1:72 F-51D S.A.

The real subject

The Mustang was an American single-seat fighter of the Second World War. The designation F-51D belongs to the same machine after 1948, when the US Air Force replaced the old letter P with the letter F for fighter types. Under the new designation the Mustangs served for a number of years after the war, in Korea among other places, and entered the inventories of other states. The D version has a bubble canopy and a cut-down rear fuselage, so the cockpit is clearly visible from both sides.

What the photo-etched set offers

Photo-etched metal parts for an F-51D model in 1:72 scale. Metal holds a thickness that injection-molded plastic cannot reach in this scale, and it carries the fine structure a mold will not hold. The extent of the set and the position of the individual parts are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building tips

Separate the parts with a sharp blade on a hard surface; scissors bend the metal. Sand the remains of the tab away with a fine file. Bend them in a bending tool or between two blades in one stroke; bending the same place over and over tires the metal. They are glued with super glue drop by drop on the tip of a pin; cement for plastic has no effect on metal. Degrease the parts before painting and spray them with an undercoat, otherwise the paint will not hold on smooth metal and will be rubbed off during handling.

Who it is for

For builders of the Mustang in 1:72 scale who want to take the model beyond the level of the parts from the kit. In a small scale the work with photo-etch is fine, but the difference in the thickness of the parts shows all the more for it. Whether the parts will fit a particular kit is something to check in the instructions for the set before you start altering the plastic. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.