Review: Eduard 1/48 North American P-51D Mustang – Kit preview
The 2019 edition of the Moson Model Show is on this weekend, and we're starting traditionally with new kit news presented at the show. And not just any news - this one is likely to be the bombshell kit release of the year.
Courtesy of the Eduard staff, the iModeler crew was allowed to examine the test shots for the company's forthcoming 1/48 scale P-51D Mustang. The kit will represent an early production D-5 version (without a fin fillet), although it is absolutely certain that we can expect a plethora of further P-51 variations to follow.
What is it
Eduard 1/48 North American P-51D-5 Mustang Profipack
Forthcoming injection-moulded kit with photoetched parts
Self-adhesive masks for canopy
Decal sheet with ? marking options
Available for our scrutiny are the three test-shot sprues in grey plastic, plus a clear sprue. It's important to note that these do NOT represent the complete kit - for example, all interior, landing gear detail, propellers etc. are missing from this test-shot. Also, although some of the parts look almost production-ready quality, the Eduard representative was clear that much of the detail will still be refined before the kit reaches production.
What's good
- User-friendly kit engineering
- Beautiful quality of mouldings
- Visible care for detail
- A complete early fusalage without wing fillet is provided
- Moulds are prepared to cover a wide range of P-51 variants.
- Everything in the kit appears to be well-researched down to the smallest bits of this well-known aircraft
- The quality of moulding and overall finesse of this kit is mouth-wathering.
Things to watch for
- In my mind there are none at this point, although Eduard's design choices in the kit are bound to revive the classic debate about the puttied wings vs. rivets on a Mustang and how to best depict it on a model.
Release date
We're being informed that Eduard aims at launching the kit (presumably with the first production items being available for purchase) at the 2019 IPMS/US National Convention on 7-10 August in Chattanooga, TN. General availability in hobby stores is expected in October.
Reviewer's point of view
Do we need another quarter-scale P-51D? Having had these test-shots in my hands, the answer appears clear to me - with this quality, we do! Personally, I'm not going to resist buying the Eduard's P-51D as soon as it becomes available, even though the previous Airfix, Meng and Tamiya offerings are already in my stash and are all excellent kits. That's just how exciting this new P-51 feels...
Click on the pictures for details and further commentary.
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- 1. Available for our scrutiny are the three test-shot sprues in grey plastic, plus a clear sprue. They seem to represent around 60% of the final kit.
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- 1. The first sprue contains fuselage halves for the D-5 version, plus a separate fin.
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- 1. The second sprue contains wing and tail components
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- 1. The thrid sprue features underwing drop tanks and ordnance.
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- 1. ...and here's the clear sprue with three versions of the bubble canopy and a plethora of smaller clear parts.
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- 1. Rather than resolving the wing fillet part through an insert, Eduard provides two complete fuselage halves for the fillet-less D-5 version. Excellent!
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- 1. The surface detail comprises fine countersunk AND raised rivets
- 2. Raised rivets on this panel
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- 1. Fuselage underbelly is a traditionally tricky area to get smooth on a P-51 model. Eduard tackles the issue by providing two fairly large inserts for the cooling air outlets.
- 2. Note the detail of the wing fillet
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- 1. The front air intake is provided as a separate part
- 2. Eduard will provide different types of exhaust and cooling gills to cover as many variations of the P-51D as possible.
- 3. This panel under the nose is provided integrally with the lower wing. Once again, a clever way of providing better detail in this area.
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- 1. The surface detail on the nose looks very refined indeed.
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- 1. This photo demonstrates the finesse of the rivet & screw detail on the tail
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- 1. The fin of the P-51 was fabric-covered, and here'äs the rendition of this surface in the Eduard kit.
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- 1. All control surfaces are provided as separate parts.
- 2. 1-piece lower wing
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- 1. The Mustang afficionados have long debated if a P-51 model should feature any rivet detail on the wing or not. These wings were puttied at the factory. The Eduard's has chosen not to render any rivets on the wings.
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- 1. Here's my own photo of how a puttied wing looks like on real a P-51D and indeed, the rivets are much less discernible than on natural metal surfaces. The Eduard's design choice to omit rivets is logical!
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- 1. Lower wing... no rivets!
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- 1. What, rivets in this panel but not the others? Yes, the lower centre wing was not puttied on a real P-51, hence this result.
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- 1. There's a glorious amount of flash on this test shot, but this will rather surely be eliminated before this kit reaches production.
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- 1. Hollow ejection chutes are a nice touch.
- 2. Gun ports are provided as inserts.
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- 1. Ailerons
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- 1. Elevators
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- 1. Please disregard this short-shot. It will most certainly be eliminated in the final kit.
- 2. Flaps
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- 1. Raised rivet detail
- 2. Recessed rivet detail
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- 1. Horizontal tail
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- 1. Three versions of the bubble hood are provided.
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- 1. The clear windscreen is integrated with the fuselage panel to eliminate puttying and simplify painting.
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- 1. "Paper" drop tanks
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- 1. Metal drop tanks
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- 1. HVAR rocket tubes. These are not needed for the D-5 version, but other boxings are coming!
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- 1. Likewise, these finely moulded underwing rockets are provided for the future boxings of the Eduard P-51D.
This looks like a great kit. I bought the great (new) Airfix kit and was pretty impressed & satisfied. However, with this being fillet-less, I may have to get one of these when they arrive at Sprue Bros. or the other online firms I do business with.
Thanks for the great "look-see" of a new kit in the works.
Thanks, Jeff!
You are welcome!
Airfix's early D-5 arrives in June.
I think if you want a bunch of P-51s for schemes and marking, Airfix is the way to go, while if you want a few really nicely-detailed P-51s, this is it.
Me, I'll go AC/DC.
Wing fillet? Fin fillet you must mean?
Sure this is going to sell loads being the first early fuselage in 1/48 ever. Now we can build the only Swedish early Mustang without resin parts.
Great to see a P-51D kit without the dorsal fillet. Now lets light a fire under the decal makers collective keesters
That’s right. The early version opens up for new marking choices, which is refreshing.
Thanks, Martin...great review. Now - can you (or someone) point out the alternative(s) in the "three versions" of that bubble canopy?
It must be me, 'cause these old eyes can't see much of a definitive difference. 🙁
Craig,the D variant and the K variant had these variations,but I ain´t no expert...
There's the "Los Angeles" canopy, the "Dallas" canopy, and the early "teardrop" canopy that you only see on the D-5.
Thanks for clarifying this, Tom.
Ok, now I will start building 1:48 scale kits. Gotta have one. Thanks for the nice review.
The ‘Profipacks’ are amongst my very favourite things to build, every single one of them. This looks no different in terms of class and artistry.
Thanks,
‘Liked’
Nice premiere 😉 seems that Eduard did it again, another blockbuster surely
And still no one includes the 110 gallon metal drop tanks for the VLR Pacific and Korean war Mustangs (Yeh, I know it's only 60% of the parts, but they would or should be on the sprue tree with all the other ordinance, no?) They do provide the 75 gal Metal and 109 gal paper tanks as well as 250lb bombs.
Hope is not lost, as I'm reasonably sure they will box a Korea version, if not a Very Long Range one. But I'm not gonna hold my breath for those tanks.
Apart from that one nit, That's a buyer.
Looks beautiful. They've made a good choice with this version. I'm glad the release date is June because I'll have to fit in the Airfix Spitfire XIV first! Aren't we being spoilt? Thanks Eduard.