LAST YEAR Hasegawa re-issued its superb 1/72 P-51B/C mouldings to depict air racers, and they re-appear yet again in a similar vein.
This new dual-kit boxing (02215) offers the same plastic but with decals for the P-51C ‘Excalibur III’. Paul Mantz won the 1946 and 1947 Bendix Trophy races with this aircraft (as NX1202). In May 1951, though, Capt Charles Blair flew the same machine (then coded N1202 and named Excalibur III) across the North Pole in 10½ hours…a new record. The kits here are as well moulded as ever, with fine panel line engraving, but the cockpit is sparse and just a decal is provided to portray instrument panel features. Two propellers are supplied (Aero Products, and Hamilton Standard ‘cuffed’… although reference photos of the real aircraft seem to show a different prop), the decals are excellent, and the white seems dense enough to prevent bleedthrough of the required red paint. Resin parts are included for the fin fillet and under-fuselage fairing. For further details, visit: www.amerang.co.uk
