Ol Crew Dog Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I just purchased this kit from another ARCer, I have been doing some research and it seems this kit is very nice. Anybody notice anything wrong with this kit, seems to be cheaper then Tamiya's (have 5 of them) and more detailed, are they giving Tamiya a run for their money? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I just purchased this kit from another ARCer, I have been doing some research and it seems this kit is very nice. Anybody notice anything wrong with this kit, seems to be cheaper then Tamiya's (have 5 of them) and more detailed, are they giving Tamiya a run for their money? I did a fairly detailed build thread for the one I finished a month ago or so. There's some "issues" with some of the detail and fit but for the most part it was a great kit. You'll have to decide early on what level of detail you want to obtain and what of the inner workings you want to be able to see. The fuselage is in many different pieces which do actually fit together quite well but if you screw one part up it will be compounded with each and every other part. The biggest issue I had was fitting the tail to the main body. The only real thing I didn't like was how the parts were attached to the parts trees. Left for some annoying sanding on visible pieces. I built mine straight oob with only aftermarket decals. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
timc Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 You can only build one D version of the Z-M Mustang vs. the different versions of the D from the Tamiya kit. The instrument panel detail on the Z-M kit is somewhat crude, resembling 1970's Hasegawa instrument panels. That being said, it is, from what I've seen and heard a decent kit. In my personal opinion, I prefer the Tamiya offering simply due to the optional parts that allow me to create (albeit with some work on my part) an earlier block P-51D-10 or 15. No kit is ever 100% accurate and the Tamiya offering is no exception. In the end, it all boils down to what you want to do with the kit, how much money and time you're willing to invest into it. You make your choice and don't look back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 The Tamiya kit is light years ahead of the Z-M Mustang in terms of accuracy, options, details etc... The Z-M kit is a decent kit but a distant second, it is still better than the Hasegawa, Dragon, Monogram etc... It looks like the rudder is too tall on the Z-M kit, many of the cockpit details are misshaped, the surface details are often inaccurate and the molding is sometimes crude and inconsistent (compare the details in the two wheel wells). As Tim mentioned, unlike the Tamiya kit Z-M only offers a late production block which would mostly represent late war or post war Mustangs. If you plan to build only one Mustang the Tamiya kit is the one to get, there is almost no price difference between the two if you shop around. That being said, the Z-M kit can be turned into a beautiful P-51D model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 reading whats wrong with the ZM kit, and what's right with the Tamiya kits makes me smile. When I see a ton of aftermarket stuff out for the Tamiya kit I know there's something out of order, or for the small sum of $145 you'd have expected perfection and didn't get it. If I were buying a P51D kit of that order, I'd probably start with the ZM kit at $90 as it has things that are correct where the Tamiya kit is wrong (and near impossible to fix). But I ain't gonna do either one as I'm perfectly happy with their Spitfires and Zeros (I think they are better than their Mustang). In other words a perfectly good $80 kit being hijacked for $145 gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Smile all you want but there is nothing "out of order" with the Tamiya kit, out of the box it is an astonishing kit, probably one the best ever produced in any scale. It's actually even better than their Zero's and Spitfires but you would need to know Mustangs to see it. As for price, you can get the Tamiya kit for less than $120 shipped and the Z-M comes to close to $110 with shipping. Please do tell what's wrong with the Tamiya kit that is "near impossible to fix", we all want to hear about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
xmh53wrench Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 (edited) Does anyone else hear a choir of angelic Merlins when tourist speaks???? LOL I don't own either, but for what Tamiya is getting for those kits, there is no excuse for all the ejector pin marks...IMHO Edited November 16, 2012 by xmh53wrench Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I have to agree with the annoying ejector pin marks, sadly they can be seen on most Tamiya kits. The "choir of angelic Merlins" would a make a hilarious comedy sketch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 The undertray of their soon to be release Red Bull F1 car is littered with pin marks. They seriously must not care at all. And it's always on the visible side not the side that will be hidden. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Smile all you want but there is nothing "out of order" with the Tamiya kit, out of the box it is an astonishing kit, probably one the best ever produced in any scale. It's actually even better than their Zero's and Spitfires but you would need to know Mustangs to see it. As for price, you can get the Tamiya kit for less than $120 shipped and the Z-M comes to close to $110 with shipping. Please do tell what's wrong with the Tamiya kit that is "near impossible to fix", we all want to hear about it. except the lower radiator intake is wrong for starters. Neither kit is right by the way gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
timc Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 (edited) except the lower radiator intake is wrong for starters. Neither kit is right by the way gary I've not compared the lines/dimensions to Charles Neeley's drawings (as I don't have them) but those that do never mentioned anything wrong with the intake. It certainly looks exactly what I see in the E&R manual as well as the Illustrated Parts Catalog for the P-51D/K. Please expand on your statement, I'm curious as I'm sure many others are. Yeah, the ejector pin marks in the wheel wells are indeed a disappointment. They take some serious effort to eliminate and if an aftermarket wheel well were offered, I just might consider it over filling/sanding the ejector pin marks. The aftermarket that's available for the Tamiya kit is not offered for "correction" purposes but for detail enhancement. At least the ones I'm aware of anyway. Yes the tires are rubber and some folks (such as myself)don't really like rubber tires, we opt for resin replacements...again, not a "correction" per se; they're more of a option for those who prefer not to tackle seam lines on rubber tires. For those who've been following my build over at LSP, I must tell you that the model has been destroyed. I dropped it from about 4 feet in the air and in trying to catch it and prevent the fall, I threw it up and out another 3 or 4 feet.....SMASH! Little, tiny pieces of Tamiya Mustang all over the basement floor . I don't even know if I have all the pieces collected and placed in the box. I was and still am beside myself about the demise of such a nice kit that I put so much work into. Oh well, I do have another and may start that some time in the near future. Edited November 17, 2012 by timc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tourist Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 except the lower radiator intake is wrong for starters. Neither kit is right by the way gary No it's not, you clearly don't know what you're talking about but it was a nice try. Come up with verifiable and detailed facts if you want to be taken seriously. Tim, I was very sorry to hear about the "crash" on LSP. Hopefully that didn't turn you off modeling. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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