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Tom Cleaver
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Preview: Airfix 1/48 North American P-51D Mustang

November 13, 2017 · in Reviews · · 12 · 2.3K

Kit arrived Friday, took five careful hours to assemble without filler. Done OOB other than used Tamiya decals from the "8th AF Aces" release to do Bud Anderson's "Old Crow" ID stripes, invasion stripes, personal markings). They fit the kit like a glove.

The. Best. 1/48. P-51D. Value for quality is phenomenal. Best. Airfix. Kit. Ever.

Full review Thursday at Modeling Madness.

UPDATE:

Here is the M2 review:
http://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/cleaver/us/usaaf/51/tc51d.htm

There has been some commentary elsewhere about comparing this kit with the Meng kit, so I will state a bit more clearly what I mean about this being the best 1/48 P-51: FOR PRICE, it is unbeatable. The Meng may be better (haven't seen one personally) but it is also 2.5x as expensive.

Reader reactions:
5  Awesome

12 responses

  1. Very nice Tom but the question is, Do I really need another -51? Hell Ya I Do!

  2. Glad to read this, I was hoping this kit would be the best 1/48 Mustang in the market, So I’m gonna take your word about it Tom and get myself one as soon as it’s available here

  3. Wow, Tom. That looks nice. Looking forward to seeing the review on MM.

  4. Tom, thanks for the review. Airfix is really forging ahead, I'm glad to see this as more of the same. great model, I like the OD P-51s, I avoid the bare metal/putty wings issue.

  5. 5 hours? That's all encouragement I need to start working on mine 😆 just purchased in Telford. Looks like a great kit, with seemingly clever engineering choices

  6. Great looking build Tom. Ive got mine. I might get another.

  7. Great looking 'teaser'. Hope ur review will address fit of canopy in open position. Other builds of this kit have it riding high above rear fuselage spine. Urs looks good!

    • It's an easy fix: scraped down the inside area of the canopy fram so it's thin from about 1/8 inch from the front to the rear. When you position the brace, cut off the bottom of the two ends to keep the thin area. The canopy will fit in position without a problem.

  8. How's the surface finish on the plastic? Would it take a NMF right away or does it need a polishing? The Airfix Lightning F.1A re-released surprised me with some swirls where my 1988 example took metallizer perfectly! (Molds rusty perhaps?)

  9. Looks super and well made. Best wishes.

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