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Best 1/48th Mustang?


Gisbod

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Hi all,

 

I quite fancy building a Mustang in this scale, and I know there are a few options out there.. Tamiya, Airfix, Eduard etc

 

Is there a definitively a ‘best’ kit? Particularly in regards to surface detail. A NMF really highlights the moulding! 
 

Many thanks,

 

Guy

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@Gisbod,

 

I would tend to agree. Not my scale, but I do have the Tamiya, Airfix, and Eduard P-51D's. I would rate Eduard 1st and Tamiya 2nd with the caveats listed below.

Tamiya:

Goes together well, very nice scribing and panel lines; wheel bay rear wall incorrect, as it follows the outline of the bay instead of being straight all the way along its length- there are resin sets to correct and enhance this. Can only be built as a D-10 or later, as it has the dorsal fin fairing. Two canopy styles; HS cuffed prop in the WW2 boxing and HS square-tipped cuffless prop in the F-51D boxing.

 

Eduard:

Class of the field; beautiful detailing, scribing, and panel lines throughout; correct wheel bay rear wall; has all three canopy types; D-5 and D-10 and later versions offered as separate boxings; both kits include the cuffed and cuffless HS props, as well as the P-51K Aeroproducts prop; both spinner  types included; only downside I have found and read about is the tailwheel assembly can be too short if mounted incorrectly or not modified; in addition, it sits too tall on its undercart, as Eduard supposedly used an actual airplane that was suspended for its study subject, and the oleos were extended, so they got the length of the struts wrong. (IIRC there was discussion on this subject here on BM, so you can look for it.) In the photos of the built kits I have seen, the 'sit' is off. I have compared the Eduard struts to the Airfix and Tamiya struts and the Eduard struts are too long, but Eduard molded the oleo section compressed, so the error is in the length of the fixed portion of the strut- go figure! It's not all that difficult to fix, and if you can get your hands on either of the other two kits, you can see where to shorten the struts. The Brassin and Scale Aircraft Converion metal struts are copies of the original Eduard injected struts, so they won't be any better than the kit parts. Sounds like a picky sort of thing, I know, but it really throws off the 'sit' of the Mustang. I intend to use the Tamiya kit struts on my Eduard kits, as they are correct in length and the mounting surface of the struts  is exactly the same as the  Eduard ones. (Only because I've got two Tamiya kits to use for parts.)

Mike

 

P.S. The Airfix kit is accurate; fits well; D-5 and D-10 later versions available as separate boxings;  three canopy styles provided; wheel bay is correct; biggest downside in my opinion is the panel lines are just too wide and deep; comes with only the cuffed HS prop.

 

I'm sure our resident 1/48 modelers and those who have built all three kits will be of more assistance, and I'm sure they will be along. This should get you started.

Edited by 72modeler
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@72modeler

 

Thanks for the detailed response, I have just ordered one with the Eduard Big Sin set (cockpit, wheels, brass undercart, exhausts) so it looks like I may be slightly foxed re the length...

 

I’m not too much of a ‘river counter’ I just hope it doesn’t look too out of whack.. I hadn’t noticed from pictures I’d seen.

 

Very helpful though...

 

Cheers,

 

Guy 

Edited by Gisbod
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Mustang is my favourite aircraft. And i have in time probaly all kits of those "Cadillac of the Sky"

 

Tamiya - it is a shake n´bake  kit. It´s a 25 years old, but still looks good (i my eyes). I read a have bad nose... I don´t know. On many builds over the web looks as Mustang.

Airfix - it´s new and have simple and straigforward build.

Eduard - i´ am patriot and Mustang Lover and Eduard Fan - Eduards offer is simple best Mustang  kit of our times. In kit are parts for all version with fillet tail, beautiful weaponry, tanks etc... It´s here a small problem with gun barrel parts and whell well must be fittet precisely. But Eduard have best surface details and in any boxing are gorgeous camos... For me is little overdetailed (but you can few parts missed). Eduard Mustang looks as baby (cub) from Big 1/32 Tamiya. (But haven´t rivets on wing, big scale Tamiya have.)

