I'm interested in building a couple of WWII planes:
P51D Mustang with 'Big Beautiful Doll' markings
P-40B (E?) Flying Tiger

I'm wondering what are good kits for these two -- good detail, fit etc

I've looked around a little on Ebay and have found the following:


Airfix P51D Mustang 'Big Beautiful Doll' in 1/24 scale
Tamiya P-51D Mustang 8th AF Aces (with Doll markings) 1/48 scale
Hasegawa P-51D Mustang Big Beautiful Doll 1/48 scale


Hasegawa P40E Warhawk in 1/48, which judging by the box art has the Flying Tigers markings
Trumpeter P-40B Warhawk in 1/48 (which although the art shows the Flying Tigers, the decal sheet doesn't look like it comes with them)
Any comments? I know the Airfix kit would be gi-normous, but would look very cool!
:dude:

I'd skip evilbay and go right to a real hobbyshop. My favorite online place is Squadron at www.squadron.com - they have everything!

The new Trumpeter P-40B is a dern good kit, but it is in US Army markings rather than Flying Tigers. But aftermarket decals can be had to put it in AVG markings. A P-40E would post-date the Flying Tigers. I'm pretty sure they flew Bs (actually, Curtiss Hawk model 82s) while they were in operation, and the E came out after they disbanded. I think.

Never worry about whether a kit has the decals you want. You can almost guarantee there'll be an aftermarket sheet with the markings you want.

If you're not a seasoned modeler, the Hasegawa P-40E may be a struggle. They modularized it all to hell so they could make several versions. As a result, the fuselage is patched together like a puzzle, and I can't see getting it together without all the "version" chunks being obvious.

For a P-51, either Tamiya or Hasegawa is great. You really can't go wrong with either of those companies. The big Airfix kit is at least 30 years old, with the parts fit and detail problems associated with older kits. But it IS big!

Interestingly, the Hasegawa 1/32 Mustang kit is part of their subscribers' special!
http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=he08152sp

Thanks John, much appreciated. So is the Airfix kit not got quite so good detail? (I'm not sure if I want quite so large a kit anyway)

You're right about the Flying Tigers -- they apparently used either B's or C's, not E's, but I've seen a few E's with their markings, so I thought maybe . . . .

Ok, I'll check out the Trumpeter P-40 and the Tamiya and Hasegawa P-51's. Any preference out of the two?

Also, I've seen a Revell kits for both -- any comment on the quality?

Thanks!
:dude:

The Flying Tigers did get some replacement "E" models towards the end, before the disband. They comsumed in combat/accidents nearly all of the original 100 P-40B/C they had!

I agree that the Hasegawa P-40E is very accurate but has seams to deal with on the fuselage. Also, I own the Trumpeter kit and it looks to be a very good one.

With the pile of kits I have, I'm not even sure I HAVE those P-51 kits! :lol:

One last question guys - do the Tamiya, Trumpeter and Hasegawa kits all have engine detail (I.E. removeable panels)? I'd like to have as much detail as possible both with engines and also in the cockpit.

I'm not TOO concerned about seams - if I can get seams out of figure kits it should be fairly straightforward in aircraft as long as the fit is reasonably good.

Thanks!
:dude:

Nope, no engines.
Not to say you may not be able to find some aftermarket resin ones.

You shouldn't forget the Revell/Monogram 1/48 P-51D. This is a good kit and has very good decals for BBD. The fact you can also get them at Wal-Mart for 8 bucks is nice too. The lower engine panel is removeable showing some molded in duct work. Also you get a removeable gun bay panel on the wings.

The Revell/Monogram P-40B is an older kit like the Mustang and has raised lines and rivets. Their P-40 although being out for 30 years still is the most accurate shape wise and I have seen some amazing build ups of these kits.

Max Bryant

Man, I built that Monogram Mustang in high school in the 70s. Truly a venerable old kit, but it's been surpassed by more recent ones.

Fujimi also has (or had) a 1/48 'Stang. I guess pretty much everyone made one.

What about the monogram 1/32 p-40..im not sure about the last letter...b,c,e etc but I built one a few years ago and it had an engine...paid 11.00 for it at wally world

What about the monogram 1/32 p-40..im not sure about the last letter...b,c,e etc but I built one a few years ago and it had an engine...paid 11.00 for it at wally world

That's probably the old Revell kit from the 1960s. It was actually pretty good, Even had working retractable landing gear!

I believe your right John...the instructions were copies of the "old" instructions and I believe the copyright was 1965 or 1966

Also, I've seen a Revell kits for both -- any comment on the quality?I don't know about the P-51, but I recently did some research 'cuz I wanted to pick up a "good looking but not too expensive" P-40. I found several forum sites for WWII modelers, and among the "purists" the Revell 1/48 scale P-40 seems to still be considered the most accurate for the money (aside from the raised panel lines and rivets that MightyMax mentioned, and minimal amount of cockpit detail, that is). The kit is easy to find and (depending on which version you buy) comes with the Flying Tigers decals; aftermarket decals are also readily available, though they'll probably cost more than the kit. :p Good luck, happy hunting, and post photos!

I just found this thread looking for info on P-40 kits. The P-51 and P-38 may have been better all-around fighters, but the P-40 has some of the best lines of any airplane, ever (with the possible exception of the aforementioned P-38). Looks like it's time to go looking for that Revell/Monogram kit! :thumbsup:

Does anyone make an larger, accurate P-40?

Airfix P51D Mustang 'Big Beautiful Doll' in 1/24 scale
Any comments? I know the Airfix kit would be gi-normous, but would look very cool!
:dude:

Airfix 1/24 P51 D = MPC P51D which is a lot cheaper than the Airfix kit on the bay! Decals...well you'd be on your own on that!

Hi,
Trumpeter has a very nice 1/32 scale P-40B. That very same kit was reboxed by Hobbycraft and includes AVG decals.
Trumpeter also scaled down the 32nd kit to 1/48 scale. The one gripe everyone seems to have is that the cockpit is too shallow. Some also do not like the rivet detail but to me it all looks good under primer and paint.
go to largescaleplanes.com and you will probably find reviews on the kits you are considering.
Cheers,
Max Bryant

the P-51D Mustang is a classical airplane. There are many factories have made it.Maybe you can refer to www.hot-hobby.com

I don't think a Chinese R/C plane site is going to help. I sure hope you're not here shilling for them...

Woo-hoo! I found the Revell 1/48 P-40B kit at Wally World! Less than $8, it includes AVG, AAC and RAF decals. Did any of the AVG's P-40Bs ever get the "Flying Tiger" emblem designed by Disney? I know they didn't paint it on until only shortly before the unit was rolled back into the AAC, and I can't remember if all of the B models were gone by then or not. No matter what, I think I'll use the decal - it looks good on the plane.