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Kit
No: 1663 Decal options: 3 Comments: A reasonable stab at a P-51D in an already saturated market. |
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Italeri
- 1/72 F-51D Mustang
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| Kits of the P-51D Mustang are hardly an endangered species, with virtually
all model manufacturers (Airfix, Academy/Minicraft, Hasegawa, Heller, Matchbox
and Revell to mention a few) having had a 1:72 example in their range at
some time. In light of this some enthusiasts may well wonder if there is
really the need for yet another P-51D - Italeri obviously do and their Mustang
is now on general release. The eye catching box art and packaging contains over 50 parts moulded in pale grey plastic. Surface detail is neatly recessed in places, clumsy on others - some panel lines overlap while the control surfaces are deeply etched like the old Matchbox kits. The kit depicts a P-51D with the dorsal fin fillet moulded integrally with the fuselage. The cockpit consists of a floor, seat and instrument panel but with no sidewall detail. The nose and ventral intakes are moulded individually to avoid any awkward interior seams, the exhausts stacks and gun ports also separate pieces. Two types of canopy are included, a standard model and the 'Dallas' hood. The windscreen features a section of the surrounding coaming, enabling modellers to paint right up to the glass areas for a 'seamless' look. All the clear parts are commendably thin too, though being thrown in with the rest of the kit they are prone to scuffing. The lower wing halves are moulded full span with integral flaps, the wheels wells are boxed in and are deep enough to look convincing. The gear doors exhibit good detail as well. Italeri supply a good selection of underwing stores, with a choice of 75 or 150 gallon drop tanks, a pair of 1,000 lb bombs or six 5-inch HVAR rockets. The drop tanks are rather basic in execution, lacking any kind of detail but the shapes are good. The decals are something of a mixed bag though. Marking are supplied for a Korean War era shark mouthed F-51D from the 12th FBS, a camouflaged RAF Mustang IV of 65 Squadron and an all-aluminium Royal New Zealand Air Force P-51D of 4 Squadron. The choices are interesting but the execution is sloppy, no more so than the fin flashes for the RAF and RNZAF aircraft which are woefully undersized. The codes for the RAF option are printed as light blue but are shown as sky on the box artwork - either could be right so check your references. Considering the glut of P-51 decal sheets out there, replacements won't be hard to find. Italeri's finishing instructions are keyed only to Testors Modelmaster paints so some of the references are a little misleading. Shape wise, the kit matches most of the better scale plans with unerring precision save for the nose which appears a fraction short, but the finished model captures the character of the P-51D, not something some of its predecessors have quite achieved. Italeri's P-51D is a likeable little kit and on it's own merits it acquits itself remarkably well. |
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