Can anyone identify this resin 1/72 A-36 ?

[Rob_Haelterman]

Gentlemen,

my happy return to aviation modelling saw me inheriting this kit. It was partially under construction, but seemed quite OK to me, given all the issues with the current Mustang kits (thanks to those who answered my questions on availability and accuracy).

Furthermore, I am not aware of the existence of any kits of the A-36, except the Condor kit (can anyone comment on its accuracy ?)

Now, the kit was wrapped in simple plastic, without manual or label and was partially built. Can anyone give me an idea which kit it is ?

As a follow on: having been away for a long time, can anyone point me in the direction of best aftermarket parts / decals for the Mustang series ?

TIA

Rob

Edited January 7, 2006 by Rob_Haelterman

[J.C. Bahr]

It's the Czechmaster resin kit.

Can't help you on the aftermarket unfortunately... as stuff for the Allison engined Stangs is generally few and far between... if not totally non-existent really!

It's pretty good quality for a resin kit, just takes a little bit different approach in building it really. IMHO it's now been superseded by the Academy kit... but that one only allows for the 20 mm cannon winged bird and not the A-36... but it could be modified though.

Edited January 7, 2006 by J.C. Bahr

[Rob_Haelterman]

J.C.,

thanks for solving that mistery ! :)

Fortunately I found just a litlle bit of aftermarket for the A-36 in the form of a small PE set distributed by IPMS/USA many years ago. It includes the dive brakes for instance.

Regarding the aftermarket, can anyone propse aftermarket parts for the Merlin Mustangs in 1/72 (I'm trying to catch up quickly after absence).

TIA

Rob

[Grant in West Oz]

G'day Rob,

Thanks for showing that part built model, I've not seen one before.

Parts for Merlin engined Mustangs in the main are cockpit interiors, so I'll let you in on this little beauty from High Planes AC7201 Wheel wells and dropped flaps for the Hasegawa P-51 series, price A$5.00 Also fits into the HIGH PLANES MODELS Mustangs. They have A-36 racer, P-51A, -51H and the UK Merlin prototype.

I'll be watching this thread for new sources.

G

[agboak]

Rob: I'd love PE airbrakes for an A-36. I didn't know any existed. I don't suppose you know of a second set for sale?

I don't like the Condor kit, but forget what was wrong with it precisely. I agree that the Academy kit leaves all other plastic Allison Mustangs well behind. High Planes have a good reputation for accuracy but need a lot of work. I think the Czech resin is a pretty good bet.

[Rob_Haelterman]

Mr "Agboak" (haven't got a clue what your real name is )

The PE set turned up when I cleaned up my old stock of IPMS stuff from ten years ago. Lucky coincidence, I guess. I apparently didn't pay too much attention to it when I received it somechere at the beginning of the '90s

Like stated previously, I've been out of aviation modelling for baout 10 years, and am hoping to catch up with the new state of the art as quickly as possible, after a long spell on the "dark side".

Perhaps IPMS/USA still has some for sale... ?

The Czech master kit is definitely worth it's money. Seperate flaps, nice interior, etc. Fortunately thanks to the people on this forum I now actually KNOW that it is CMR ! :-)

About the Condor kit, what I've been told is that it basically suffers from the same curse as most early Mustangs: wing root bolemia, but I haven't touched it myself.

I was actually planning on buying it for the decals (my copy of the CMR kit hasn't got any), although I would like to have the fancy scheme with the bomb marks running along the fuselage even more.

Gretes

Rob

[J.C. Bahr]

I was actually planning on buying it for the decals (my copy of the CMR kit hasn't got any), although I would like to have the fancy scheme with the bomb marks running along the fuselage even more.

I don't think you'd have been too impressed with the decals that came with the CMR kits. The ones I have do not look too whippy... with the colors looking pretty washed out and slightly off. Definitely not anything near the quality one expects from model companies and aftermarket manufacturers in this day and age. One could do better with scrounging like-sized spare decals from other kits than to try to use the CMR ones IMHO.

As for the specific A-36 you mentioned with the bombs running along the side of the fuselage in the wavy pattern?... good luck there. I either have (or have had) in my collection nearly every single mainstream and limited-run Allison engined Mustang kit in 1/72 scale ranging clear back to the days of the old Frog P-51A... and I have never seen markings for that particular A-36 in any of them! Furthermore, the only aftermarket decal sheet I've ever been aware of for this Mustang series was one done by Superscale and I'm not positive that it even had any A-36's on it.

Now that Academy has their excellent kit out, I would hope that if they don't already plan to do it themselves... that the aftermarket will jump on it with resin conversion pieces for other variants and good decal sheets. I myself would really like to do A-36 ace Michael Russo's "Pat"... but I think that'll remain a pipe-dream in my lifetime... unless anybody wants to go in together on having decals commissioned by somebody with an ALPS?

And don't even get me started on my feelings about Accurate Miniatures not downscalling their nice 1/48 series so many years ago as a first foray into the 1/72 world. The announcement that they were going to downscale their IL-2 Stormoviks (which was still-born anyhow) about had me wanting to strangle the former ownership of that company as the Mustangs seemed like more of a no-brainer than the Stormoviks! :lol:

[Llarry]

There is one more 1/72 A-36, the Model News kit (ask me how I know...). It, um, sucks. I put in the work and I'm proud to say I was stubborn enough to finish it. (Never have so many carved so much...). The fit is so bad that the cockpit floor and seat don't fit unless you carve away parts of the sidewall detail they have you install first...

[J.C. Bahr]

(Never have so many carved so much...)

That's classic! :lol:

[Rob_Haelterman]

I think I have the Superscale set you are referring about, it indeed has decals for some Allison Mustangs, but not for the A-36 :P

On the other hand, I came across a German website recently (forgot which one unfortunately) where a A-36 was anounced for Acedemy in 2005. One can only hope...

Rob

[J.C. Bahr]

On the other hand, I came across a German website recently (forgot which one unfortunately) where a A-36 was anounced for Acedemy in 2005.

You sure it wasn't the 'North Africa' Stang that Academy just released? Keep in mind that the theatre markings are pretty similar.

I don't have high hopes of them releasing multiple versions of this kit... because the way they did the moulding does not lend itself to future multiple options. Later variants had the wider intake on top of the nose and some variants had the .30 cals under the spinner... of which the kit as-is does not lend itself to this mod unless they do a whole new fuselage and that in and of itself is highly doubtful.

The other problem is that the wing attachment in the Allison engined kit is different from their earlier B/C model kit. If they had been smart, they would've engineered the new kit to accept the wing of the B/C model and that would've greatly helped things along... but unfortunately they didn't do it that way.

So there's two strikes against additional variants... so I'm placing my money that the cannon-winged bird is the only one we get. I could be (and hope) I'm wrong, but I doubt it knowing their track record so far.