of one type.

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Another update.

You can't quite tell from the photo but the white ID lines are a little opaque and I may paint these in. I also had to paint the red stripe on the nose as the

decal just would not conform to the curve.

IMG_4244_zps7bd683d0.jpg

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Hope the Airfix kits are nice,not built a 1/72 P-51 for at least 25 years.

I reread this thread,with regards to Henry Brown's Hun Hunter you know this aircraft was painted RAF Green over NMF not Olive drab/Grey most folks assume it was.

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Hope the Airfix kits are nice,not built a 1/72 P-51 for at least 25 years.

I reread this thread,with regards to Henry Brown's Hun Hunter you know this aircraft was painted RAF Green over NMF not Olive drab/Grey most folks assume it was.

Now that is a good call mate, but will mean I'll have to lose all the decaling. So, anyone making The Hun Hunter of Texas, don't follow Hobby Bosses call out on colours. :weep:

Edited by Deacon
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You know as a modeller when you do something to a build and you think "I'll live with that" but every time you see it it just niggles?

Well, those opaque ID stripes were bugging me, so I had to paint over them. I used Vallejo's Off White.

IMG_4246_zpsa9da9e18.jpg

So now, perhaps make some progress! :winkgrin:

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