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Best 1/48 P-51 kit for wheels up/inflight?


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I need to knock out a few of these for my boy's room and it seems Eduard, Meng, and Airfix now have new tool Mustangs for somewhat decent prices. I have the Tamiya kit and it looks simple enough with surgery, but I was wondering how the others hold up.

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For a wheels-up Mustang, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than the recent Airfix release.  It includes a wheels-up option in the box and also alternate flaps designed to be raised.  Plus, it's a pretty good kit overall (some might prefer the Meng or Eduard kits but I don't recall Meng having an option to raise the gear without surgery, and Eduard is rather fiddley with a lot of small details that would be invisible with retracted gear, a pilot in the seat, and a closed canopy).  I've built all 3, and of those 3 Airfix is my kit of choice for the best balance of detail, buildability, and price.  Tamiya is a nice, basic, kit, but not really designed to be built wheels-up so you'd have to do the surgery there as well.

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I have buildt many Tamiya P-51's and the main wheel covers is not the issue - the tailwheel is on this and most other kits as they are moulded in the open position. Haven't built the Airfix (yet) so can't say if this has separate option for close tailwheel?  

But again this is a fairly simple fix of the kit parts or replacement with sheet styrene or similar to match the apperance of the closed tailwheel doors. 

 

In general, for P-51's the main wheel wells are very simple as it covers completly, unlike the Spit or ME-109 where you can see the wheel when the undercarriage is retracted. 
Tamiya has well fitting covers, so also Eduard. Airfix has separate parts for this from what I've seen. But again - tailwheel assembly is where the effort will be required. 

 

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44 minutes ago, Niels said:

I have buildt many Tamiya P-51's and the main wheel covers is not the issue - the tailwheel is on this and most other kits as they are moulded in the open position. Haven't built the Airfix (yet) so can't say if this has separate option for close tailwheel?  

 

 

Airfix has a separate part for closed tailwheel doors - they have you cut off the open doors from the sides of the tailwheel well, and add the closed doors after the fuselage is assembled.  

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Thanks Gents, I might have to head over to Hobby Lobby for the airfix kit. I took a look at an Eduard kit I have and nope! That sucker (Royal kit) is not going in my boy's room.

Edited by fulcrum1
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6 minutes ago, eraucubsfan said:

Agree with @Joe Hegedus Airfix is the easiest.  Also they can be found at Hobby Lobby, and with coupon makes them relatively  inexpensive.

 

Here is the Airfix kit, with main gear mid-retraction.  

 

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Those prop blurs are awesome. Might have to try them out.

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23 minutes ago, habu2 said:


Hurry, I heard the 40% online coupon is going away...

Yes, the 40% coupon is going away, but for the past several weeks, they've had all kits 40% off every other week.  This week is one of the weeks that has all kits 40% off.

 

Edited by Joe Hegedus
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