North American P-51D Mustang

Seems I can never find a complaint about a Tamiya kit and this one is no exception. Great easy fun build with as usual, great fit, no putty, and very little sanding needed. I built this kit to represent the plane flown by Lt. Raymond Withers, named Kathleen of the 359th Fighter Squadron. I will be purchasing others to build because p-51's had some colorful, interesting, and a few challenging paint schemes.

I grew up as an Army aviators brat and always wanted to be the Sarge in Combat. Also dreamed of flying the iconic B-17. But my greatest fantasy was flying a P-51 as an ace over the European theatre. This model is another one of Tamiyas better planes. It is full of detail and can be made to suit anyone. I chose the Lou IV because I liked the unit Christian flew with. This little model is not for beginners in there is a lot of sub assembly and painting that never gets seen. It is of upmost importance though to the construction and understanding of this outstanding fighter.The one item that was very time consuming and tedious was the victory striping on the underside. It almost took an engineering degree to figure it but was very satisfying once it was on. In fact it was very good compared to others I have done. Usually its easier to paint. Once again this Tamiya kit reminded me of building a watch. Tough but satisfying. The P-51 could have ended the war in Germany had it been produced sooner and I doubt if I would have ever been worthy to climb in one of these heros. I would highly recommend this model to any skilled model builder. Enjoy.

This kit in my opinion is the pinnacle of the 1/48 P-51D. Great fit all around and enough options to make your model really stand out. Decals for 4 different aircraft are included and with all the aftermarket available for this kit a real award winner can be made with the proper amount of care. I love this kit