Revell, P-51D-5NA Mustang (Early Version), 1/32 Scale, Kit No. 03944

When the Revell P-51D-5NA Mustang (Early Version) was released, I was immediately interested.  I grabbed the P-51D kit when it came out having looked at some reviews, which were glowing, and it was duly added to the stash.  (I had completed the Revell Mk. IIa Spitfire in 1/32nd scale, and it was a really nice kit at a really nice price.  I presented a post on that model in April 2018.)

At the time, Hobbico was going bankrupt, and they owned the American part of Revell, as I recall.  It looked like Revell kits would be somewhat hard to acquire for awhile.  As it turned out, Revell Germany picked up the pieces, and the kits were generally available without much delay.

Having just finished a couple of 1/72nd scale models, I was thinking of something in 1/48th, when I spotted this kit gathering dust.

Assembling a 1/32nd kit is very different form 1/72nd scale or even 1/48th scale.  In the larger scale, there is so much more detail.  Even a simple seat may have a number of parts revealing how it operated and what it really looked like.  Actually, when I am assembling a 1/32nd scale project, I have more of the feeling I am assembling something akin to the real thing.  I really enjoy the build, but I am still faced with finite display space, and the time investment in the project tends to be very long.

After Market:

    EagleCals P-51D EC#139
    Eduard Canopy Masks JX210
    Eduard Interior Details 33186 (for an improved instrument panel)
    Eduard Seatbelts STEEL 33187

Speaking of seats, the truly excellent full color instructions do not tell you which seat to use.  There are two.  I assume that most modelers constructing this kit are doing some of their own research and soon discover which seat to use.  Isn’t the research part of this hobby anyway?

The instrument panel in the Eduard cockpit detail set (#33186) came out very well.  See below.  There are several switches and control handles which were remarkably tiny and a challenge to deal with.  There are a number of such pieces to integrate into the side panels.  This is a process that takes considerable time, at least for me.

The kit instrument panel is perfectly okay, and I assume that the Revell decal instrument panel will settle down easily over the raised detail.  That is how it worked on my Revell Spitfire Mk. IIa.

For me, the dreaded part of this project was the natural metal finish.  I used Vallejo Acrylic Metal Color paints.  I have used them before on 1/48 and 1/72 projects with no problems.  They can be masked, and the finish is relatively durable and able to withstand handling while the kit is finished.

Here, I had problems, all of my own making.  1) I found trying to obtain the gloss undercoat while manipulating this large a model proved difficult and I kept getting overspray issues.  2)  For the first time I used the recommended Vallejo gloss overcoat to seal in the metal color coats.  In a couple of places I laid it on too thick, and it took weeks to dry.  (I wish I had stuck with my usual Microscale Satin.)  3)  The roughness of the finish in a few places caused me to skip a weathering wash, which I had planned.  I was concerned it would look bad if I applied one.  So, the model has a “factory fresh” look.

As I said, none of this is a criticism of Vallejo.  It was all my not-so-good technique.

The EagleCal decals worked perfectly with Tamiya Strong decal setting solution.  The top and bottom of the stabilizer halves and the sides of the rudder each have their own very large decal to produce those stripes, i.e. six big decals in all.  They were a challenge.  Luckily, Vallejo Model Air Red was a good match to help mate everything together.

All in all, this Mustang proved much more of a challenge than I envisioned coming out of the starting gate.    I am looking forward to the next 1/32nd scale project.  I have the Revell 1/32nd scale Bf109G-6 in the stash.  I think I will go for that one adding only some seatbelts and some decals for a different ship.

These new Revell 1/32nd scale models are really quite good.  I am sure they do not have anywhere near the extreme detail or ease of assembly that the Tamiya kits have.  But at a fraction of the Tamiya kit price, they are more than worth it to me.  

Mustang cockpit floors were made of plywood.  Painted or wood grain?  I am not sure.

Right side of cockpit with a few PE bits added.  Revell includes some decals that would do.

Left side of cockpit.

Finished Eduard instrument panel. 

The yellow wing and stabilizer stripes are painted.  The red wing tips are also painted.

The red stripes on the tail surfaces are EagleCals.

I left bombs and drop tanks off for a cleaner look.

A landing light can be seen poking out of the wheel well. 

Happy modeling and comment if you care to.  Thank you for visiting.

Airfix, B-25B Mitchell “Doolittle Raid”, 1/72, Kit No. A06020

 

When I was about 10, I read Ted Lawson’s Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and ever since then the B-25 Mitchell has been just about my favorite WWII aircraft, so I was very pleased to see that Airfix had selected the B-25B to bring out in a modern kit.  There was a derelict B-25 at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey not far from my father’s company, and I really got a kick out of crawling through it on several occasions.

Airfix has produced some very desirable models in modern kit form that are truly wanted by the modeling community.  Airfix’s research tends to be accurate, and they select interesting markings, sometimes a bit unexpected.  And, the cost of the kits is more than reasonable.   I have built several and has described same here on this blog.

However, the kits are often bedeviled by poor parts fit, exaggerated surface detail (e.g. overly deep panel lines), and parts that are not nearly as petit and detailed as they could be in some instances.

So, one might ask why am I building them?  For a number of reasons - good ones.  They are often the only game in town, and once you work your way through, you are left with a  nice replica.  There is surprisingly good detail here and there. 

