Monday 5 October 2015

first look in the box new-tool KP Mustang P-51 B/C and early P-51s in 1:72nd scale and the trouble with wing kinks


First look at the new-tool KP P-51 B/C Mustang in the box.





As a general rule most 72nd scale early P-51s are pretty inaccurate and a bit of a minefield. The Hasagawa kit - although probably the best looking model in this scale - had a number of errors; a cowling that flattened out over the exhausts, a P-51 D wing and a very shallow wheel well. Academy, although beautifully moulded, features an overly long windscreen which makes the canopy a little short along with the shallow style wheel well. Revell P-51 B/Cs apparently look good overall but the kit is let down by a very narrow seat and very poorly moulded clear parts and again a shallow wheel well. I am told that both the Academy and Revell wings are still not correct for a P-51 B/C. I haven't actually built the Revell kit yet but here is my Academy B/C (alongside the new-tool Airfix D in 72nd). I have a few of these in the stash and aside from the canopy which doesn't appear to fit too well, they are a decent kit..




The biggest problem on most 72nd scale P-51 B-Cs is the wing 'kink' but after comparing with the drawing below, the new KP kit looks to have this reproduced this area well. The problem on other kits seems to occur because the 'kink' on the P-51 D starts both further forward on the fuselage and further outboard on the wing than the earlier versions. Hasegawa put the start of the l/e kink at the right place on the wing, but too far forward (P-51 D place) on the fuselage; Revell did exactly the opposite, getting the fuselage location correct, but using the -51D wing starting point. Academy got the kink shape right, but by basically copying the Hasegawa kit fuselage, made the wing too broad.

drawing below by Martin 'Occa'

more from the KP kit - the 112 Sqd 'sharkmouth' option looks great...






2 comments:

  1. It will be interesting to see how the KP build goes. I've just received my first KP kit - an interwar Letov in Czech service. In the box it looks like clean, crisp mouldings. I see one of the options for the Mustang is from the Italian theatre, 1944. Coincidentally, I was actually reading about the same RAAF squadron this morning over breakfast in Air War Italy, 1944-45 (came out in 1992, I think). The blue fin Mustang is pictured in the book, along with the story of another member of the same squadron who took off while still hung-over from a squadron party the night before. Nothing unusual in that, I suppose, except that he was still wearing the night's fancy dress - a full dress Carabineri uniform, complete with sword. You can guess the rest - he was shot down by ANR Me 109s, and parachuted into German lines... er...'no, I'm not a weird spy, I'm an Aussie pilot - honestly!'

    ReplyDelete