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Out of interest what's the 1/48 Hasegawa one like? I've had it in the stash for quite a few years now and plan to make it as a Kiwi TAF version.

 

Doesn't look too shabby in the box but I'm no Mustang expert either.

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15 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Out of interest what's the 1/48 Hasegawa one like? I've had it in the stash for quite a few years now and plan to make it as a Kiwi TAF version.

 

Doesn't look too shabby in the box but I'm no Mustang expert either.

Smithy,

Here's an IPMS USA review; I used to have this kit, and I recall the wheel bay/rear mainspar is incorrect, the cockpit could use enhancing, and the prop and spinners are OK, but there are more accurate resin replacements  from several different sources, which I would recommend. I don't recall which seat and gun sight is included, but depending upon which block you want to model, from -10 to -30, it might have the correct one. If you can get one cheaply, it would build into a pretty nice model, Older than  the Tamiya kit, and it shows. My suggestion would be to consider the Eduard D-5 or D-10 overtrees kit, as they are very reasonable and have the correct filled and puttied wings- correct for a WW2 version.

Mike

 

http://www.ipmsusa.org/reviews/Kits/Aircraft/hasegawa_48_p51d/hasegawa_48_p51d.htm

 

 

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6 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

Smithy,

Here's an IPMS USA review; I used to have this kit, and I recall the wheel bay/rear mainspar is incorrect, the cockpit could use enhancing, and the prop and spinners are OK, but there are more accurate resin replacements  from several different sources, which I would recommend. I don't recall which seat and gun sight is included, but depending upon which block you want to model, from -10 to -30, it might have the correct one. If you can get one cheaply, it would build into a pretty nice model, Older than  the Tamiya kit, and it shows. My suggestion would be to consider the Eduard D-5 or D-10 overtrees kit, as they are very reasonable and have the correct filled and puttied wings- correct for a WW2 version.

Mike

 

http://www.ipmsusa.org/reviews/Kits/Aircraft/hasegawa_48_p51d/hasegawa_48_p51d.htm

 

 

 

Thanks for the info Mike.

 

As I said I'm no Mustang expert so I probably won't sweat the small stuff. I'm not the greatest modeller to begin with so overthinking the small detail things when my build quality and finishing is never going to match such fastidious attention to detail always feels like pearls for swine!

 

So long as I can make it look vaguely like a TAF Mustang I'll be happy ;)

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Hi all,

 

Eduard has the finesse on the outside details but I certainly do like the Airfix as well...

I have both and do like them both !! They both have their own likeable features..

When someone would ask me to make a choice then I would say I couldn’t make one ...

 

cheers, Jan

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Personal opinion: Eduard is not enough of an improvement over Airfix to justify the massive price difference. However, as the man said, "You pays your money and you takes your choice!".

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Haven't seen the Eduard kit, so can't comment on it. Of the remainder, only the Airfix kit has the wheel well correct (rear face of the well is the forward face of the main spar). All others have the rear face of the well following the line of the rear edge, and will need an aftermarket set to correct it. In addition, the well on the Hasegawa kit is too shallow.

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9 minutes ago, Yankee Air Pirate said:

Personal opinion: Eduard is not enough of an improvement over Airfix to justify the massive price difference.

It depends.

A profiPack D-5 was about the same price. But since I already bought the AF D-5, I got myself the Overtree D-5 to use with the rest of the decal sheet.

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5 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

Haven't seen the Eduard kit, so can't comment on it. Of the remainder, only the Airfix kit has the wheel well correct (rear face of the well is the forward face of the main spar). All others have the rear face of the well following the line of the rear edge, and will need an aftermarket set to correct it. In addition, the well on the Hasegawa kit is too shallow.

At the risk of committing heresy, I don't agree with making treatment of the wheel wells the sole basis for recommending one kit over others given the area is not particularly visible once the model is on the display shelf (unless one is in the habit of displaying his models upside down).

