This is another in the wildly popular 'Osprey Modelling' series and concentrates on the variety of P-51 Mustangs and off-shoots that are available in 1/48 scale.

As has now become the norm with this series, there is a very brief introduction to the history of the aircraft and then it is on to the builds. I appreciate that these books no longer have the often repetitive portions that go into the tools and materials that used to be a staple of the earlier editions. However, I also miss the section on kits, accessories and decals that were included, though it is quite probable that there simply wasn't room to include those in this edition.

All the builds are in 1/48 scale for this one so perhaps it would have been more correct to title this one 'Modelling the Mustang in 1/48'.

There are five builds done by the author and some of his friends. They are, along with their skill level:

1.    Accurate Miniatures P-51A - Advanced
2.    Tamiya Mustang III - Advanced
3.    Tamiya P-51D - Intermediate
4.    Tamiya F-51D - Intermediate
5.    Modelcraft F-82G - Master

I like how the author basically takes us through the history of the Mustang from the earlier Allison engined P-51A through to the F-82G. From what I can see, if the author did a lot of cutting and hacking at the kit it was Advanced. All of them use copious amounts of aftermarket and many do considerable kit bashing. The longest article is on the F-82G and I have to say that the builder may have been better off to build this one from scratch as the amount of work that went into it is truly amazing. But then so is the result of all that effort.

I can foresee this volume as being especially popular. The subject is one that is appealing to almost all aircraft builders. The articles and the excellent color photography provide a superb guide for those who, if they don't wish to replicate all the work, will be able to easily duplicate whatever portions they wish.

In all, it is one of the better volumes in this series and one that I'm sure most of you will want to add to your library.

August 2007

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