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World War II
Discuss WWII and the era directly before and after the war from 1935-1949.
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REVIEW
1/32nd P-51 D Mustang
betheyn
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AEROSCALE
#019
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Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 11:23 PM UTC
Here is a review by Jean-Luc Formery (TedMamere) of Tamiya''s new 1:32 scale P-51 D Mustang kit. This is a full review of the entire box, including the multimedia parts, instruction booklet and additional bonuses.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
Ed's note
All previous reviews on the net were based on the test shots so this may be the first of the final box and an exclusive for Aeroscale.
The price quoted in the review is from Hannants. but looking around the net, the kit can be bought cheaper.
betheyn
Staff MemberSenior Editor
AEROSCALE
#019
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Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 11:40 PM UTC
Great review Jean-Luc, the way Tamiya have tackled the optional undercarrige parts IMHO is nothing short of ingenius.
I think I know what my Xmas pressie is going to be.
Andy
warreni
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Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 05:41 PM UTC
I got it for me as a Birthday Present..

This hysteria over the rivets is just that, misguided hysteria. Many Mustangs may have been built with all the rivets covered in a coat of filler and paint, but as soon as they went in for a repaint all the old paint, filler etc would have been removed and the aircraft repainted without all that heavy filler.

Is amazing how a review on another site that lambasted Trumpeter for having rivets on it's P-51D gave excuses for Tamiya having them on their P-51D. Double standards I think.

Look here for an exaple of the rivets
http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/don_busack/p-51d/images/p-51d_09_of_25.jpg

yancheelaa
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Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 07:07 PM UTC
Great review... have the IXc 1/32 at home and cannot bwait to build it with a lot of aftermarket stuff, will post results here.. but I was thinking it would be nice to get the mustang as well
Tomcat31
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Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 11:42 PM UTC
ooooh i so want one of these especially if Mal is doing some Big Beutiful Doll masks for it unfortunately for me the birthday has passed so it'll have to be a christmas wish
SunburntPenguin
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Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2011 - 12:56 PM UTC
I'm going to start saving for this one right now.

Is it possible that Tamiya have done this kit even better than the Spitfires?

Now what can they come up with next in 1/32nd scale?
shopkin4
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Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2011 - 01:34 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I'm going to start saving for this one right now.

Is it possible that Tamiya have done this kit even better than the Spitfires?

Now what can they come up with next in 1/32nd scale?



Thats my question exactly. I figured they might as well throw themselves into the fight with an A-1H Skyraider
Holdfast
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#056
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Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 08:30 AM UTC

Quoted Text

This hysteria over the rivets is just that, misguided hysteria. Many Mustangs may have been built with all the rivets covered in a coat of filler and paint, but as soon as they went in for a repaint all the old paint, filler etc would have been removed and the aircraft repainted without all that heavy filler.


I have a book on the P-51, I can't remember what it's called at the moment and it's packed away, but when I move I'll dig it out and find the paragraph about the filler. Basically when being chastised about the lack of serviceable aircraft, ground crew were complaining about how difficult it was to maintain the putty on the wings. The commanding officer then decided to see if removing it would make a difference. Basically it didn't, so at least that unit stopped the practice. Any Co worth his salt would do this simple test and, in my opinion, I don't built P-51s with puttied wings. I must dig out this item but you can bet your bottom dollar that there'll be many who will not agree that the wings were not puttied (cos they have P-51s that they have modelled this feature on)

I love the look of Tamiya's Mustang and yes, Allen mine will be finished as BBD, as will several others judging by the requests that I’m getting. The checkers are proving to be the sticking point, but the BBD script is done

warreni
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Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 08:52 AM UTC
Looking forward to seeing your masks Mal.

Cheers
SunburntPenguin
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Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 11:47 AM UTC
[I think that Zoukei Mura have beaten them to the 1/32nd scale Skyraider.

Perhaps they might be persuaded to upscale their Mosquito kits?
EdgarBrooks
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Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 12:21 PM UTC
[quoteI have a book on the P-51, I can't remember what it's called at the moment and it's packed away, but when I move I'll dig it out and find the paragraph about the filler. Basically when being chastised about the lack of serviceable aircraft, ground crew were complaining about how difficult it was to maintain the putty on the wings. The commanding officer then decided to see if removing it would make a difference. Basically it didn't, so at least that unit stopped the practice. Any Co worth his salt would do this simple test and, in my opinion, I don't built P-51s with puttied wings. I must dig out this item but you can bet your bottom dollar that there'll be many who will not agree that the wings were not puttied (cos they have P-51s that they have modelled this feature on)
[/quote]
When Danny Morris was researching for his "Aces & Wingmen" series of books, he was told exactly the same thing by groundcrew, whom he'd interviewed while travelling across America; as you can imagine, that information has drawn the odd hostile reaction.
Edgar
VANDY1VX4
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Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 06:01 PM UTC
Mal Mayfield
What you need for some help is Super Scale Iternational Decals set 32-15 Checker cowlings. Its black on clear and has the patterns you need tho it is made for the Hasegawa kit. The Patterns are seperate left, right, top, and behind the spinner. Also set 32-25 is the complementary markings Galloping Ghost, Donna- Mite and Small Boy Here. PM Me I may be able to help you with them.

