Just arrived on my front porch
Just arrived. Tore into it like a ravening wolf.
A more detailed review will be up at M2 next week. But right off, the surface detail is amazing, more petite even than the recent Fw-190 and Tempest, if such is possible. For those who say "yeah, but it was flush riveted" I can say having been around P-51s up close and personal since 1972 that yes, it is flush riveted, but when the sunlight is on it from the right angle, and you're about 6 feet away, you can see the riveting, just like this. It's so petite that under the proverbial coat of paint, you're going to have to hold the model to the light to see it.
Everything is in the box to do everything from a P-51D-5 with field-fitted dorsal fin, to the P-51D-30 with the postwar prop, and the P-51K. Those with extensive collections of aftermarket P-51 decals can have a field day.
It even has the early "tear drop" canopy that was on the P-51D-5 and was replaced by the later canopy because it didn't give enough headroom. That canopy is little known to other than Serious Mustang Props, er, I mean Fans.
Decals are first-rate and provide options that have definitely not been "done to death."
As to the wings, when I have seen a P-51 with the wing puttied, you can still see a bit of the panel lines, so you could get away with leaving it alone and just painting a different shade. Alternatively, purists will only need to run some Mr. Surfacer in the panel lines to get a smooth wing.
Some of the "there's medication for that" crowd wonder if the shape is right. I put a Tamiya fuselage half against the Eduard part and there was "perfect congruence." Ditto the wing.
A fellow denizen of iModeler commented to me the other day that "The Airfix P-51 is the good Chevrolet I can afford, the Eduard P-51 is the restored XK-E I deserve." That pretty much says it. The kit does not make the Airfix "obsolete," since that is half the price of this, perfect for those who want to do some of the myriad of great markings the airplane carried. It does however (along with the Airfix kit) make the Tamiya kit obsolete - correct gear wells, flap, etc. It's what's possible now with CAD.
Bottom line: Buy. In. Confidence.
Wow, even the box screams quality. Look forward to the review...she sounds a real Goldilocks build.
‘Liked’
This definitely is a better mouse trap that will allow a modeler to make a complete portrait of a pilot's ride. Given all the options available in this kit one does not have to farm out special parts to meet the needs of a specific aircraft. More importantly this kit with the available decal options and parts will bring to light more pilots and aces who have been forgotten by time, the press, and not having a colorful enough paint job on their aircraft. Hope fully, we will be reading more articles with models that will help fill in the arc we call the history of WWII. Looking forward to your build and article TC.
I just checked MY front porch...I didn't see one there. 🙁
LOL
It sounds like a very nice kit. But it’s hard to imagine what it looks like without pictures. Why don’t you take some photos of the plastic that’s in the box and add them to this article ?
Sort of like a mini review ?
It would help others to decide whether or not they want to purchase this one or not.
Here’s a few pictures that I took about half a year ago of the Mustang wing surface you described in your article. Granted this is a restoration. It is a very good one.
A picture is worth a thousand words. These photos show the rivet details on the ailerons and flaps as well.
Not everyone has been as fortunate as you and I to get “up close and personal” with a Mustang.
Just a thought. A solitary picture of a box top leaves something to be desired, especially when you are talking about the contents in the box.
Some could take it as bragging, or simply laziness.
Brett Green has much better close-up pictures of the plastic than I could take, over at HyperScale.
I was just giving a "quick impression" review. The review at M2 next will be a well-photographed build of the kit.
Understood. Thanks for the heads up.
"Some could take it as bragging, or simply laziness."
Nothing wrong with a little show and tell, Louis. Especially from someone as prolific and enduring as Tom.
Can’t wait to see your build and read the review, Tom. I got mine today too and it looks really amazing. Per, our discussion, I’m going to build mine as an Iwo Jima P-51D-20-NA of the 78th Fighter Squadron. The only issue now is doing an accurate -20 instrument panel. I may try to modify the Eduard PE dash for the Airfix kit. It’s gonna be fun.
Along with the P-38 and the new WnW Dr.1, this kit is one I eagerly anticipated. I too saw Brett video, but quite honestly Tom, I am counting on your build review sometime soon. Nothing beats that
Like we often read, this is a golden time for model making alright
Congrats with the recent addition to the stash!
You write the price is high, but this is a stuffed box with all the bells and whistles as far as i know, right? Eduard surely will send out lots and lots of profipack and week-end editions in the near future, so prices are more managable.
Looking forward to a build series 🙂
As of this morning's e-mail, there are two more headed this direction. You're right about "all the bells and whistles" in the box. This first one is going to be an OOB build of one of the kit markings.
Based on what I've seen the Eduard has vaulted to the top of the Mustang pile. A leap ahead of the Meng, the former holder.
I wonder how long it will be for Tamiya to shrink their wonderful 1/32 kit to 1/48 size. The current kit is... nice, but seriously lacking compared to the recently released kits (Eduard, Airfix and Meng) and needs a fair amount of aftermarket to compete.
Look forward to the build.
I personally think the Airfix is superior to the Meng kit. And the Airfix is not "put down" by the arrival of the Eduard. It's half the price and in its own way equally as nice.
For the Tamiya "gold standard" kit to fully compete, it needs the True Details resin cockpit and the Aires Resin wheel well, and a Falcon canopy. It still looks good though. I'm building my last Tamiya D out of the box along with this Eduard for a comparison.