niart17 Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I am interested in getting the new 32nd scale Dragon p-51, but I have heard really conflicting reviews of it. One review basically said he threw it in the trash!, the other one said it was the best large scale mustang on the market! So Wha...........? I trust the opinions of you guys, does anyone have this kit, and what are ya'lls (yea, i'm southern) thoughts? Is it better than the Hasagawa kit? Thanks. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
is it windy yet? Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Do a search for for it using the search function at the bottom, there was plenty of discussion about that kit. Lots good, lots of negative too. Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trevor Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 (edited) I neither have the kit, nor the interest in building it, but from what I understand you'll either love it or hate it. If you want a smooth skinned Mustang and absolutely despise the oriental fixation of putting holes all over the surface and calling them rivets, then this kit is not for you. If you don't care about the rivets, or are willing to put a lot of effort into filling them in, then this kit is apparently an improvement over the old Hasegawa and Monogram offerings. Its all about your personal tastes. I bought a Hasagawa F-104, which is covered in rivets, and thought I could filled them in. After a month and some four or five applications of various putties it still wasn't close. In the end I bought another kit and will live with the inaccurate rivets. My other option would have been to scribe the old Monogram kit, which might be the better course of action if you want a large scale, smooth skinned Mustang. Edited March 15, 2007 by Trevor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DarylH Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 to me .... no. There is a point where the amount of work required negates the value of what is supposed to be a hobby. The Dragon P-51 is beyond that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Here is a review from our club VP link Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pingu1 Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 (edited) Depends how much you want a 1/32 P-51D, and whether applying and sanding down Tippex is a big issue for you. If you want a perfect, no-effort, shake&bake P-51D, you can buy two Tamiya 1/48 kits for the price of one Dragon 1/32 job, and still have change for a couple of pints on the way home. If we look at 1/32 the competition, then, in terms of detail, it's a lot better than the 30-year-old, raised panel lines, Hasegawa kit. Of course, the Revellogram Phantom Mustang is a lot more fun! When they become aware of problems, Dragon often modify the tooling of their armour kits between issues. it might be worth hanging on for 6 months or so to see if they do anything about the P-51D's rivets. Cheers, Chris. Edited March 15, 2007 by pingu1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LITTLE BIRD 117 Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I have not built it but I have heard the kit's detail sucks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 (edited) I have not built it but I have heard the kit's detail sucks. The amount of detail, except for maybe the cockpit, is actually pretty high. Edited March 15, 2007 by Dave Williams Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I don't think this kit is better than the old Hasegawa. Let's see: -awful surface -poor cockpit detail, wrong size seat (they copied trumpeter's mistake) -The usual wrong wheel bays -guns included but the gun bays don't open!!! -missing parts (3) -backward propeller -inaccurate decals -whatever I may have forgotten All that for the most Iconic (and readily available for research) aircraft of WWII. COME ON!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted March 16, 2007 Author Share Posted March 16, 2007 I think it's kinda interesting, I've heard several people complain about the gun bays being molded closed, but apparently they are scribed to make for easy opening. Imho, it seems like the best way to go about it. That way, for people who don't want open bays, there's no issue of the doors not fitting close enough, (which was a complaint about Hasa mustang) and for those that do, just simply cut them out. I think i will bite the bullet and get it despite the warnings. Although I may wait a bit like Dave recommends. I think I have an old Hasagawa mustang built somewhere, I can swipe the props and wheels from, and I usually either detail out the cockpit anyway or buy some aftermarket one. The rivets........from the couple of build ups I've seen online, they don't look so bad. Who knows, I may be writing back saying "Why didn't you guys stop me!!!!?" :) Thanks for the input, and sorry if I dredged up an old flaming debate. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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