Introduction
Harry Dente brings us this look at Detail & Scale Series Volume 21, P-51 Mustang Part 1: NA-73X through P-51A - the Allison Engine Variants by Bert Kinzey and Haagen Klaus, art by Rock Roszak. The book is a soft cover with 102 pages, with scale drawings, profiles and photos, many in color.
This is the latest volume from Detail & Scale Publications, and the first of a 3-volume series on the P-51 Mustang variants.
Content
Bert Kinzy has been writing the books in the Detail & Scale series since 1982, when they were originally published by Aero Publishers. The series ceased in 2004. The series restarted in 2013, offering both print and digital volumes.
Two P-51 volumes were originally published in 1996, with the first covering the prototype through the P-51C. The new series will comprise three volumes of expanded coverage.
The subject of this review is the first volume, focusing on the Allison engine models. The early Mustangs have been getting a fair bit of love lately, with a volume in the all-photograph Wingleader series that only documents the Commonwealth usage, and a volume by Airframe and Miniature preceding the Detail & Scale series. Both prior volumes have value, to be sure, but as far as getting your modeler's bang for the buck, its hard to beat the coverage the D&S book gives you.
Opening any D&S volume is like greeting an old friend. The general format established by 1982 for this series remains basically the same, and as a modeler’s research tool, that’s a very good thing, indeed. That basic format has been standardized in all the Detail & Scale Series books published since 2013, and the amount of color in these new volumes far exceeds that of the earlier books. Like all preceding volumes, the book is sensibly arranged, with a format similar to other books in the series, starting with a chronological history of the Allison powered Mustangs, including the British and photo recon variants. It then presents a series of detail sections, both internal and external that uses historical photos, reproductions from contemporary manuals and photos of restored examples. Color photographs are used whenever possible, even in the case of vintage ones.
Supplementing the photos are seven profile illustrations of camouflage and marking examples, and four sets of 4-view scale drawings and a copy of the erection manual dimension drawings.
The final section comprises the "Modelers Section", which has information on the models available by scale. Each model is assessed for accuracy and buildability, and we're told if its recommended or not by the authors, and this is always my favorite part of the D&S books!
Conclusion
Overall, the book is accessible, inexpensive in relation to its content, and comforting in its familiarity. I unreservedly recommend the book to anyone thinking about building any Allison Mustang kit in any scale.
Please remember to mention to Detail & Scale and retailers that you saw this product here - on Aeroscale.