Cheers Vandy 1
Holdfast
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#056
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Posted: Monday, August 01, 2011 - 08:18 AM UTC
Hi Edgar,
That might be the book

Danny, PM on it's way
Jessie_C
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Posted: Monday, August 01, 2011 - 08:31 AM UTC
So what it comes down to is that building it with the wings puttied or not is equally correct. They came out of the factory puttied so a factory-fresh build should show that, but after they'd been in the field for a while anything goes. This way all the rivet counters and all the rivet puttiers can be happy
warreni
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Posted: Monday, August 01, 2011 - 08:53 AM UTC
I can confuse the issue even further. Not all Mustangs came out with putty. The ones built by CAC didn't have any putty IIRC..
JPTRR
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RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Posted: Monday, August 01, 2011 - 01:28 PM UTC
Appears to be a splendid model -- I look forward to seeing one built.
Holdfast
Staff MemberPresident
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#056
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 07:00 AM UTC
I ordered mine at the week end
Mecenas
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 07:29 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I ordered mine at the week end


Good job! What else can we say?
GastonMarty
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 10:00 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

This hysteria over the rivets is just that, misguided hysteria. Many Mustangs may have been built with all the rivets covered in a coat of filler and paint, but as soon as they went in for a repaint all the old paint, filler etc would have been removed and the aircraft repainted without all that heavy filler.


I have a book on the P-51, I can't remember what it's called at the moment and it's packed away, but when I move I'll dig it out and find the paragraph about the filler. Basically when being chastised about the lack of serviceable aircraft, ground crew were complaining about how difficult it was to maintain the putty on the wings. The commanding officer then decided to see if removing it would make a difference. Basically it didn't, so at least that unit stopped the practice. Any Co worth his salt would do this simple test and, in my opinion, I don't built P-51s with puttied wings. I must dig out this item but you can bet your bottom dollar that there'll be many who will not agree that the wings were not puttied (cos they have P-51s that they have modelled this feature on)

I love the look of Tamiya's Mustang and yes, Allen mine will be finished as BBD, as will several others judging by the requests that I’m getting. The checkers are proving to be the sticking point, but the BBD script is done




This has been extensively discussed on Hyperscale in multiple giant threads, and the combined consensus from all inputs was this: No known WWII era photo show putty removed... On the other hand, hundreds of known and dated WWII photos show perfectly smooth wings.

Almosty all post-WWII photos of P-51s, including Korea, museums and airshows, show visible rivets and panel lines under low angle light. All Airshow and museum P-51s are thus clearly not a useable reference here...

Many known WWII photos show panel line reappearing under the putty as extremely fine straight lines that are likely cracking from vibration, or in some cases, crash: The aircraft is invariably a worn-looking veteran... Some show faint accumulations of dirt in a faint rivet-like pattern, but hardly ever.

Removing the silver wing paint is one thing: Removing the putty would be a huge time-consuming job involving the use of scrappers, and, as incredible as it sounds to me, apparently not one confirmed WWII era photo shows completely stripped-to-the-metal P-51 wings...

The rivets on the Tamiya 1/32 wings are very small, if very numerous: They don't really matter. From seeing the wing parts, what struck me on the other hand was that the wing panel lines are typical Tamiya full depth and full width engraving, and that is clearly wrong for WWII: These panel lines in WWII were nowhere near that visible, and were in most cases completely invisible. Given the different appearance of Korean War P-51s, this kit really requires two sets of wings.

Apparently the pace of WWII simply did not allow widespread wing putty stripping, but post-1945 leisure did, leading to Korean War fully stripped wings.

Gaston



SunburntPenguin
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 08:30 PM UTC
Gaston

To minimise the appearance of the panel lines a coat of primer will surely reduce their depth.

This is a great kit and I really don't care if the panel lines are overscale by a small amount.

Sounds to me that you could be nitpicking with this issue.
warreni
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 09:03 PM UTC
Actually Gaston the paint stripper they use on aircraft had no trouble removing the putty at all. Same as it removed flesh from your bones if you were not careful. We used to call it 'yellow peril'.
GastonMarty
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 10:24 PM UTC
Perhaps you are right about the ease of stripping off, but you have to consider the extra work in cleaning the extra "thickened" volume of all the lifted gunk, which is required when it is "lifting"... This on a machine where everything has to work perfectly (hinges for the flaps and ailerons, locks for the gun bay doors etc)... And if the product is so strong, then it is a mess that hurts your hands if my experience with Suppa Strippa is any guide!!

I think the "discovery" that engineer surface prescriptions did not have to be followed like the word of God was something more likely to occur in the leisure of post war. I have stripped a car's hood, and it is a huge amount of work for a much smaller, and less mechanically delicate, surface...

It could have happened in wartime, but it seems all photos that can actually be dated to WWII all show smooth wings, so at the very least it was not common in any way...

Chronology of recollections is especially tricky: Crew chiefs that claim wartime strippage could be recollecting immediate post war strippage... I myself would just build the kit as is, but I am glad I don't have a P-51 in my near future...

Modeller Hal Marshman Sr. sat in a stripped-down wing P-51 in 1948, and the claim at the time by the crew chief was that this was done wartime, so you can go with that... I think an exercise for the dedicated would be to collect many WWII dated photos and count the wings...

Gaston

warreni
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Posted: Monday, August 08, 2011 - 10:40 PM UTC
Just so you know Gaston, all you had to do was apply the 'yellow peril' to any metal surface, leave for a few hours to work its magic then hose it off. Back to bare aluminium etc in one easy step. Some of the really stubborn stuff may have been attacked with abrasive pads etc later.
Holdfast
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#056
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Posted: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 06:16 AM UTC
Gaston!
I'll go with what I have read and what I believe to be the obvious answer to this. A discussion on Hyperscale holds no sway with me, mainly because I very rarely visit the site Another reason for me believing that wings were not puttied is because that you do. From your ranting over scale accuracy I tend to believe the opposite to what you claim to be the truth
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