1:32 P-51B MUSTANG

The P-51B that reached Berlin

The P-51B was the first Mustang with a British Merlin, and it was that swap of powerplant which turned a decent reconnaissance machine into an escort fighter with a reach across the whole of Europe. Aircraft from the plant in Inglewood arrived with the combat squadrons at the close of 1943. The fuselage kept its raised decking for the time being and above the pilot's head sat a narrow greenhouse assembled from flat panes in a massive frame.

The decision is made before you pick up a blade

It is on this very version that cut pieces save the most work of the whole family: there are over a dozen straight frames here and each would have to be measured out from tape separately. The catch lurks elsewhere. The cut fits the factory cockpit, not the domed British hood that more than one squadron had retrofitted. Anyone building a machine with it will not use the glazing pieces and will be left only with the insignia stencils.

Pane by pane

The inner pieces belong on the glass before you join the cockpit to the fuselage, because afterwards the inner face cannot be reached. Mask the framing on the cockpit side in the interior shade and paint the outside only after the camouflage has matured. Do not press with a blade between the individual panes; the edges are already cut and trimming them further leaves a groove in the plastic.

The star with bars and its order

You get a pair of stencils for the national insignia; the rest of the markings is covered by the sheet enclosed. The American insignia of 1944 is sprayed in two stages: the white fields first, and once they have dried the blue circle and the surround. Light coats are a condition here, as under a thick load the edge of the film imprints itself into the finish and you will then see it against the light.