The Monogram B & D kits are both great. They build up nice and set great in display mode. But the Tamiya Mustangs offer a lot of detail without all the work that you just won’t get with the Monograms. And on Evilbay as some like to call it, I’ve managed to snag a couple of bagged Tamiya B’s for less than $10 each. And like I’ve preached, if you are patient you can get the Tamiya single seat fighters for less than $20 including shipping. But like has been implied, looking at the two on the shelf, there is not much difference. Now the Tamiya vs. Monogram Spitfire is no contest. Tamiya’s kit is simple and smooth. The Monogram Spitfire is a toy. Way too much scratchbuilding required. Rick.
I was talking about the Revell Spitfire Mk II… The Monogrram Spit’s a Mk IX… Even so, it doesn’t need THAT much work to add a cockpit and to detail out the wheel wells… Vacform a canopy, and yer done… If you have the Revell Spit, it’s simple enough to cast a 'pit for the IX from that kit’s cockpit… 'Course you gotta do something not many folks are willing to do… Ya gotta want to do the work and you also have to enjoy that part of hobby… Most of my enjoyment comes from making the stuff that ain’t in the box…
I say go for a Mustang…just because I love them!
Seriously though, I started (but never finished) Academy’s 1/72 scale “D” and had a few fit issues with the wing to fuselage and also trying to properly locate the cockpit in the right place. I then also noticed the scribed panel lines on the wings are not an exact match between left and right.
You said Brother! You dont even have to choose between the Mustang or Spitfire...get em both…still comes out half the price of one Tamiya kit.
I wish you could set up a poll on here, but so far everyones going mustang. I will deff look for a good kit for one at my LHS. Ordering online kills in the shipping.
That’s a tough one. If it’s for someone not experienced, then stick with the Monogram/Revell or Hasegawa kits. I would say to try with a medium detail kit like the Hasegawa 1/32 scale P51D kit. I personally like the lines of the D variant a bit more than the earlier models. But if you want a super easy first time build that is just fun to do as a quickie kit, then the Revell 1/32 scale F4U-F Corsair. It’s about as Iconic as you can get for a fighter aircraft. The Spitfire is nice, but It’s kind of boring to build for a first timer. If you really want to give him a treat, grab the B17F or G bomber kit from Revell, or a really big one would be their 1/48 B29.
Really, I think larger scale kits are better for new builders to get their feet wet in. It lets them get the feel of how aircraft kits are generally put together while letting them put in as much detail as they want, without so much eye strain. And those great old Revell/Monogram kits are relatively simple, inexpensive, and just fun to build.
A B-17? nu uh, not till ive built one 
lol. Im gonna stick to 48 or 72nd because i have a price limit and 32nd is far too expensive here. So were putting a corsair in the mix too?
If you look on eBay, you can find some nice 1/32 kits for under $20. I got a Revell 1/32 Corsair there for about $18 including shipping. The 1/48 kits are even better, but I would recommend the Minicraft kit. It’s a bit better in detail from the R/M kits, and you can find it pretty inexpensively on eBay.