Trumpeter P-51B

[LSP_Matt]

Well...please give me 1,000,000 for answering it. I think its quite natural to compare the two despite the inherent differences.

 

I'd put myself in the position of a potential customer. Do I pay minimum chip for the old Revell kit or a lot more money for the Trumpeter if I want a P51B? The issue then comes down to which represents greater value for money or is the one I'd prefer.

 

Of course peoples weighting of the pros and cons of each will depend on how much they are interested in the Mustang or care about the importance of highly accurate scale model kits. Somewhere in there will be each persons comfort zone for how much $$$ they want to spend for what they are getting in return.

 

What would be helpful in that regard is an objective analysis of both kits that not only looks at scale accuracy but buildability. At least after reading the analysis customers are going to be better informed and more likely to make the decision that is best for them.

 

Good luck with the magazine article...it'd make a fine read. Historically threads with Mustangs as topics for discussions have been always been feisty.

 

Cheers Matty

[D Bellis]

Well...please give me 1,000,000 for answering it. I think its quite natural to compare the two despite the inherent differences.

Survey says...! X

 

No dice Matty.

 

If I read ironwolf80's first post right, he's comparing the new Trumpeter P-51B to the old dog of a kit Revell P-51B and calling the Trumpeter kit good because it supposedly matches that old dog's outline. Might as well compare the new kit to a lump of clay and call it good based on that instead.

 

First off, having looked at the Trumpeter P-51B kit and scaled out the old Revell P-51B, I can not believe the old dog Revell is even close to the outline of the new kit. I haven't made the comparison myself, so take my statement with a grain of salt.

 

Keep in mind that the Trumpeter P-51B's nose area (where the Revell kit fails miserably) is not terribly bad, but suffers from the lack of down thrust that the real Merlin engined P-51s had. This alone is reason enough to debunk the comparison, but there are the Revell's obvious shape errors in the outlines of all of the flying surfaces that are NOT duplicated on the Trumpeter kit.

 

Personally, I think I can live with or correct the shortcomings of the Trumpeter P-51B, and will be buying one as soon as Must_Bid starts to carry them (assuming they reasonably price the kit).

 

Compare the two kits? Sure. Do so in order to point out areas where the Trupeter kit correctly represents what the Revell kit errs (assuming there are such areas), but not to use the dog as a reference.

 

But hey, maybe I'm not reading his first post right...

 

D

[Juggernut]

Must Bid's prices are decent but man does he grab ya with those shipping charges, at least to my address it's almost highway robbery....Now, on the other subject......Where did I put that club so I can beat my dead horse....won't matter it won't get up and run anyway. LOL

 

Tim

[LSP_Matt]

Compare the two kits? Sure. Do so in order to point out areas where the Trupeter kit correctly represents what the Revell kit errs (assuming there are such areas), but not to use the dog as a reference.

D

 

Hi D

 

No doubt...In the first post I think the opinion offerred is entirely his personal one but its based on the measurements/direct comparisons he's made. Just like any other quantitative analysis or review thats published though, it can and should be scruitinised by all and sundry. Call it peer review. The validity/credibility of any observations made or conclusions drawn in the mag article will depend on some display of the method, data and technique used for the comparison. On such a kit I'd be sure to do my homework...( good luck Ironwolf ) I'm sure that edition will sell out .

 

In previous mustang threads though we've had the beginnings of a comparison between the two kits and some mental gymnastics on the pros/cons of each kit. Some have said, given the price and errors?? of the Trumpy kit they would buy the Revell over instead. This article might put a particular view forward...one not readily accepted by some. At the very least a well presented meaningful article will make for better informed consumers and thats why I see it as a worthwhile analysis.

 

Oh...on the Ebay thing. Might be worth checking those shipping charges. Sometimes i'd purchased kits from sellers who had higher than normal shipping charges but prior invesitgation showed that it was a fixed charge up to a certain parcel size. Often you can get an extra large kit into the one parcel for the same shipping cost/or not much more. When you do the mather-ma-tactics of it all it was often a better deal overrall to go this way than most other sellers.

 

Cheers Matty

 

Ps clarkie ...whip..ish

[LSP_Ron]

Ok, I've told you guys once but I guess nobody was listening. Trump has it all wrong...

 

This is a Mustang II...!!!!!!