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I have almost all of them. Personally, Meng is the best if you just want a P-51D. Eduard is close second, slightly cheaper and with more options but the new Eduard printed decals are meh. Airfix is a let down in the wheel well department (it matters to me) and not significantly cheaper than the Eduard where I live.

 

Tamiya is a bit fat in profile, I don't remember if ICM fixed this or not as I sold mine off, Hasegawa has a too skinny nose, old Monogram nose and spinner are misproportioned.

 

But as they say, it's your money and your mileage may vary. Luckily we have multiple choices in what is really a golden age for 1/48 scale.

 

Best regards,

 

Vedran

 

Edited by dragonlanceHR
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5 hours ago, Seawinder said:

At the risk of committing heresy, I don't agree with making treatment of the wheel wells the sole basis for recommending one kit over others given the area is not particularly visible once the model is on the display shelf (unless one is in the habit of displaying his models upside down).

Maybe not the sole basis but I think it's important one because since it's the rear of the bay that's in error it's very visible when the aircraft is viewed from a low angle. If it was the front of the bay then I would agree with you.

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"Best" depends on what you're looking for.  My opinion of the three contenders (Airfix, Eduard and Tamiya: I discount Hasegawa on price and shallow wheel wells) is:

 

Airfix: excellent design, let down by quality control issues: in the case of the kit I built, a hint of short-shot on a prop blade, and fit issues.  Slightly "chunky" detail.  But perfectly acceptable.

Eduard: Finer detail, but as usual Eduard break everything down into as many parts as possible, including one or two that my ageing fingers and eyes found troublesome.  Some strange design decisions, eg the tailwheel is very difficult to fit as specified inn the instructions.   Good range of options in the box, often parts not used by the particular boxing eg Aeroproducts prop.  Best for those who like the building process.

Tamiya: A mix of block-numbers, but the simplest build and ends up as a perfectly acceptable Mustang.  My kit of choice for doing a series of Ponies.

 

My own ranking: Tamiya first, then Airfix, then Eduard.

 

Edit: I've not mentioned the ICM one as I have never built one.

Edited by MikeC
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I have built a few with a few opinions. The Hasegawa kit goes together really easily from memory and for the lack only of decent wheel wells, is not too shabby. Airfix is good, but there is not much leniency in fit so some of the build can be scary. 
Tamiya and Eduard kits both look great but haven’t built either.

Edited by kpc7676
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Brett Green over on Hyperscale reviewed the Meng P-51D in 2016 and concluded:

 

"Regardless of its glue-free status, in my opinion Meng’s P-51D has now snatched the title of best 1/48 scale bubbletop Mustang available today. "

 

Review here:   http://www.hyperscale.com/2016/reviews/kits/mengls006reviewbg_1.htm

 

Mark

 

 

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Yes, but that was just before Airfix's kit, and well before Eduard's kit came out.

 

Incidentally, ALL of the discussion seems to be assuming that we're talking about P-51Ds.  There isn't a lot of choice for most other versions, though nearly all can be had in one form or another.

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1 minute ago, gingerbob said:

Incidentally, ALL of the discussion seems to be assuming that we're talking about P-51Ds.  There isn't a lot of choice for most other versions, though nearly all can be had in one form or another.

I was thinking the same thing, no one is talking about the P-51B/C, the better looking version of the Mustang ;) It's a shame we got three new D's all within a few years, but I guess we will have to wait for the Eduard kit for a B/C. 

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39 minutes ago, gingerbob said:

Yes, but that was just before Airfix's kit, and well before Eduard's kit came out.

 

Hmm. Maybe that's why I pointed out the date? I posted that as Meng hadn't had much of a mention and it seems a decent kit.

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It seems to me from the comments that all of the kits are pretty good. I'm interested in the Meng kit. I like the idea of it not needing glue given that I always managed to smear some onto the wrong places. 

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