Eduard makes a mask for the Airfix B-25C/D kit (CX507), which differs from the B-25B in a few respects.  Ninety percent of the masks are on the sheet, but you will have to cut out ten percent on your own, which was much better than all of them.   Hannant’s says hey will be carrying Eduard CX579 which is designed specifically for the B-25B, but that is a future release and was not available when I wanted a mask set.

The clear parts are very nicely done and the canopy frames are raised enough to make cutting any masks much easier.  They really make the model.  I wish all the canopies I work on were that well designed.

Nose weight - I lost track of how much birdshot is in this model.  Luckily I have quite a bit around, and I thought that once I packed the front of the nacelles and forward fuselage, all would be well (see photos below).  The model is really heavy now.  Once I had the landing gear and wheels mounted, it barely lets the nose wheel touch down correctly.  If you touch the tail, it falls back on it. At least the nose wheel strut (which is somewhat delicate) has minimal weight on it as the model is just balancing slightly nose heavy. 

Of course, Airfix gives you no idea of how much weight to use or where to put it.  I have often seen models where the builder used a clear plastic strut on the fuselage just under the trailing edge of the wing where it will be less noticed.  All in all, I think if I do a tricycle landing gear model again, that is the route I will go.  The rear boarding hatch and ladder might be long enough to serve as such a strut, but Airfix does not say in the instructions, and since I already had it weighted, I did not check.

The instructions are vey clear and call out places where you need to make a choice depending on the color scheme you are using.  And, there are excellent, large four views that show all decal placements including a large chart of  common stencil placement.

Bottom line:  While this kit is a challenge here and there to assemble, I am glad that Airfix brought it to market, and the finished product is looks good.

Pros

Very important subject selection.

The bomb bay is nicely detailed with three 500 lb. bombs and an incendiary bomb (an early cluster bomb).  All aircraft carried this bomb load on the raid

Bomb bay and landing gear doors are designed to attach very sturdily.  No worries they will falloff at the slightest touch.

The clear canopies have nicely raised frames that make masking easy, and the finished product is very clear making the cockpit and nose position very visible.  (Spend some time making the interior look nice, because you will see it when you are done, unlike so many 1/72nd scale models.)

Cons

Some bad major parts fit, particularly engine nacelle wing attachment joints. 
Propeller shaft very much too large for propeller hub holes necessitating drilling out the props or shaving down the shaft.

Only one Doolittle Raider marking included.  A few more, particularly the famous “Ruptured Duck” flown by Lt. Ted Lawson, would have been nice.  (I splurged and got that marking from DK Decals’ (dkdecals.cz) “B-25B Doollittle Raiders” set of 8 of the aircraft.)  The kit decals I used went on well with Tamiya Mark Fit. 
 

Doolittle's plane taking off.  (Pubic domain photo)

Another B-25 taking off.  (Pubic domain photo)

The "Ruptured Duck" during preparation phase.  (Public domain photo)

Nicely detailed cockpit, which can be seen after assembly.

The space available in front was filled with No. 7 shot sealed in place with Elmer's glue.

A card plastic baffle allows the front of the nacelles to be filled with shot.

It is not often I need to get these clamps out to keep parts in place while the glue dries.

 

Airfix, Hawker Hurricane Mk. I, 1/72 scale, Kit No. A01010

It has been over a month since I posted something new. The time has partially been spent working on the Airfix B-25B “Doolittle Raid” version.   There are lots of fit problems on that one.  Along the way, I was getting bored and reached into the stash for a quick, fun build.  This Hurricane kit caught my attention, so I started it.  (These days, I am frequently building two models at a time.  It keeps me interested in both projects.)

It was just a quick build, so no after market (even canopy masking) and no weathering.  It is relaxing to build a model that way now and then.

This is a fabric covered wing Hurricane that was part of the British Expeditionary Force that vainly fought in France in May 1940.

The kit decals have alternate squadron markings for this ship, either VY*G or VY*C.  The box cover and instructions show G rather than C.  My library includes Camouflage and Markings, R.A.F. Fighter Command, 1936-1945 by James Goulding and Robert Jones (Doubleday, 1971).  This book has some of the most detailed information on this subject.  And, it shows this aircraft in a profile drawing with “C”, so that is what I used.

I have a number of Squadron “In Action” and Bert Kinsey “Detail and Scale” books, as well as several dozen other publications.  All of these were collected in the 1970’s through 1990’s.  These books were much cheaper then, but, more importantly, the Internet had not bloomed and provided us with vast sources of information for the asking at our fingertips.  I have added a couple of Brett Green’s superb books to my collection in the past few years, but that is it.  I often wonder where the historic aircraft research book field will end up.

I painted the basic camouflage with Vallejo Model Air paint:  71.096 Panzer Olive and 71.032 Golden Brown.  Maybe not exact prototype matches, but they look good to me and have some contrast.

Pros

Excellent subject and marking choice.

Excellent decals which go on easily and react well to Tamiya Mark-Fit regular strength decal setting solution.

Nice detailed cockpit and landing gear bays.

Surface detail is excellent, especially the recreation of the fabric covered areas of this aircraft.

Cons

Fit is an issue, as always, with these kits.  Not really that bad on this one, but annoying in a modern kit.

The color guide is printed on the back of the box rather than in the instruction manual.

 As always, thank you for visiting my blog.  Comments are always welcome.