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


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9 hours ago, ABeck said:

A suggestion to the Airfix team:

Include a second top-wing option with flush surface details. Modellers will praise this, even if the price will rise with 1.50.

 

They would then really need to supply a new bottom wing other wise it would be strange having a "filled" top wing and a "unfilled" bottom wing.

 

I think it's going to be a case of filling on the Airfix kit, our only hope left is Eduard, but they love their rivets so I'm not holding my breath there.

Edited by Tbolt
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18 hours ago, madcop said:

If they elect to get rid of looking at their PC screens more than they spend  time looking at the real aircraft, they're much welcome imo.

But for the time being it looks like they are more concerned by their new hardware-software  than by the final product. 

I just hope this P-51D is going to be better than their much anticipated P-40. This one is AFAIC definitely quality wise, a step back for Airfix.

 

Madcop. :(

How can you say that when we aren't looking at the final product? Give the guys a break, they are showing a product that  is in development. Think about how the victor looked at last years SMW show compared to the builds they had on display this year.

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3 hours ago, Tbolt said:

 

They would then really need to supply a new bottom wing other wise it would be strange having a "filled" top wing and a "unfilled" bottom wing.

 

I think it's going to be a case of filling on the Airfix kit, our only hope left is Eduard, but they love their rivets so I'm not holding my breath there.

How hard is it really to fill the panel lines you don't want. A little Mr. Surfacer, a sanding stick, and Bob's your father's brother. In any case, there was a lot of variation on in-service aircraft. Some had the paint on the wings completely stripped back to metal. It's a lot easier to fill panel lines than scribe new ones.

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13 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

How hard is it really to fill the panel lines you don't want. A little Mr. Surfacer, a sanding stick, and Bob's your father's brother. In any case, there was a lot of variation on in-service aircraft. Some had the paint on the wings completely stripped back to metal. It's a lot easier to fill panel lines than scribe new ones.

 

I didn't say it wasn't, I was only commenting on Abeck's comment about them supplying a separate top wing. As for being easier to fill than to scribe, well that depends what the new plastic is like, the older soft Airfix plastic was so easy to rescribe well.

 

Most airframes had the wings still filled and we are probably going to end up with 3 new kits with unfilled wings, so although it may be easier to fill a wing, though I don't think there's much difference in it because it's not a large number of lines, most of the time you will need to fill a wing, where as if it was the other way around, it would be  an occasional scribe, or use one of the many P-51 kits.

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I think that's a good point Tbolt. A smooth wing P-51 kit would certainly be something different and quite novel. The original CAD images of a very smooth and shiny wing seemed so promising compared to what appears to now be a highly riveted offering.

 

I only learned about the Mustang wing facts (filled and puttied) a few years ago, and now that I know this quite important piece of information , any other version (IMO) just doesn't look right. 

 

Cheers.. Dave

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16 hours ago, woody37 said:

How can you say that when we aren't looking at the final product? Give the guys a break, they are showing a product that  is in development. Think about how the victor looked at last years SMW show compared to the builds they had on display this year.

 

Hi Woody,

 

Sorry but I didn't attend Telford this year.

 

But I suppose that the P-40 is a final product as I have it on my workbench...and I really don't want the P-51D to have the same "quality" !.  Looks like Airfix is now producing kits like hot-dogs and this can't go together with quality. Sorry for that.

 

Madcop

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1 hour ago, madcop said:

 

Hi Woody,

 

Sorry but I didn't attend Telford this year.

 

But I suppose that the P-40 is a final product as I have it on my workbench...and I really don't want the P-51D to have the same "quality" !.  Looks like Airfix is now producing kits like hot-dogs and this can't go together with quality. Sorry for that.

 

Madcop

 

So what is wrong with the P40 then?

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2 hours ago, madcop said:

 

Hi Woody,

 

Sorry but I didn't attend Telford this year.

 

But I suppose that the P-40 is a final product as I have it on my workbench...and I really don't want the P-51D to have the same "quality" !.  Looks like Airfix is now producing kits like hot-dogs and this can't go together with quality. Sorry for that.

 

Madcop

 

37 minutes ago, snowen250 said:

 

So what is wrong with the P40 then?

this apparently

 

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Just because a kit is the best available doesn't mean there isn't things that should be done better. Sure the Airfix P-40 is good, but when it comes to the molding quality it's lost a little bit compared to the Indian molded kits in some areas (nothing that should stop some one buying it though) but gained in others. It's still far better than what Airfix were producing several years back.

Edited by Tbolt
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  • 2 months later...

