Polish Mustang for the RAF - Part 1

Building the Maly P-51B-10NA

in 1:33 scale
by Maly Modelarz

by Jeff Sissons

Model photographs by the author

HISTORY

The North American Mustang was built in the United States to a British requirement. When it was first flown in September 1940, it reached 390 mph, faster than any contemporary American fighter. The NA-73 Mark I, Mark IA (four 20mm cannon armament) and Mark II were powered by an Allison V-1710 engine. Because of relatively poor high altitude performance, it was limited to low-level operations. All of the earlier versions were out of service by 1946. The NA-102 Mark III was similar to the P-51B and C models, with the original cockpit canopy and a Packard Merlin engine. Armament was four 50 caliber guns and provision for up to 1,000 pounds of bombs. A key feature of the Mustang was its extensive range, which made it an ideal escort fighter. It entered RAF service with the 65^th Squadron in December 1943.

This particular aircraft was one flown by the Polish airforce in exile utilizing British-owned equipment flying with RAF markings. The Polish national insignia on the nose was the clue as to who was doing the actual flying and fighting, however.

CHARACTERISTICS

THE MODEL

When I was sent this exceptional model from Maly Modelarz, I was so impressed that I decided to scan and print the parts sheets on photo paper. The result was amazing and enhanced an already great model.

I urge you to buy this one. You will not be disappointed, I can assure you. Maly certainly deserves a lot of success with this model.

CONSTRUCTION

On to the construction. I began with the cockpit area, and I can report that it is a fully detailed and well-engineered office. The parts go together well and the end result is a convincing cockpit. Everything is here, including the radio, to which I added an antenna along with positive and negative wires.

The fuselage segments went together well and needed no special attention paid to the formers. The cockpit was test fitted with the fuselage and all was well, so I hard glued it into place at this point.

The wing box was built next, and the whole made up into a neat strong structure. The wing panels were added and the ailerons made and tested for fit. The beauty of this model is that the ailerons, rudder, etc., can be positioned to add an extra dimension of realism to the aircraft when displayed.

The rudder, tail planes and other moveable surfaces came next, and then everything was glued into place.

The cockpit frame and glazing is an area that can make or break any model, so I attacked this step next, using the wire framing template that Maly provides. It works well and forms the frame into shape with out any hassle. The picture below shows this wire former. The green color comes from using gardener's wire, the type used to lash roses, etc., to trelliswork.

The exhaust manifold was the final body work to be done. I used plastic tubing for the pipes and painted them with Tamiya Acrylic paint, "Dark Copper" (XF-28). The results can be seen in the pictures below.

The following picture sums up the quality of the model prior to all components being glued to the fuselage. The aircraft began to take shape, and already I could see that Maly had a winner on their hands with this P-51 model.

In Part 2 of this article next month I will cover completion of the undercarriage, wheels and bombs, along with the finish of the model.

SUMMARY