 

[Radub]

Well, here is something to ponder about the "wrongness" of the Revell kit. A while ago, I wanted to kitbash the Hasegawa D with the Revell B to get an "accurate" B. Just out of curiosity, I mated the parts to each other to see what needed to be done and lo and behold, they match, I mean the Hasegawa D and the Revell B fuselages match perfectly, in length, in height (well, with the exception of the spine). Then I compared the wings. Bingo! (with the exception of the wing fillets of course) This left me a bit confused, because many said that the Hasegawa kit is fine dimensionally but the Revell kit is not. Then, I compared the Revell kit to the drawings I had and guess what... it matched them pretty well . There were issues too - the wheel wells were wrong in shape and the nose was a bit too thin, the shape was off here and there (nothing dramatic). The rest is fine. Now, I am talking dimensions here. The rescribing, new clear parts and adding of details everywhere is an entirely different matter - now that is titanic work.

 

Try it yourselves! You will see what I mean.

 

To me, it looks like Trumpeter got inspired by the Tamiya P51B when they did theirs. The cockpit floor, the wrong size ammo bay doors, the wing profile, all of these are just as flawed in the Tamiya kit in exactly the same places and exactly to the same amount. Are we overwhelmed by complaints about Tamyia?

 

Yes, the Trumpeter kit may have flaws, but they are fixable. The alternative is to fix the Revell kit. I know what my choice is (hint: I ain't fixing Revell ).

 

Radu

[Hacker]

Yes, the Trumpeter kit may have flaws, but they are fixable. The alternative is to fix the Revell kit. I know what my choice is (hint: I ain't fixing Revell ).

 

Radu

 

CHICKEN !!!! cluck cluck cluck

 

Hey to each his own ( that the route l will be taking fixing the Revell kit seeing l have two) first off have we been mislead by the fact that someone somewhere long the line has said the nose was too long and everyone just went with it? What is right here the plans or the kits? hard to beleive three kits from three different manufactures from three different time periods would get the shape wrong? Who knows.

As for the comparison between the Trumpeter 1/32 and the Tamyia 1/48 makes for food for thought ( a bit of borrowing here by trumpeter??) makes one wonder

[Hans]

Ironwolf & Radu,

 

Your observations regarding the Revell kit are correct. I have been working on a kitbash of the Revell P-51B and the Hasegawa "D". The project got stalled for obvious reasons, the main one being a lack of references, especially good scale drawings.

 

The shape problems of the Revell kit seem to have arisen (so I 've read) from the fact that the people at Revell Inc. measured up a Mustang that was modified for air racing. Apart from the "problem zones" Radu mentioned the most obvious one is that the wing at the root is too thin chordwise. This is difficult to fix as the leading edge on the wing at the kink also has a very subtle downward slope.

 

Here is a pic of the fuselage. I mated the forward and lower fuselage of the Hasegawa kit to the upper rear part of the Revell fuselage, which is as far as I got.

 

 

 

Hans

[Hacker]

Hmm thin cord. the question here is is it noticable or passable? some of us would have not known the difference unless pointed out and does it really matter if looks the part? l will have to check it out myself and compare it with other information l have kicking about.

[tourist]

With all the talk about Revell and Trumpy's kits, let's not forget Jerry Rutman's P-51B.

It costs about $15 more than Trumpeter's and is by far the most accurate 1/32 Mustang out there.

Incidentally Jerry just renewed some of his molds for this kit.

[D Bellis]

Must Bid's prices are decent but man does he grab ya with those shipping charges, at least to my address it's almost highway robbery....

Oh...on the Ebay thing. Might be worth checking those shipping charges.

Well, I never considered that some folks might only see the "Buy It Now" price and disregard the S&H fees, or see only the S&H and fail to add it to the "Buy It Now" price before comparing. I suppose this could happen, but the only way to really determine the purchase price is to add the two costs together and compare THAT to the competition. In my experience, Must_Bid is still far cheaper than most other US retailers. Oh yeah, and one must compare the "Buy It Now" prices and shipping charges within Must_Bid's listings as well, because they are often a few dollars different among the different listings for the same kit.

 

Ok, let's compare, shall we?

A couple Trumpeter kits I bought from them, and the total cost after S&H: 1/32 Me 262A-2a for $37.50, 1/32 P-40B for $32.94 and 1/24 Bf 109G-6 Late for $67.90.

 

The same kits at Sprue Brothers: Me 262A-2a = $51.99 + S&H, P-40B = $43.99 + S&H, Bf 109G-6 Late = $83.99 + S&H.

