Tamiya 1:48 scale P-51D Mustang
click on images to enlarge
Believe it or not, after four years of modeling, this is my
first P-51. I received this kit as a Christmas gift and
decided to give it a go. I had picked up a resin seat
and resin wheels for the kit as well. An Eduard PE set
was also used in the interior. Extra additions include
radio wiring, drop tank plumbing and tubing for the gun
barrels. The finish is Talon acrylic aluminum paint with
Alclad accents. Aluminum polishing powder was also
applied for extra shine. A dark gray wash was used for
the panel lines along with pastels for subtle streaking.

Colors used: Aluminum, Dark Aluminum, Duraluminum,
Olive Drab, Insignia Red

Overall, this is a very well done kit. Comparing it to the
Hasegawa version, Tamiya's exterior detail is more
pronounced and much crisper. However, I find the
wheel well and interior detail to be somewhat better on
the Hasegawa kit. So, each kit has their attributes. The
only complaint with this kit is the bubble canopy is two
pieces. The clear canopy attach's to the gray bottom
frame. I find this to be poor molding design. It could
easily be cast as one clear part. Others have
recommended using a vacuform canopy and I tend to
agree. Barring that issue, I highly recommend this kit to
all skill levels.