Fresh news: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/mustang-and-meteor-make-tracks/

 

Quote

Inglewood’s Finest Advances

First announced back in the 31st edition of Workbench on the 21st October last year, the new 1/48th scale North American P-51D Mustang is already shaping up to be one of our most popular releases in this scale and one of the most accurate models of this iconic WWII fighter.  It is hardly surprising that the Mustang continues to captivate aviation enthusiasts and modellers alike, as it is the very epitome of successful piston engined fighter design and made such a devastating impact to the air war on its introduction combat.  It also has to be considered as one of the most attractive aircraft of the Second World War and along with Britain’s Supermarine Spitfire could even be described as being too handsome for the unpleasantness of war, even though both aircraft proved to be devastatingly effective fighters.

 

WB41-ImageBComputer rendered CAD image showing some of the new kits impressive features

 

Even though the Mustang is regarded as one of the greatest fighter aircraft of the Second World War, Merlin powered variants only arrived with combat units during the winter of 1943 and when you consider that both the Spitfire and Bf 109 saw continuous service throughout WWII, this illustrates the impact that Inglewood’s finest had on helping the Allies secure air superiority.  Going on to see service during the Korean War, where air power had already moved in the direction of jet power, the Mustang proved to be a thoroughbred fighter design, with many aircraft still performing regularly on the world’s air display circuits to this day.

As modellers would expect, the new 1/48th Scale North American P-51D Mustang (A05131) will feature impressive levels of detail and will allow a number of different build options for the modeller to consider.  With such features as optional canopy and flap positioning, the kit will also allow the modeller to build different versions of the ‘D’ model Mustang, from the first machines introduced into service, to the later aircraft which featured a number of improvements, most noticeably a dorsal fillet at the base of the horizontal stabilizer.  The kit includes optional propellers and wheels, plus a wide variety of under-wing stores, such as drop tanks, bombs and triple bazooka rocket tubes.  With some iconic Mustang schemes available for the modeller to research, it is no wonder that this new kit is already attracting significant attention.

We are pleased to be able to bring you this exclusive update from the 1/48th scale P-51D Mustang project, although we do have to include something of an image caveat.  Unfortunately, as both Hornby events teams and kit samples have been attending the busy toy and hobby trade shows over recent weeks, the quality of our test frame images are not quite up to standard, but rather than hold them back for a future edition, we have decided to show them and will update with better quality pictures over the next few weeks.  They do still show the beautifully clean moulding of these initial test frames and the many kit build options available to the modeller – we hope you find these early pre-production Mustang test frame images interesting.

 

WB41-ImageC WB41-ImageD

WB41-ImageE

WB41-ImageFSelection of exclusive test frame images from the new 1/48th scale North American P-51D tooling

 

WB41-ImageFA

 

Clearly the new P-51D is going to be an extremely popular addition to the 1/48th scale range and we look forward to bringing you all the latest project developments as they take place over the coming weeks, as we anticipate a scheduled release towards the end of 2017 – you will find out all the information first in Workbench.

 

V.P.

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Gotta say that looks very nice!

Can someone explain why the sprues show 2 fin options though - both with fillets? And two windscreens which "look" identical?

 

Jonners - rather pleased he bagged a Red Roo Aussie P-51 decal set and recce conversion on eBay the other day, but also thinking of RAF MkIV's in Italy......

 

 

 

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40 minutes ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

Gotta say that looks very nice!

Can someone explain why the sprues show 2 fin options though - both with fillets? And two windscreens which "look" identical?

 

Jonners - rather pleased he bagged a Red Roo Aussie P-51 decal set and recce conversion on eBay the other day, but also thinking of RAF MkIV's in Italy......

 

 

 

 

If you look closely at the fillets, the one on the left seems to have some extra panel lines on it, so there must have been two styles. The windscreen at the top also seems to have a notch in it, probably for the mirror and the bottom one doesn't - hard to say if anything else is different on it from that angle.

Edited by Tbolt
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I like the way the windscreen appears to have a metal panel in front of it. I always have a problem fitting windscreens and this might allow the cag-handed amongst us (me) to get a better sanded fit without scuffing the perspex.

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Hmmm...wonder if Airfix is planning a range of P-51 variants.  The separate wing LE fillets and fin would suggest that to be the case.  I'm still a little disappointed that they didn't include open gun bays as they have done with their other recent 1/48 offerings (Spit MkI, Hurricane MkI and Stuka) but that's probably just be being greedy.

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I can't make my mind up wether to buy a Meng Mustang now ( but not at the UK price ) or wait and get two from Airfix. If I could be sure the release date wouldn't slip I would wait, but I'm afraid that patience is not one of my virtues.

 

John

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