TAMIYA P-51D Mustang Hobby Model Kit (TM60322), 168 months to 1200 months

Hats Off To Tamiya!The Purchase:As with the majority of my Amazon purchased, everything arrived in perfect condition and on time.Breakdown of the kit:I explored the contents of the box very carefully, this was the first time I have ever had a kit with so many parts. I was very impressed with the overall packaging. The photo etched parts, canopies and hardware come in a separate compartment. The decal sheet, instructions, detail booklet and the larger detail sheet are all outstanding! After inspection of the parts, I came to realize that this kit has a ton of details unlike other kits of the same scale!The build:This is my first attempt building a kit with this much detail. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of details in the instructions. I will also add, I made a few mistakes because I did not follow them to the letter! The engine parts on the sprue also include parts from the Spitfire so make sure you double check your part numbers! I messed up on an engine part and it was an easy fix because I happened to be reading another review of the kit at the same time! The etched parts were fairly large and easy to work with. There are a lot of area's that require special attention that include magnets and other hardware. Follow the directions and you'll be just fine! After getting the engine and cockpit together, I noticed how perfectly everything had fit together. Also, with the added hardware, everything seems very strong and durable. The tail wheel fit is the only area that had me in a jam. There was a slight gap that I cured by adding and sanding styrene to the fuselage. After that little detour, everything was great. The landing gear is all assembled with metal pins and should be plenty strong. It's been sitting in the display case for nearly 4 months and it has not dropped at all! I have read a few reviews that state the tail gear as being weak, so far, I disagree. Almost forgot, I had a bit of a fit issue with the upper cowling not wanting to sit flush. After I sanded the inside edges a little bit, it was snug as can be!The result:I painted my kit to reflect "Petie the 2nd". I am very happy with the results of this build. I was scared to death before I started. I am used to building mostly 1/48 scale kits right out of the box...this kit has opened my eyes to a variety of new area's. I am no longer afraid of etched metal or metallic finishes. This kit has opened my eyes to a new world of detail and now I look forward to doing a lot more of these!I FULLY recommend this kit to anyone intermediate/pro. If you are new to the hobby, start with a few 1/48 kits and work your way up.Awesome Kit Tamiya...Thank You!

The 1/32 scale Tamiya P-51D Mustang is probably the best, most detailed Mustang kit ever released to the mass market. At this writing I'm about 30% of the way through building mine and can say it's miles beyond the Revell and Monogram kits I built as a kid. The amount of detail in this Tamiya kit is impressive, as is the quality of the individual parts themselves, which actually FIT. But it's not cheap at about $100, and if you buy all the paints Tamiya recommends to complete the build properly, you'll be into it for another $100 or so. You'll need things like good tweezers, an X-acto knife, and some needle files to properly complete the kit - for painting, an airbrush is very useful, but not absolutely necessary. Be careful and you'll eventually have a great finished Mustang model. BUT . . . if the model itself still doesn't quite satisfy, there are aftermarket kits that include photo etched metal or resin cast parts as well as decal sheets that will increase the realism - and the cost. But if you choose to go that route, be prepared to paint and manipulate some parts that are literally smaller than a grain of rice. And of course, some purists will "scratch build" things like the ignition harness, add wiring and hydraulic lines, and will even sand off the embossed rivet patterns on the wings so they can add back their own, "more historically accurate" rivet pattern. That the Tamiya kit is still the favored starting point even for exhibition or competition grade Mustang scale models is an indication of just how good the kit is. Do some google and youtube searches and you'll find plenty of additional information and photos.

Some salient points:1. This is NOT a toy. Amazon staff, like most people that are ignorant of the art of scale model construction, have cluelessly classified this complex, expensive, and highly-detailed plastic model kit as a toy. Sadly, the average kid today, on opening the attractive box and finding the numerous neatly packaged sprues of parts accompanied by a thick and intricate instruction book, would shrug and return gurgling to their video game console. Scale modeling today is 99% an adult hobby; however, it would be fantastic to see more kids tackle the art and develop the skill and patience required to construct a jewel like this.2. Tamiya is arguably the best manufacturer of model kits on the planet; this kit is further proof of that assertion.3. Be prepared to spend a couple of months of evenings (if earning a living during the day) to construct this kit.4. The kit will challenge your skills, but is engineered so beautifully that basic detailed subassemblies are a joy, rather than a migraine.5. Numerous options present themselves: early and late P-51D configurations, standing and seated pilots, three schemes for markings, choice of mounting in flying attitude on a stand or with landing gear down (this option is reversible!), moveable flying surfaces, removable enging cowlings.6. Other reviewers have discussed the massive amounts of accurately presented detail on this kit. Your mind will be boggled.So, this is not a kit for the weak and timid. It is simply the best P-51 kit in 1/32 scale that our society/technology has ever produced; in fact, it's the best airplane kit ever produced. Period.

Possibly the most epic kit I’ve ever purchased. Tamiya delivers perfection.