Revell 1/72 P-51B Mustang

REVELL 1:72 P-51B MUSTANG

Reviewer: Steve Papworth (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 25 January 2003

Kit Details:

Kit Number: 04137 - Revell 1:72 P-51B Mustang

Aircraft History:

I concur with Arthur Janikowski in his ‘In The Box Review’ of this kit, I’m not going to tell anyone anything about the P51 Mustang they don’t already know. However there’s a bit about this particular Mustang below.

The Kit:

The kit consists of 49 injection moulded parts in dark green plastic and two clear moulded parts, the canopy and landing light. The parts are well made, with fine detail. There is an absence of flash.

Instructions:

The instruction booklet is a 12 page flip booklet with 18 languages and international symbols. (I could read the text without a magnifying glass). It gives 14 construction steps and two paint schemes, the first being ‘Tex’ Hills P51B of the 26^th FS, 51^st, Fighter Group, USAAF and the second a Mustang III of 112 Squadron RAF. Beware of the mix up in the undersides of both painting guides.

Construction:

Construction of the kit is fairly straight forward commencing with the cockpit. The cockpit itself is detailed containing, floor, instrument panel, joystick and radio. The canopy supplied is clear enough to show the detail so it pays to show attention to detail here. The cockpit unit is assembled and fits in between the fuselage halves, which fit flush with no sanding or filling required. Step 3 is drilling the single piece bottom wing section. This section has detailed undercarriage wells but the kit requires you to decide then and there if you will fit the rocket launchers or the drop tanks as the holes must be drilled prior to fitting the upper section of the wings as the only locators provided are in the top of the bottom wing section. The exhaust stubs follow with a choice of two (RAF/USAAF) provided, I generally paint these and leave them until after the model has been assembled and painted. The elevators and top wing sections follow with no problems being encountered here, the top wing sections fit flush with the fuselage. There is a choice of two positions for the radiator vent as well as the undercarriage. With the undercarriage down both the main gear and tailwheel doors need to be cut as they are supplied for fitting with the undercarriage retracted. The undercarriage is simple and strong. The propeller assembly is next, I had to trim this a little to get the blades sitting evenly and make sure to put the flat bit against the hub or you end up with one blade facing in reverse! The rocket launcher and/or drop tank assemblies come next with the rocket launchers supplied being USAAF options. These launchers can be a bit fiddly but go together well with a bit of concentration.

Painting/ Decals:

The kit is more detailed than Airfix and other manufacturers so if you don’t get the paint box out first you’re not going to achieve the same result. I painted most small parts first, assembled the model and touched up the paint upon completion. On my kit I used both the rocket launchers and the drop tanks, contrary to the instructions, but the result was good. If you are using the drop tanks they have two small decals which are applied near the top of the tank, paint them and apply the decals before fixing to the model or you’ll have your work cut on trying to get them on afterwards.

Two versions can be completed from the kit.

a). GA-Q, from No 112 Squadron RAF, Tantarella, Italy 1944. No 112 Squadron was formed on 16/05/1939 aboard HMS Argus for service in the Middle East. The squadron flew Gladiators, Tomahawks and Kittyhawks before receiving Mustang III’s in Italy in June 1944. The squadron was disbanded on 30/12/1946. (source www.raf.mod.uk)

b). P51B, S/N 36769 of the 26^th Fighter Squadron, 51^st Fighter Group, 14^th Air Force, USAAF, flown by the Squadron Commander, Colonel David Lee ‘Tex’ HILL. The 51^st Fighter Group was formed as the 51^st Pursuit Group on 20/11/1940 flying P40’s. The group left the US in 1942 arriving in India where they fought in the India-Burma Campaign. Assigned to the 14^th Air Force in October 1943 they moved to China where they received P51s in 1945. The group was inactivated on 13/12/1945. (Source www.armyairforces.com)

‘Tex’ Hill was a pre-war Navy Pilot flying from the carriers USS Saratoga and Ranger. In 1941 he was recruited to fly under Gen. Claire Chennault in the AVG, better known as the ‘Flying Tigers’. When the AVG disbanded in 1942 Hill accepted a battlefield commission with the USAAF and flew until the end of the war. Hill was credited with 18 confirmed and more that 20 probable victories and received the Silver Star, 3 DFCs and 2 Air Medals. (Source www.nasm.si.edu)

Photo Credit: "P51 Mustang" - William Newby Grant, Bison Books Ltd 1980

‘Tex’ Hill with P51B in 1945.

The above photo shows ‘Tex’ Hill with the P51 this kit is based upon, shame it’s not in colour but if you compare the weathering on the machine to the picture on the box art it leaves you in no doubt as to the source for the model.

Overall:

The kit is a fine product, high quality control gave a good fit to all parts. As you may have guessed I built ‘Tex’ Hill’s aircraft and it turned out a fine addition to my collection.

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