ICM 1/48th scale "P-51A". (1 Viewer)

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Benevolens Magister
62,349
11,466
Aug 24, 2008
Cheshire, UK
I mentioned to Geo ( Fubar 57 ) in the "Recent Purchases" threads, that I'd try to post some pics of the parts for this kit, when it arrived.

This is not intended as a "proper" kit review, being more an insight as to what is actually in the box, and what can, or can not be done to produce a P-51A and, as provided, the kit parts do not represent a P-51A, and as Glenn pointed out in the "Recent Purchases" response, is more in line with a P-51 or Mustang Mk1/ Mk.1A.
This is partly understandable, as this kit is one of ICM's very early releases, dating from the early 2000's, when they were just starting out, and it is really a mix of generic P-51B/C parts from an earlier release, with new fuselage and separate parts specific to the earlier Allison-engined Mustangs.
Although the original, flimsy, end-opening box has now been replaced by a box top, with a sturdy, "hinged" box inside, the main parts, like all early ICM kits, lack locating pegs and holes, which means more care and attention will be needed to align and fix parts accurately.
However, overall the parts are quite nicely produced, with good, restrained surface detail, although some detail parts may be a little "soft" for the tastes of some modellers, and there is a small amount of flash, here and there, easily removed.

As mentioned, some of the parts, including the wing, are "pure" P-51B/C, and there is even a complete sprue of un-needed parts for the later version, as well as a few individual parts, shown as "not for use" on the fairly basic instruction sheet, including the "Malcolm" hood and an instrument panel. ( ICM have come a long way since this series of kits, with their latest offerings being very high quality, including the instructions and decals, but still at realistic prices. )
The parts specific to the Allison version include the exhausts, the correct radiator intake, the early seat and frame, cockpit floor and cockpit and radio fittings, prop, some other small parts and, of course, the fuselage, which has the main part of the carb intake integral with the cowling, with a separate intake provided. As Glenn pointed out, it is mainly this feature which defines the kit more in line with the Mk1, as it is the narrower intake, and, of course, the style of the radiator intake and scoop.

The wing, although acceptable, will need some slight modification to represent the correct armament, and will also need to have the fairings removed, top and bottom, in front of the ailerons, which only appeared from the P-51B onwards. As far as I know, the gun access hatches are correct (I'd need to check my refs ), but, as with most Mustang kits, some panel lines will need to be filled to represent the smooth laminar flow wing surface, and some rivet detail removed. Separate parts, specific to this type, are included for the undercarriage bays, although the P-51B parts are also in the kit - the instructions need to be checked to ensure the correct parts are used !
The internal detail looks acceptable enough, and includes the curved "floor" which was actually the top of the wing, and it certainly looks different to the P-51B "unused" parts included in the kit.
I'm not sure about the shape of the prop blades, until I check further, but, if needed, the profile can easily be corrected.
I obtained this kit with the intention of building it as a RAF version, and, as far as I can see so far, not much extra work will be needed to produce an acceptable Mustang Mk.1, although I do realise that I will need to alter the wing gun arrangement, and add the nose guns, not an enormous task.

The pics below show a selection of the relevant parts (including that complete sprue of P-51B parts), along with the easily corrected P-51B wing sections, and I hope this brief summary has gone some way to clarify exactly what this kit is like..

EDIT :- I've just done a little more checking, and found that a couple of things mentioned above need clarification.
First, although a Mustang Mk.1 can easily be represented using this kit, after adding the nose guns and the additional gun ports in the wings, replicating a Mustang Mk!a or MkII would need a lot more work, beyond the scope of this post, and it is suggested that if this is required, the individuals concerned undertake further research.
In addition, for a Mk.1, a second landing lamp will need to be made and fitted into the leading edge of the starboard wing. The gun and ammo access hatches, although "passable" are depicted as the two-part gun hatch of the P-51B/C, and should really be altered to the single-piece hatch, a fairly simple task.
The three-blade propeller and spinner are reasonable, but as I suspected, the blade tips are rather too "blunt", and the blades should be re-profiled accordingly, again, a fairly simple job.
Most RAF Mustang Mk.1s were used in the TacR recce role, with a F.24 camera mounted behind the pilot's seat. This was angled with the lens "looking" out of the port side quarter light window, which itself was often, but not always, painted over, but with an open aperture, the shape of which varied. This would mean alterations to the kit parts for the radio "shelf", as well as the addition of a camera, and suitable references should be consulted for a particular subject aircraft.
 

