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John Healy
160 articles

1/48 p-51b

February 28, 2020 · in Aviation · · 18 · 2.3K

This is an P-51B that has been patiently waiting in my stash to be built for over 20 years. I have to confess that I'm not a huge fan, but have collected a few of the new and “D” models to add to the collection. In light of that, I thought it was high time to build this older “B” model kit. This kit does not come with a dropped flap option like the kit. It also has poorly molded, thick clear parts. It does feature the correct flat cockpit floor, unlike the Tamiya kit which is strangely molded with the Allison Mustang's curved floor. Tamiya never did an Allison engined Mustang, but Accurate did, go figure. I chose to model this one with the main gear doors up as long as the flaps were up. The hydraulic pressure hasn't bled off on my model yet, LOL. I took the direction finder loop, bazooka tubes, and bombs from the spares box. They were originally salvaged from a P-51D kit that I botched many years ago. In addition to scratch building the missing seat armor and head rest, I also filled the appropriate panel lines on the wings to simulate the puttied wings of the real thing. The final addition was a set of Eduard seat belts. I finished the model with Xtracolor and Humbrol enamels, and the decals came from an Aeromaster sheet. My kit depicts an example from the 51st FG in China in 1944. I'm glad I got this one done, it deserved to be built.

Reader reactions:
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18 responses

  1. Nice looking Mustang

  2. 🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
    Nice clean work John, simple yet it shouts a lot … very nice Mustang.

  3. Good work on this John!

  4. Great early pony. I really enjoyed building this kit when it was first released. It was a sad day when Accurate Miniatures went out of business.

    • Yes, Haslam. AM made some great models. I really liked the F3F-1 kit. It’s up there in my top 3 kits of all time with the Airfix 1/48 Walrus and Wingnuts Pfalz D.IIIa.

  5. Great lookin' pony-plane, John!

  6. Nicely done John, she looks good with teeth. I've built several of the AM Allison P-51's, posted here on iModeler, and enjoyed each build. Nice little kits and to overcome the thick canopy obstacle I just cut it apart and position it open. The cockpits is too nice to not be seen. Good looking pony.

  7. There's them that say they can always tell a TC model from the photos. I can always tell a John Healy model from the photos. Because it always looks real.

    Beautiful work as usual, John. A second-rate kit turned into a first-class model.

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