Hello, Since it’s generally accepted that the 1/48 scale Tamiya P-51 D is the best in this scale, I was curious about how often Hasegawa’s version gets built. I hardly see any on the modeling websites. After building 8 Tamiya versions over the years, I decided I wanted to see how the Hasgawa kit held up in comparison. After watching 352 FG Captain Donald Bryan become an ace in a day on the History Channel’s “Dogfight” series, and then finding out that Eagle Strike made decals for his plane, I was inspired. I found a Hasegawa kit cheap off e-bay and started the project. My example even came from Hasegawa with resin tires. Nothing against Meyer’s Petie or Preddy’s Cripes A. Mighty, but I just wanted to do something different from the blue nose clan (eventhough I do have decals for the aformentioned).
Other than a True Details seat, it was built out of the box. I though the cockpit detail was good and the floor even had wood grain. Other than gear bays that were strangely shallow, I was pleased with the detail and fit of the parts. Here are some photos. Thanks for looking and comments are encouraged.
I apologize if the photos are a little blurry, I’m still trying to figure out macro mode on my camera.
I built the Hasegawa P-51K about 15 years ago, but that’s the last time I built any Pony besides a the Monogram or Hobbycraft versions in 1/48… I have a Tamiya F-51D kit in the stash though… I passed on the Tamiya P-51D because it came with the staff car and I didn’t want the Mustang, just the staff car, and wasn’t gonna pay 54.00 for a 1/48 scale car…
Are the Hasegawa kits still in production? If not, that might be where the answer to your question lies…
I passed on the Hasegawa P-51 when I noticed the spinner and nose wasn’t conformal. The spinner had one curve and the nose slightly different, making it appear there is a dip at the spinner/nose joint. It may have just been that kit but wasn’t going to spend the bucks to find out.
Never noticed that issue with the K-model I built… I’m pretty sure that they didn’t make a separate mold for the D and K, and that they’re the same kit, just with the K having a Dallas canopy and the Aero Products propeller…
Very solid looking build, great looking NMF and the aux tank details are great. Just a question, since you obviously researched this, did you come across info that some believe the fuel tank below the radio equipment is supposed to be black?
Lawdog, the build looks great. It’ll be nice to pull from your insights. If you can get to a swap meet at a model show you could probably pick up any of the P-51 versions that you could be looking for. I was just at the event in Indianapolis yesterday, and you could have taken home any P-51 from the old 1/48 Aurora to the Monogram 1/32 Phantom to the new Tamiya 1/32 Mustang. Some at retail, some at ebay prices. Great fun, great deals.
I’ve also built both the Tamiya and Hasegawa kits. Both are great kits in what I’d call a toss up. Maybe one thing I noticed is that the Hasegawa is molded with a slightly more delicate touch. The panel lines seem to be lighter, which to many is more acceptable. That’s a tough call and certainly does not effect either kit. But, you know, I recently put together the newer (1996) version of the Revell/Monogram P-51B and you have to look close the tell the difference between it and the excellent Tamiya P-51B kit. In the end, in the hands of a good modeler, any or either can be built up into a beautiful display.
I did… Squadron Walk Around - P-51D, shows it to be a self-sealing tank, which means it has a rubber coating over it. The way it works is if a round or piece of shrapnel hits and punctures it, the fuel will start to leak out but as it does, it comes into contact with the rubber which starts to soften and expand, sealing the tank…
There was also a rubber bladder inside all the tanks that collapses as fuel is burned off, which keeps fumes to an absolute minimum, and makes it difficult to ignite with ball, amor-piercing, and tracers. (Incendiary ammo will still flame you though)…
We’ve got a set of original tanks in the hangar over at Council Bluffs, where our CAF P-51D “Gunfighter” is based… The fuselage tank was removed from “Gunfighter” long ago though, and a jump-seat installed for a passenger…
I thought I read that once, that the “D” had a self-sealing tank behind the cockpit. If it was a rubber coating then one could assume it was in fact black. Of course, you know what they say about “ass-u-me” ing. [;)]
Never-the-less that is a little R/Cish on my part and the build is terrific!
You are correct. I should have painted the tank a dark grey to simulate the rubber coating. I was using the Osprey P-51 book for reference when I built the Hasegawa version and that modeler did all the tanks in that book in green. I have built a Tamiya kit in the meantime and have done it correctly. I went with RLM 66 to simulate the rubber. I suppose you can sort of tell in these photos if you enlarge them. I cant seem to find the cockpit photos of this '51[bnghead]…
Wouldn’t sweat it too much, Lawdog… Can’t see it that well anyway… Curious, did the Osprey book show a restored P-51D, by chance? If so, that would explain it, since Warbirds and museum exhibits don’t have much need for self-sealing tanks… Not much Triple-A over Midland, lol…
Wish my Dad was still around, he would know the answer since he spent the war installing those radios in the 51Ds at the Dallas plant. He used to laugh about the fact that even some of the pilots didn’t realize that the IFF radio back there had an explosive (booby trapped) self destruct device in it that he armed at the plant!
Lawdog, so you have 8 of those Tamiya P-51’s? That is also a terrific looking build. I think you have that one nailed, looking forward to seeing more of your work.
No shame in that… Y’know, a lot of people have a mis-understanding of the draft in WW2… They think that if you were drafted into the US Military in WW2, you didn’t want to serve… Fact is, there were SO many people trying to get into the Armed Forces after Pearl Harbor that the recruiters basically told them"Go home and wait until your draft board calls you"…
The only people they were taking as “walk-ins” initially for the first few months were those that were “shortage MOSs”, like for aviators, medical personel ie: doctors and nurses, clerical workers, aircraft and auto mechanics, and prior service NCOs… They needed people they could train right away to be in charge before the flood of Infantry, Armor, and Artillery soldiers started…