Hasegawa 1/72 P-51B Mustang "D-Day Marking Combo"
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
The North American P-51 Mustang is easily one of the most iconic fighter aircraft of the Second World War, instantly recognizable. Originally fitted with an Allison engine, the pairing of the design with the Merlin engine pushed the Mustang to the forefront. When the aircraft went from the razorback P-51B to the bubbletop P-51D, an aviation icon was born.
The Kit
While the P-51D is the more popular variant of the Mustang, the P-51B has some interesting history and markings, and this latest release from Hasegawa provides two kits and three marking choices for the P-51B. This is the classic Hasegawa 1/72 P-51B that was originally released in the mid 1990s, so it is one that modelers are quite familiar with. Molded in gray plastic, the kit features recessed panel lines, a simple yet complete interior, two styles of drop tanks, and two types of canopies. The decal sheet provides three marking options, so you will have one left over after building both kits.
Starting with the interior, this has some shallow detailing molded into the fuselage sides, with the one-piece floor getting a separate seat, control stick, and instrument panel. The instrument panel gets its details from the decal sheet, and with some nice paintwork and the addition of seat belts, the stock interior should be fine under the closed canopy the kit comes with.
In addition to the cockpit, the fuselage halves need the exhaust stubs added from the inside before putting the fuselage together. The vertical fin is molded as one on the left half, so there is the possibility of a bad seam on the right side. Some test fitting and careful sanding should minimize that, though. The chin scoop is separate, as is the under-fuselage scoop front. The latter is best left off until after the wing is attached, though.
The wing comes in three parts, a solid lower piece and right & left upper halves. While the overall detail here is good, the wing has a couple of problems. The first is that the wheel wells are way too shallow. This is not too much of an issue, as with some over-accenting of the raised detail, these can have the appearance of being deeper. The other problem is much more difficult to correct. The wing root leading edge is different on the P-51B and P-51D, with the D having more of a sweep. This kit has that P-51D leading edge, and it's not something that can just be sanded down as doing so would cut into the wheel wells. The only real choice is to either replace the entire wing with an aftermarket one, or just live with the error.
The remaining bits are simple to handle. The propeller has separate blades and a two-part spinner, while the main landing gear has separate wheels and gear doors attaching to the struts. The tailwheel is molded as one piece, and there are clear parts for the wing light and wheel well landing light. The Fuel tank options include the paper tank and the teardrop metal tank. For the canopy, these are molded as one piece, with both the original framed style and the later Malcolm blown style.
The decal options all cover colorful D-Day P-51B Mustangs. The first choice is Capt Frederick R Haviland Jr's P-51B from the 355FG, 354FS. This aircraft has the name "The Iowa Beaut" on the nose, and features the upper surfaces finished in olive drab. Like all of the options here, the decals provide the invasion stripes. The second two options are both from the 352FG, with their characteristic blue noses. The first is "Pattie Ann" from the 328FS, coded PE-T, while the other is "The Flying Scot" from the 486FS. Both feature full invasion stripes on both the upper and lower surfaces. The decals are very nicely printed, with excellent register.
Conclusion
This is a nice re-release of the Hasegawa P-51B kit, if you can overlook the problems with the wing. Getting two in the box helps, and the colorful markings are a great addition. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.