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Since posting the above, I've done a little more checking of details, specifically regarding which Mark is most closely represented by the kit parts, and have now edited the original post accordingly.
 
The ICM P-51A kits is a real "bitsa - bitsa this and bitsa that". A number of people have used it as the basis for a Mustang Mk.I conversion, but have gone down the path of using the Ultracast Mustang Mk.I conversion set to give the wing leading edge inserts with the correct armament ports, the landing light locations in each wing leading edge, the nose guns and if you get the later run of this conversion, the correct narrow bladed propeller blades. Ultracast also have the better resin exhausts in three varieties - original tubular 'ejector' exhaust, initial early style fishtail and later style fishtail; plus they do a range of tyre/wheel combinations of smooth/no tread - as initially used by RAF Mustang Mk.I and IA when operating from largely grass strips, to versions with block tread, diamond, hexagonal and radial - all these later tended to get used on aircraft operating from sealed or PSP type runways.

Doing a Mustang Mk.I, depending on sub type eg NA-73 or NA-83, detail differences between the two including radiator intake deflector and gun camera on port wing leading edge on NA-73, plus need to do some reshaping of the radiator intake area to more closely resemble the moveable ramp type on the Mk.I, plus revise the case and link ejector ports on the underside of the wing. Also fill and remove the US style underwing trio of id lights out on the wing underside. You will also need to add your own seat back piece of armour plate out of plastic card (AM didn't include it either). Choice of no oblique camera mounted (early); early oblique camera with sheet metal cover and 'cone' mount; later styles oblique camera mount of oval or circular clear rear quarter window cutout, with or without reninforcing doubler plates. Also early HF with long wire antenna between top of mast and tip of vertical tail, or later VHF with just vertical pole antenna behind cockpit. Another feature not easily seen in photos of many early Mustang Mk.I is 'cheese cutter' style IFF wire antennas from fuselage sides (near back edge of red centre of fuselage roundel) to tips of horizontal tail surfaces each side.

As always refer to photos of your chosen subject aircraft if possible.

Interesting to note in photos of the kit mouldings, this version does include the inner main gear doors (which for an Allison engined Mustang should be depicted up and closed on the ground as they had a different operating and latching mechanism to the later ones on the Merlin Mustangs) on some of the early ICM releases of this kit for some reason those two parts were missing which led to a lot of head scratching and scratch building to replace the missing parts.
 
Thanks very much Colin - that's all very useful information to add to that already collected, and I hope to put it to good use.
It's just occurred to me that one of the very first models I ever built, possibly the very first, was a RAF Mustang Mk.1, I think from "Frog", in a small scale, probably 1/96th - and that was almost sixty years ago !
So it's been a long time coming, to eventually add a 1/48th scale example to my collection. It may not turn out 100% accurate, but with this info, it should at least look like a Mustang Mk.1, which will be good enough for me.
 
Terry,

If you head over to the WW2 section of Britmodeller, there are a few threads there that have developed over time regarding the early Allison Mustangs in RAF service with quite a few photos, technical diagrams and lengthy explanations about various finer points of the early Allison Mustangs with the RAF. One of the bigger ones is:

A Few Mustang Mk.i Questions

More threads if you use the search function there.

Regards,
 
Thanks again Colin.
I'd already had a brief look at some of the stuff over at BM, but I've now "bookmarked" that link, and will read with interest.
If I get the Mosquito B.XVI done in the current GB, I might just do the Mustang as well ...........
 
Thanks for the offer Andy, but I think I'll just "muddle through". I should be able to get a reasonable representation by modifying and scratch-building.
 
