Best 1/48 P-51 D

Very good question! I don't have a definitive, comparative answer, but for my money you can never go wrong with a Hasegawa kit.

John P is right, you can never go wrong with Hasegawa. I myself prefer the Tamiya offering. Fit is excellent and the exterior detailing is crisp.

My two cents worth.

James Mark,

I built that exact kit years ago. Like you I was leary of using the Fujimi kit. I had Verlinden's detail set which wasn't bad. I used the cockpit floor, instrument panel, seat (I think it came with a seat) and gunbays out of it. I didn't bother with the engine (you can't see it when it's assembled). I bought Waldron Model Products photo-foil set for the P-51D. This gave me a throttle quadrant, O2 regulator and every box, panel and radio in the cockpit. They also give you instructions for making a new bombsight, trim wheels and all sorts of knobs and switches. When your finished the cockpit looks incredible. The waldron kit is by no means for a beginner. You need to be able to make lots of bends on very small parts. It also requires you to make several jigs to assemble some parts. I would definately go with Fujimi kit. It's a pretty solid kit. Think about getting Waldrons set also, you won't regret it.

Darren

Hi James,

I'd highly recommend the Tamiya (non-chrome plated versions) P-51D, VERY nice kit and goes together easily. The only drawback is the sprue attachments for teh clear parts. They are actually on the "glass" portion of the windscreen and canopy, rather than the usual frame area. A little care can keep this from becoming an issue.
Have fun !

Mike

James, without a doubt my choice for the best 1/48th P-51 kit would be Tamiya's. This kit has great recessed panel lines, great fit, and excellent detail. Hope this helps.

Steve

The Hasegawa kit is OK but has two Real problem areas. First is the fit of the front chin cowl which will require a lot of filing & sanding as it is too big. More serious is the wheel well detail which is much too shallow and requires major surgery to correct. The Tamiya kit is by far the best P-51-D available in my experience, although I have not built the Fujimi kit. Only drawback to the Tamiya kit is the interior which is somewhat innacurate but there are several aftermarket sets available if you want to upgrade. ICM was scheduled to release a P-51-D in 1/48 but I heard they had gone bellyup. The ICM P-51-B/C wasn't bad so if the P-51-D does show up it might be worth a look. Right now though I would definitely go with Tamiya.

I'm in the process of building a P-51D Mustang display for this years IPMS R5 convention here in the Twin Cities. I'm building 8 1/48 D Mustangs of all manufacturers, and IMHO here are the ones I'm building/built in ranking from best to worst.

1. Tamiya "Great kit, no problems"
2. Hasegawa "Again, Great kit, I just don't like Hasegawa's brittle plastic"
3. Arii / Otaki / Airfix "Cheap, needs some filler, nice kit though"
4. Fujimi "Okay kit, needs filler"
5. Monogram "Open gunbay detail"
6. Hawk / Testors "Nice kit, no cockpit, easy build, needs filler"
7. Revell / Nichimo "Canopy mis-shapen, needs filler"
8. Hobbycraft / Idea "This kit is a knock-off of the Fujimi kit, with raised lines"

My choice is the Tamiya kit. Add to this the Aires details set number 4089 and you have the total package.
Dave