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Cavalier F-51D Mustang/Mustang 2  Conversion Kit 1:32 Halberd Models for Tamiya Kit


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Cavalier F-51D Mustang/Mustang 2  Conversion Kit

1:32 Halberd Models for Tamiya Kit

 

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After WWII, the P-51 Mustang continued to serve with the US Air Force for a while as their standard fighter, although with every day it became more out-dated due to the headlong rush of aviation technology after the advent of jet propulsion and the race to break the sound barrier.  By 1957 the last Mustang left service, and North American sold the intellectual rights to the design to Trans Florida Aviation Inc., who intended to create a high-speed executive transport by taking surplus airframes and rebuilding them as an improved two-seat civilian aircraft.  The initial Cavalier Mustangs were stripped and rebuilt without their military equipment, but apart from their livery and the taller rudder fin, they were visually almost indistinguishable from the old warhorse.  They were well-appointed, with new avionics and luxury interiors, were powered by an improved Merlin engine, and were available with various-sized fuel capacities that gave a range from 750 up to 2,500 miles.  Around 20 were made of the initial mark, then the Mark II was designed, with tip-tanks for extra range and various structural and avionics improvements.  It was also outfitted with hard-points for weapons, and another boost to the power of the Merlin engine.  Some of these were sold to Asian and South American countries, where some El Salvadoran airframes took part in the Soccer War.

 

During this period Cavalier were actively courting the US Air Force trying to sell them the improved airframe as a Counter Insurgency (COIN) or Close Air Support (CAS) platform, but they weren’t biting, so sales were small to other customers.  Soon after they chopped off the Merlin and replaced it with a Dart 510 turboprop, again from Rolls-Royce, although they had really wanted a Lycoming engine.  It reduced the maintenance burden and was more gutsy and fuel efficient, but they still couldn’t get the US government interested.  The design with the preferred Lycoming turboprop engine replacing the Dart was sold to Piper, and became the PA-48 Enforcer, but only four were made and shared so few parts with the original Mustang that there was little in the way of cost-savings by using existing parts.  Only two of the four survived the years in between, and are to be found in US museums.  Many of the original Cavalier Mustangs were converted back to their original specification when Warbirds and heritage flights became popular.

 

 

The Conversion

For this conversion set you get a replacement cockpit floor; replacement Seat head rest; replacement part for the rear of the canopy; a new propeller hub, and cuffed blades (plus a jig to attach the blades); new tip tanks, new wing drop tanks and their mounts; new underwing racks, new underwing rocket stub attachment points; and for the tail new aerials and the fin tip. You get a full set of instructions printed in colour on both sides of two pages of A4, plus three pages of profiles for the four decal options, including the undersides on the back page. 

 

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The conversion begins with cutting off the head armour and headrest from the seat, then adding these to the new cockpit floor.  The tip of the rudder and fin get the chop, and are replaced by the new fin-tip, with a pair of large swept blade antennae inserted into holes in the fin on both sides.  For the canopy the rear brace is not used and a new part for the rear of the canopy goes in. The new propeller is made up from the central hub and four new cuffed blades. A Jig is provided for this to do one blade at a time. The lower wing will need a set of holes drilling if you are fitting either the resin pylons for decal option 4, or the rocket stubs for Options 1 and 2. All dimensions for these are given in the plans.  Again, for markings option 4, you will need to remove the original wingtips from the finished wings and use the resin tip-tanks, which have separate nose cones and a tiny resin vent on the top, with the kit tip lights slipped into a hole in the outer sides.  While this conversion is designed for the Tamyia kit I am hopeful it will fit the new Revell kit due out later this year. 

 

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Markings

As already mentioned, there are four decal options, three of which are F-51D Mustangs, the last an F-51D Mustang 2 with the tip tanks, which happens to be my favourite option, other than the Enforcer.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

  1. Cavalier Mustang F-51D US Air Force Sarasota, Florida, 1968
  2. Cavalier Mustang F-51D Bolivian Air Force, 1971
  3. Cavalier Mustang F-51D Bolivian Air Force, 1972
  4. Cavalier Mustang F-51D Mk.2, Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, El Salvador, 1969/70

 

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The decals are printed anonymously with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

We have been wishing for a good Cavalier Mustang conversion for a while now, and this set ticks all of the boxes, with a generous four decal options into the bargain.  Based upon the excellent Tamiya kit, it doesn’t get much better.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Halberd are currently marketing their products via eBay, so the links below lead to their site.

 

Conversion

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Review sample courtesy of

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