Rovin Rhoda – 1:48 Eduard P-51D

-51 MUSTANG BUILD 3 – P

‘Rovin Rhoda’

James Ashton builds the 1:48 Eduard P-51D

iven the number of P-51D Mustang kits in this

Gscale on the market it was a surprise to see that Eduard have joined the fray. My initial reaction was ‘not another P-51 kit’? Then I had second thoughts when I considered what Eduard have done with previous home-produced kits and not just re-boxings of other manufacturer’s releases. It all began with their superb Fw190 range and has been followed by the Hellcat, Bf109 and what must be the ultimate Spitfire model, certainly in 1:48. All these kits have had beautiful levels of surface and interior detailing. This is complemented by Eduard’s excellent etch and super-quality decals and a number of well-chosen attractive options. Upon opening the box, you are greeted with the usual high-quality booklet style glossy instruction sheet and a number of heavily populated sprues. As I suspected, upon closer inspection of the main airframe parts the quality of the detailing is astonishing. Finely recessed panel lines are complemented by fastener details and amazingly discreet riveting as seen on the Spitfire kit. The attention to detail continues to leap out as you cast your eyes over the cockpit and wheel well parts.

It seems that Eduard have also provided a number of interior parts for different P-51 variants that will no doubt follow in times to come. All good so far, but how does it all go together was the next question to be answered. As I carefully removed and cleaned up all the parts for the cockpit it became evident what a masterpiece this area is. With the addition of etched placards, instrument panel and seat belts you are left in no doubt that this is the best detailed P-51 on the market. The attention to detail continues not only in the main gear bay but also the rear wheel bay and the radiator sections. As much as I was enjoying this part

EDUARD P-51D MUSTANG

MANUFACTURER: EDUARD SCALE: 1:48 KIT T YPE: PL ASTIC INJEC TION MOULDED KIT NUMBER: 11134

of the construction, I could not help but wonder if the fuselage and wings would all go together without any hiccoughs. I am happy to report that it does, with care, go together very well indeed. You will need to work along the fuselage a step at a time so as to get good alignment. Pay attention to the nose and radiator seams so as to avoid any stepping misalignment. The next big heart in mouth moment was the fit of the wings. I did find that I had to squeeze the leading edges together at the wing root to get a nice tight fit. A little light sanding of the front edge of the wheel bays made it a lot easier.

second was that I had another Olive Drab and Neutral grey kit I was painting at the time. Not to mention I quite like the Yellow and Red pattern on the nose and spinner. The decals are of the highest of quality and have fine carrier film and are in perfect register. The checkerboard pattern around the nose is provided in two parts and they did require a bit of manoeuvring and setting solution to get them to conform. I nearly forgot to mention another bonus of Eduard kits is the provision of their high quality die cut masking tape. These make it so much easier to achieve a sharp finish to your canopies especially when dealing with curves and rounded edges. Without a doubt Eduard have produced the best detailed P-51D on the market in 1:48. Because of the complexity and the etched parts I would not say it is the easiest kit to build for a beginner. However, if you are used to working with these mediums it is a straight forward build for the intermediate modeller. So, is this the best P-51D kit on the market? When it comes to levels of detailing both surface and internal by a country mile it is! The overall ease of construction is relative to its complexity as a kit, so it would not be fair to mark it down against some of the other ‘shake and bake’ kits available. This is a stunningly good kit and at a very reasonable price. If you are a fan of the P-51 you will want more than a few of these kits in your stash. Nice one Eduard you have done it again.