P-51D Mustang

After putting together my first Revell kit- P-40B Tiger Shark and being extremely disappointed about the quality of that model kit, I was a little shy about giving Revell a second chance. Well, I'm glad that I did, because after building this historical classic in the Big Beautiful Doll colors I was pleasantly delighted! The positives: This kit goes together extremely well, without the need for filler- just smoothing down of the glue joint. The quality of the molded parts are very good, considering the mold was manufactured in 1977- very little flash, very little sink, no ejector pin stress marks and minimal part-line miss-match. The decals are excellent, as you can see from the photos of my build, they look painted on. The cockpit was reasonably detailed, along with the pilot and the inclusion of molded in seat belts on the seat. The bubble canopy is crystal clear, except that mine had a couple of small scratches on the port side. The bubble canopy is designed to enable it to be displayed open or closed and the wheel assembly is nice and sturdy. Wheel wells are included in this kit, unlike the P-40B Tiger Shark that just had holes through the lower wing sections. The kit offers two sets of decals for different aircraft. The negatives: Because of the age of the kit, there are no recessed panel lines for highlighting, just raised lines and rivet details, which can be lost when smoothing joints down. The air flow exhaust flap when assembled is floppy and just hangs down, so I permanently glued mine into a position I was happy with. It would have been nice if the ailerons / flaps were separate assemblies that could be modeled in the down position showing the internal structure for contrast. Regarding the squadron recognition letter / number decals, I believe their scale to be incorrect and larger than the actual plane. Overall Conclusion: This kit is a joy to build, goes together well, looks great when complete and is unbeatable value at $11.99 for what you get inside the box. Revell have redeemed themselves with this one and I want to buy another one already so that I can paint and decorate it in the second version of colors and decals that are offered. If you're a beginner...it's a must, just be patient with the decals! If you're a more seasoned builder, it's still worth buying to fill in some quick build times and you can always add some extras to enhance it. You won't be disappointed!

Loved building this, would recomend it to others, went together well, the addition of the gun compartment showing the guns and magazine placement was a nice touch, the only issue I had was aligning the checkerboard decals exactly and painting the slow curve from the engine to the wing (it took me several tries to get right).

I built this kit about 3 years ago. It is an easy built for the novice if they just want a kit to build without painting. If your more of an in depth modeler then the sky's the limit. I had a great time building this kit. The fit and finish was great for a $12 kit. In these times its great to fine fun builds without breaking the bank. I highly recommend this kit if you haven't built a P51D yet.