1:48 P-51B MUSTANG

The Mustang that got a Merlin

The letter B denotes the first production version with the British Merlin engine built under license by Packard. It was this one that turned a mediocre attack machine into a fighter able to escort bombers all the way to Berlin. For the time being the cockpit kept the dorsal spine and a fixed framed canopy, replaced on a number of British and American machines by a blown one-piece hood. There are therefore more frames here than on the later bubble version and masking takes a few minutes longer.

Bleeding can be stopped in advance

The most common disappointment with a painted cockpit is paint that gets under the edge of the film. A simple trick helps: after all the parts are seated, run a wooden toothpick along the edges so that the adhesive layer is pressed against the glass, and mist a thin pass of the shade that is already on the frames over it. That first pass seals the edge, so the covering paint has no way of running under it.

Two shades on one frame

The inner side of the framing tends to be in the cockpit shade, the outer in the camouflage of the upper or lower surface. A pair of parts is therefore not a surplus but a necessity: without it the frame would show through in a single color and the cockpit would lose its depth. On the spine version that shows especially, because the rear glazing sits low above the spine and the viewer looks into it straight from above.

The scope of the set

The delivery covers a double masking of the glazing, adds a set for the national insignia and an accompanying decal sheet. The outlines were made to the dimensions of Tamiya in 1:48 scale. Do not look for thinner, filler or plastic in the bag; those are separate items.