P-51D in 1/72nd: What to Buy?

Need info on best kits, PE, vacuform canopies, tires, and etc.

Depends on what you want to do…“gravity” kit )toss it up and when it lands it is all together a.k.a easy) Tamiya B or C model. Academy has some good ones, for the A model that may be the way to go. For another challenge there are limited runs like High Planes or Wings vac forms.

The Falcon canopies are excellent as are the Squadron. PE would have to be eduard, regular or the Zoom pre-painted. Resin…? Aires makes nice sets but watch out for fit issues on those. Eagle strike and Pyn Up have some nice decals as well.

Aardvark,

Check out about half way down this review page from the Modelling Madnes web site. There are reviews for Tamiya, Hasegawa, Airfix, and Flying Kiwis 1/72 scale P-51Ds. [:)]

Regards,

Ahhh… pre-painted PE would be the way. No eyesight left to paint that kind of detail.

I build mostly 1/48, but I have built both the Hasegawa & Tamiya kits in 1/72. For me, the Tamiya is the better kit by a fair margin.

Regards, Rick

Anyone know the difference between a Mustang and a Cavalier?

I’m thinking of building an Israeli plane, but some of them are described by the latter name.

Quite a difference. Google “cavalier mustang”.

In the beginning Cavalier cleaned up military Mustangs on a custom basis, so paint was the main difference, except no guns. They added tip tanks, but I’m not sure that was on all Cavalier conversions, and removed the radio stuff and fuel tank behind the seat to add a second seat but no controls. Also, they added to the vertical fin to make it higher as on the P-51H. The cockpit was a bit more plush and the instrumernt panel had newer instruments. All the military radio gear was replaced with civilian VHF equipment. The president of Narco Avionics, maker of the best early civil avionics, had one for executive transportation.

The last fully developed Cavalier Mustang was much different, with a Rolls Royce Dart turboprop in a weird nose, tip tanks, lots of hard points, and still the taller tail. Piper tried to market the same airplane as the Enforcer.

I can’t find any reference of Israel having Cavalier Mustangs, which weren’t around until the late 50’s by which time the IDF had jets.

I’d be interested in that link, maybe it was another type of a/c?

Israel had a lot of Mustangs in the mid fifties, close to 100, and a Suez scheme would be a good one.

What looks like green here is really a sand brown.

Click the pics on the far right; there’s a caption under each one suggesting the Cavalier.

I see that now- handy website too. Without a doubt those are good old P-51ds. I think the P-51/F-51 Cavalier label is their generic category. And I didn’t know a thing about Cavalier until you asked the question, so thanks for provoking thought.

Here’s the one at the Air Force Museums Enforcer

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=614

Check out Thrust Decals Online for Cavalier bits.

http://www.thrustdecalsonline.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=126_127