Tamiya 1/72 P-51D Mustang  - Indonesian Air Force Markings

This is one of Tamiya’s 1/72 Warbirds series, released in 2000. I built it almost OOB, the only alteration being the markings, which are mostly airbrushed or handpainted.  

Assembly

Looking at the detailing will make you drool. However, contrary to the usual excellent fit which has become the trademark of Tamiya, this kit (or at least my sample) did not live up to that standard.

The fuselage halves fit well, but that’s the only parts that have excellent fit. The port wing-to-fuselage joint need filler. I used stretched sprue to fill the gap. The main wheel struts did not align and the wheel covers had a “strange” angle. I ended up cutting about 1.5 milimetres of each wheel cover actuators.

The worst parts are the spinner, which needs quite some filing and sanding before the propelers can be installed, and the windshield which is VERY difficult to install (it keeps on popping out). It finally rested in place after the fourth try. Overall, not an enjoyable kit to build, especially since this is a Tamiya kit !

 Painting & Decals.

I used Tamiya’s spray can Bare Metal Silver for the overall painting, and airbrushed Aluminum for the moving surfaces. Almost all the markings are either airbrushed or handpainted. The sharkmouth is handpainted, with a combination of Citadel and Humbrol paints. For weathering, I used acrylics for the panel lines (which are a bit oversize, I think).  

The only kit decals used are the seatbelt and the fueling tank stensils on top of the wings, while the numbers are from Aeromaster.  

Iwan