The same kits at Tower Hobbies: Me 262A-2a = (not listed), P-40B = $40.99 + S&H, Bf 109G-6 Late = (not listed).

The same kits at Squadron: Me 262A-2a = $69.26 + S&H, P-40B = (not listed), Bf 109G-6 Late = $116.96 + S&H.

 

Right now, Must_Bid has the 1/32 MiG-3 listed for $28.94 AFTER S&H. The next cheapest price I could find for that kit is $40.99 + S&H at Sprue Brothers.

 

Want one of Trumpeter's Big Dogs? The 1/32 F-105G:

Must_Bid = $80.94 shipped

Sprue Brothers = $104.99 +S&H

Tower Hobbies = (not listed)

Squadron = $125.96 +S&H.

 

No, I'm not affiliated with Must Bid in any way. I'm just a satisfied customer.

 

D

[bdthoresen]

I am in the process of a Revell super detailed effort right now, and I must say that comparing this kit to refs I have, as well as photos of one I took last year- I do not see the huge errors in the Revell kit that others have- I agree with Radu- The shapes are PRIMARILY there, but where it lacks is in the fine polish and details- The huge area is the overall depth of the nose, which in some areas scales out to about 1/16th to 3/32 of an inch according to my initial calculations....The prop sucks, and the spinner is crap- Obviously the wheel wells are garbage, as all Mustang kits- BUT- I think the Revell is still highly buildable, and in my case, very affordable!!!! I am interested to see the Trump offering, and am looking forward to see some more in-depth examination of the Trumpeter offering......

 

As far as the nose, a modified Hasegawa D spinner and prop will fit the bill nicely, and a blob of Milliput on the nose can fix the shape!!! I built this kit as a kid, and am loving the nostalgia effect I am having!!!!! Probably will post pics in the forseeable future-

 

Model On!!!!!

 

And no, I have not stopped work on the Macchi!!!!!!

 

 

THOR

[Juggernut]

Well, I never considered that some folks might only see the "Buy It Now" price and disregard the S&H fees, or see only the S&H and fail to add it to the "Buy It Now" price before comparing. I suppose this could happen, but the only way to really determine the purchase price is to add the two costs together and compare THAT to the competition. In my experience, Must_Bid is still far cheaper than most other US retailers. Oh yeah, and one must compare the "Buy It Now" prices and shipping charges within Must_Bid's listings as well, because they are often a few dollars different among the different listings for the same kit.

 

My issue with him is not the overall cost, but specifically the cost of shipping alone. The overall cost would be much lower if the actual shipping and handling charges were less. Yes, his prices are among the best, but frankly, $18 to ship from San Franciso to my adress in Horseheads, NY is a bit excessive. And even more frankly, it takes 8-10 days to reach me after it has been shipped and when I get the kit it is never wrapped in celophane. No, it's not a big deal but if I'm paying that much for shipping and handling, I'd like a sealed kit and quicker delivery times. Sprue Bros. gets my order to me usually within 2 to 3 days from Missouri. It may cost a bit more but if I'm in a hurry, Gordon never lets me down, and everything I recieve from him is always 100% new and completely sealed. If I order a kit from Hobbylink Japan I don't pay that much shipping and handling and it has to come from 3 times as far awayand the kit is usually sealed. Sometimes the price from HLJ is better than it is from ole Must_bid. I do bite the bullet and pay his shipping fees but not as often as I would if the S&H were 75% of what it is now.

 

I don't do business with Tower Hobbies and only limited business with Squadron, their pricing is just too high for my budget constraints. There are other merchants on Ebay that sell the exact same products for a little higher price and charge considerably less for shipping and handling. In the end, my total out of pocket is between $5 and $7 less and sometimes much more. Some of these retailers have a "buy it now" option and some do not.

[D Bellis]

To each his own, Tim.

 

I couldn't care less what each individual charge is, as long as the total is lower than anyone else. After all, I'm paying what the total is, not each charge individually.

 

Also, I don't think shrinkwrap is worth paying an extra 40% more to have. On the odd chance it gets wet, then that is what shipping insurance is for.

 

But again, to each his own.

 

D

[Ironwing]

Hans,

 

I think youre off to a good start. I look forward to seeing what becomes of your effort. I am considering a similar approach. Post your work over in the build area so we can see whats going on.

 

Geoff