Airframe & Miniature No.6 - P-51 Mustang Early Variants - 2nd Edition

Airframe & Miniature No.6 - P-51 Mustang Early Variants - 2nd Edition
Valiant Wings have returned to the P-51 Mustang with their latest release - a second edition of Airframe & Miniature No.6 that involves significant changes over the original.

Quite often a second edition of a book will have a new preface and some minor additions, but Richard Franks has completely overhauled his excellent 2013 book on early-model Mustangs. All the chapters have been rewritten to some extent and the overall length of the book has increased from 192 pages to a whopping 272. The overall format is unchanged and the soft-bound title combines the series' now classic combination of reference and modelling material.

Preface

Things begin with a Preface that doubles as an historical overview of the development of the Mustang and the Apache. It breaks things down model by model and includes plenty of period B&W photos that are well reproduced. Note: not all are from official sources, so the original quality can vary, but there's a mass of useful information to be gleaned from them.

The coverage of individual variants is then followed by an account of the aircraft's service with the RAF and USAAF, with lists of the units that operated the type along with squadron codes etc. All in all, the chapter serves as very good background reading for anyone interested in the early history of the P-51 and A-36.

Evolution

The detailed coverage begins with four chapters that track the aircraft's development, illustrating each model with side profiles accompanied by concise descriptions, plus photos where possible.  In many cases the descriptions include details of the camouflage and markings specific to that variant. The chapters are: 

1. Evolution – NA-73X and Mustang Mk I

2. P-51, A-36, P-51A and Mustang Mk II

3. The Early Merlin-powered Mustangs

4. Test Airframes, Field Conversions & Projects

There'll be a few surprises here for even the most ardent Mustang enthusiast, whether it's early P-51s and A-36s retro-fitted with Malcom hoods, the variety of the Merlin test-beds and 2-seat conversions and, most striking of all, the radical mock-up for a mid-engine Mustang. There are definitely some interesting potential modelling projects in this section of the book.

Camouflage & Markings

As ever, the author wisely cautions against drawing absolute conclusions from vintage B&W photos. In fact, he goes one better with a clear example of the potential perils in trusting old colour photos too, with two shots of the same airframe looking radically different.

The chapter traces the development of camouflage on the early P-51s and the A-36 with the RAF and USAAF, before going on to cover the Mustang's service with a number of other air forces - including the captured aircraft operated by Germany and Japan. The chapter is filled with excellent colour artwork by Richard Caruana, with a mass of side profiles to back up the period photos, plus illustrations of USAAF unit nose and tail markings and a placement guide for servicing stencils. Although this is nominally in the "Airframe" section of the book, there are some great examples included to whet the appetite for tackling some unusual colour schemes for model  builds. 

A-36 Apache and Early P-51-Series Kits

The "Miniature" half of the book begins with a series of very useful reviews of the readily available kits at the time of writing. Having them grouped together like this is excellent for comparing the pros and cons of each kit, and saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent hunting on the Internet or through old magazines.

The bulk of the kits covered are in 1:144, 1:72 and 1:48, and one thing the chapter underlines is what a huge gap in the market there's been for a manufacturer to release an up-to-date kit in 1:32. Hopefully, this is all set to be rectified next year with Eduard's planned P-51B - which, judging by their recent new-tool 1:48 kit, should be absolutely superb.

Building A Selection

Eleven years is a long time in modelling, so the Build A Selection chapters have been revised to feature a couple of the most exciting kits that have appeared in recent years. Libor Jekl and Steve Evans build a nice variety of readily available 1:72 and 1:48 kits with something to inspire for everyone.

Remaining from the first edition are:

1:72 - Condor A-36A Apache

1:72 - Brengun P-51 Mustang Mk.I

1:72 - Academy Mustang Mk.IA

1:48 - Academy A-36A Apache

And bringing things bang up up to date are builds of:

1:72 - Arma Hobby P-51B/C Mustang - Expert Set

1:48 - Eduard P-51B Mustang "D-Day Mustangs / Overlord"

As always, the quality of the builds is excellent and each is treated to an in-depth description of the project, with corrections and additions where made, and photos of each stage.

Building A Collection

Jacek Lackiewicz's original isometric artwork has been revised by Wojciech Sankowski, and you'll find a myriad of minor changes based on fresh information that's become available since the first edition. The most obvious change is the addition of small reference photos alongside the drawings to clarify and confirm details. Whereas most chapters have increased in length, here more material has been condensed into fewer pages. 

The chapter works very well as a ready reference for modellers, with the captions pointing out details specific to each variant that might otherwise be overlooked. As always, though, I'll inevitably want to use this chapter  in conjunction with the earlier Evolution section. This is because they cover a lot of the same ground, just in different formats, so there'll be a bit of flipping back and forth that could have been avoided if the sections were combined into a single resource. 

In Detail

For many people the main reason for purchasing the book will be the In Detail chapter - basically, a type of "walkaround" that combines modern photos of preserved airframes with original period photos and illustrations from servicing and pilots' manuals. In Detail was already excellent in the original edition, but it's been almost doubled in size now, extending to 58 pages that are packed with just the kind of comprehensive visual references that modellers require.

The material is broken down into the following main sections, each occupying multiple pages:

Cockpit & Canopy

Fuselage

Engine, Radiator & Cowlings

Oil, Fuel & Coolant Systems

Wings & Flight Controls

Tail

Undercarriage

Armament, Ordnance & Drop Tanks

Electrical Equipment

Miscellaneous Equipment

The chapter is a goldmine of information, and I think it scores over conventional walkarounds with its inclusion of so much original period information, rather than relying solely on museum exhibits that may or may not be complete or accurate.

For anyone looking to super-detail a kit of an Apache or an early variant Mustang the In Detail section is arguably worth the price of admission on its own.

Appendices

Rounding everything off is a useful set of appendices that are updated to reflect recent Mustang/Apache kits, accessories, decals and reference publications, plus a very handy set of 1:48 fold-out drawings for the A-36 Apache and the P-51 Mustang Mk.I, P-51 Mustang Mk.IA and P-51B/C Mustang Mk.III. While it'll be a shame to damage the book, the plans will obviously be easiest to use if you detach them carefully. 

Conclusion

The second edition of Airframe & Miniature No.6 is definitely the one to buy if you don't already own a copy of the book, and the scale of the revisions and the inclusion of so much extra material makes it well worth considering even if you do. The book will appeal to Apache/Mustang enthusiasts and modellers alike, and it is a fantastic source of reference material for anyone wanting to build an A-36 or early P-51 - whether that's simply for ensuring that a kit's details are correct "out-of-the-box", or for tackling a super-detailing project.

Many thanks to Valiant Wings for the review sample.

Airframe & Miniature No.6 - Second Edition (ISBN: 978-1-912932-41-2) - is available now from Valiant Wings - Price: £28.95 plus P&P

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