Got that set myself. Still trying to find a photo of RCAF 400 Sqn 63⦾X AG367

You will not find a photo of RCAF 400 Sqdn Mustang Mk.I AG367 coded 63-X in yellow, because there wasn't one. The oft quoted example of 63-X (yellow) that seems to originate from the Ducimus C&M booklet on the Mustang, and then repeated regularly afterwards, goes further back in its origins.

The aircraft when photographed was actually with the Army Co-operation Operational Training Unit, No.41 OTU. Hence the use of yellow for the codes. 63 individual aircraft identification within the OTU, 'X' indicating attached to 'X' Flight which was the final flight those attending the OTU passed through. This meant the aircraft was configured closest to full operational specification so the students could undertake the final phases of the course including gunnery and long distance low level navigation and 'pin pointing' exercises. AG367 not recorded as being allocated to No.400 RCAF Squadron, but is recorded allocated to No.41 OTU including in the timeframe the original photos were taken.

The aircraft allocated to the flights within the OTU were configured and to various levels of operational 'in service' modification based upon the training activity required within that flight. What that meant in effect was that the Mustang Mk.I aircraft allocated across the flights were in different modification specification - those in the initial Mustang conversion flight, tended to be early AG serialled Mustang Mk.I that had not received full RAF modification, so may not have had for example seat back armour fitted, armament may not have received the full strengthening of gun mounts, and so on. Those in the 'X' Flight, the final flight, would have been closest to full operational specification in terms of all current operational modifications implemented, including full armour fitted, full strengthening of gun mounts and modifications to case and link ejection chutes, and with camera mounts and controls to allow oblique camera to be fitted for photography exercises during final training.

Backtracking the history of the few known photos of this aircraft and a couple of others, it appears the confusion arose from a series of Air Ministry photos showing RCAF pilots attending 41 OTU, just before they were posted to their first operational unit, being No.400 Sqdn RCAF. The way the photos were originally captioned said they were pilots of No.400 Sqdn RCAF (which they were by the time the photos were released for press use in Canada) attending that unit's Operational Training Unit. (All pilots destined for the ACC squadrons went through 41 OTU.) That was put together after the fact that No.400 Sqdn RCAF had its own OTU which it didn't. There is no record, anywhere in No.400 Sqdn RCAF Operational Record Books, the Wing ORBS for the Wings they were attached to at various times, the Group ORBs or other Air Ministry files of 400 operating its own OTU. Like all other ACC Mustang Squadrons of the time, all their aircrew came via 41 OTU, and then did their final familiarisation and at Squadron level operational training on the fully operational specification aircraft on the Squadron strength, a regular activity within the normal flights on the Squadron.

There was a Mustang Mk.I with No.400 Sqdn RCAF at the time the photos were taken of the RCAF aircrew at 41 OTU, being AG661 'X', by that timeframe only single aircraft id letter, no Squadron id code letters carried.
 
Good info there Colin.
A question regarding mods to RAF Mustang Mk1 - would the American seat harness be changed to the British "Sutton" harness, as normally happened with US types in British service ?
 
Good info there Colin.
A question regarding mods to RAF Mustang Mk1 - would the American seat harness be changed to the British "Sutton" harness, as normally happened with US types in British service ?

Yes, RAF Mustang Mk.I, Mk.IA and Mk.II all fitted with Air Ministry GFE of Sutton Harness. Sutton Harness type fitted at a point in time in aircraft's history and configuration of anchor points would be consistent with primary type of Sutton Harness in general RAF service at time for equivalent RAF fighter types. There were a number of modifications to type of Sutton Harness fitted and location of anchor points and placement of the 'reel' that locked the over the shoulder components of the harness during time the Allison Mustangs were in RAF service. But the key visible bits that would normally be seen within the cockpit largely remained the same.
 
Great, thanks Colin.
I thought that would be the case, and a well-known colour photo suggests that the Sutton harness was fitted, just judging by the colour of the straps, but it's good to have it confirmed.
The anchor points aren't a problem, as they won't be seen anyway, so I can at least have the visible parts looking right, and good enough for viewing though a closed canopy.
 

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