Chattanooga Choo Choo
First look at Eduard 1/48 North American P-51D-5 Mustang
I
t has been over two years
since Eduard announced
their plans for an all
new kit of the iconic P-51
Mustang. This new series like
the Messerschmitt Bf-109 and
Focke-Wulf Fw190 families
before it is designed to be the
cornerstone of the Eduard
release schedule over the
next few years. This means
that by my estimates we will
get between 20 to 30 boxings
covering every conceivable
variation. (The 109 is now
up to over 50 boxings since
the irst new tool kit was
released six years ago!).
The irst kit was supposed
to be released in the autumn,
but six weeks ago Eduard
announced they would be
producing a limited-edition
version for sale at the US
Nationals in Chattanooga.
This new boxing covers
the P-51D-5, which includes
the tail illet, with the irst full
production version of the kit in
October featuring an aircraft
without the illet. So, lets
look in the box and start with
one of the most contentious
issues with the Mustang, do
you put rivets on the wings?
During the war the centre
wing sections of the Mustang
had putty applied to all the
panel joints and rivets in an
attempt to make the wing as
smooth as possible. Eduard
have indeed missed out all rivet
detail though there are some
subtle engraved panels lines
including the gun bay doors.
In my opinion this is the best
representation of the wings in
any Mustang kit to date, though
I am sure the arguments willrage on. The rest of the model is
covered in rivet detail, but it is
so ine you can only really see it
under strong lighting and I am
sure that if you are too heavy
handed with your painting it
will disappear completely.
This limited-edition
kit is equivalent to a
ProiPACKrelease, as well as
the plastic parts you also get
a set of canopy masks and a
pre-painted photo-etched steel
fret that for less skilled painters
like me is a godsend. The
instrument panel also features
Eduard’s new technology where
the painted dial faces already
have a gloss resin glass varnish
over them. Once the photo-
etched layers are assembled
this will look very efective.
The cockpit and the
undercarriage have some
beautifully moulded detail,
which is enhanced by using
the etched steel out of the box
and with careful painting this
is one of the most detailed
1/48 scale kits I have ever seen.Colour notes are supplied
at all stages using Gunze
Aqueous, the Mr Color range
and Mission Models paints.
This is not surprising as Eduard
is the main importer of these
ranges in the Czech Republic.
The kit also includes many
alternative parts, like three
options for the oil cooler and no
less than three canopy variations
as well as early and late style
exhaust pipes. The latter even
have the ends slightly recessed
which make it just a few seconds
work with a twist drill to have
fully hollowed out pipes.
Your spares box will also
beneit as you have many parts
marked not for use, including
250 and 500Ib bombs and both
Bazooka and pylon style Air
to Ground rockets, as well
as a selection of aerials.
I am sure that we will
have a wealth of brassin andphoto-etch updates over the
next few months and though
a fully detailed engine appeals
to me ,I think most modellers
will be more than happy with
what you get in the box.DECALS
For the irst time Eduard have
joined forces with Fundekals
to produce the decal sheet in
this kit and they have done a
great job providing no less than
six options, as well as a very
comprehensive set of stencils.- N.A P-51D-5 Mustang,
s/n 44-13535, lown by Lt.
Edward F. Pogue, 79th FS,
20th FG, 8th AF, Kings Clife,
United Kingdom, 1945. - N.A P-51D-5 Mustang, s/n
44-13984, lown by Lt. Clarence
Boretsky, 334yth FS, 4th
FG, 8th AF, Debden, United
Kingdom, Autumn 1944. - N.A P-51D-5 Mustang, s/n 44-
13298, lown by Capt. Fredie F.
Ohr, 2nd FS, 52nd FG, 15th AF,
Madna, Italy, Autumn 1944. - N.A P-51D-5 Mustang, s/n
44-13783, lown by Lt. Irving
Snedeker, 364th FS, 357th
FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United
Kingdom, April 1945. - N.A P-51D-5 Mustang, s/n
44-13677, lown by Lt. William
G. Cullerton, 357th FS, 355th
FG, 8th AF, Steeple Morden,
United Kingdom, 1944.
76 SEPTEMBER 2019 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
IPMS USA NATIONALS 2019