Hobby Boss 1/72 P-51C Mustang By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

The history of the P-51 Mustang is well known, and the references on the type are almost as common as models of the type. For those interested in the development history of the P-51, I recommend picking up Paul Ludwig’s book “P-51 Mustang.”

The Kit

With so many great Mustang schemes out there, it is great to see Hobby Boss adding this kit to their lineup. Like other kits in this series, the fuselage and wings are solid pieces, making the initial assembly very simple. The kit features recessed panel lines throughout and plenty of options, including several underwing stores, two styles of canopies, two types of exhaust stubs, and two styles of antennae.

Due to the more complex shape of the Mustang fuselage, Hobby Boss could not mold the cockpit into the fuselage piece. So, there is a bit more assembly here than in other kits in this series. The cockpit tub is mostly complete, adding only the instrument panel before it is finished. This finished cockpit fits onto the one-piece wing, which then fits snugly into the fuselage. Add the stabilizers, do a bit of sanding on the seams and your Mustang is almost ready for painting.

Flipping the model over, there are some additional pieces to finish off your model, and as long as you do some test fits before gluing, there should be no need for extensive filler here. For optional underwing stores, this kit offers two bombs, two rocket tubes, and two styles of drop tanks. The landing gear is simple, but reasonably detailed. Throw on the propeller and spinner, and it’s time to paint this Mustang up.

For decal options, this kit comes with two choices, one RAF and one USAAF. The RAF example is camouflaged in dark green, ocean gray, and medium sea gray, broken up by full invasion stripes. The latter are included in the decal sheet, making the finishing of this scheme quite a bit easier. Like most decals, though, the Sky fuselage band and code letters are not quite the correct shade, being a bit more bright and green.

The second option is labeled as Captain Don Gentile’s P-51C from the 336th FS, 4th FG. I believe this is a typo, though, as the markings for the second option are those of a 52nd FG, 15th AF Mustang out of Italy. Natural metal overall, this plane has a red nose band and spinner, a yellow code letter on the tail, and black-trimmed yellow bands on the fuselage, wings, and tailplanes. The decals are nicely printed and should present no problems in application.

Conclusion

The simple construction coupled with detailed exterior makes this a great model to display different markings and paint schemes. I can see myself picking up quite a few more of these, as there are quite a few Mustangs I want to build up.