F82 Review

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Photo courtesy of Scale Model Net

MODELCRAFT CANADAP/F82E
1/48TH SCALE "TWIN MUSTANG"

This was a long awaited kit for me. P51’s have always been a favorite of mine, and the prospect of adding the final element of the long string was welcome. The promise of the artwork and the anticipation of a "great" model was there. On examination, it appeared to be pretty well engineered and of average molding quality. The panel lines were less than desirable, but I usually rescribe anyway so that was no big deal. The overall quality was OK but not stunning. Sadly once building started it became a series of problems to be solved to achieve acceptable results. This is not a beginner’s kit and will take some skill to
produce a good model of an unusual aircraft. However, as is often said, "It’s the only game in town!"

The following are notes that I made as I assembled the F82.

1. GENERAL NOTES:

a. The kit has many fit problems. Plan to use significant amounts of putty and sheet plastic to fill seams and gaps between components.
b. Much of the surface on my kit had a rough texture almost like flaking paint. Fortunately it will smooth out with liberal sanding with fine steel wool.
c. I found that it was best to rescribe all the panel lines for consistency in depth and width.
d. The locator pins do not help with alignment of parts and the pegs and holes are different diametersso they will not fit together. Cut them off or file them off and use tape and clamps to maintain alignment of parts.
e.
2. FUSELAGE:

a. Drill out the oil cooler intake vents or substitute etch brass.
b. Drill out all 48 exhaust pipes
c. Cut out the forward kit canopy kit frames and glue to the fuselage. You will need these to provide a base for the substitute Squadron P51D Canopies. Add rails to the cockpit opening to help spread the vacuform canopies so they will fit the fuselage.
d. I chose to hinge the radiator dump ramps so they can be positioned as desired. This is easy using a simple hole and pin arrangement.
e. It will require a lot of filing and shaping to achieve a reasonable fit of the nose to the fuselage and the canopy frames to the upper fuselage.
f. I used brass tubing for prop shafts and bushings so the props would turn.

3. LANDING GEAR:

a. Throw away the kit landing gear and either scratch build or steal the gear from a Monogram p51d.

(1) add brake housing segments on lower leg (sheet plastic & sprue "bolts")
(2) Add hydraulic lines
(3) Add landing light
b. Add landing gear door actuators on main gear doors and auxiliary doors
c. Make new tail wheel doors from scrap brass or thin sheet plastic.

4. COCKPIT:

a. The kit provides the same parts for both cockpits. Eduard now has a brass set that was not available when I built the model. Substitute or scratch build to your standards.
b. Dry fit and adjust the cockpit tubs. This will take some time. I had to add sheet plastic to close up holes and gaps. Be careful to sand down the bulkheads enough to allow the fuselage halves to mate up properly.
c. Add a gun camera to the starboard (right cockpit) and a gunsight to the port(left) cockpit.

5. WINGS:

a. The appropriate dihedral on the outer panels is six degrees. The kit parts are pretty close to right. I used plastic shims to get it at six degrees . I also used thin plastic strip to fill the wing to fuselage joint.
b. Drill out the six machine gun ports in the wing center section.
c. The drop tanks do not appear correct. There are photographs which show T33 type tanks with multiple bracing struts on the F82. Your choice on whether to add or not.
d. Added navigation lights to the wing tips and lower rudder.

6. FINISH AND DECALS:

a. The cockpit wheel wells and other details are mostly Modelmaster.
b. The overall aluminum and various panel shades are done with ALCLAD.
c. All stripes, trim and antiglare panels are Modelmaster.
d. Squadron Insignia on the Port Fuselage is hand made. Kit provides two 8th AF insignia and that is incorrect. Ole 97, 8AF insignia, codes, serials and insignia are kit decals. They went on well adhered well and fit into the details of the kit well. Other stencils, etc. are from the scrap box and an AEROMaster P51D SINGLES sheet.
e. Final top coat is approximately six coats of FUTURE floor wax thinned with rubbing alcohol.

CAUTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS:

1. Fit of fuselage sections:

a. Another modeler joined the nose segments to the aft fuselage segments to make two fuselage halves. He then joined the halves together. I made up the nose and aft fuselage segments separately and then joined them on the vertical axis. We both had major fit problems ! Take your choice you will have to sand and putty either way.
b. Insure that both fuselage halves have the same longitudinal (long) axis. If not, when you join them to the wing, the prop spinners will not be level and the tail wheels may not both touch the ground.
c. Be careful with the wing center section joint to the fuselage. This joint controls the angles of the vertical stabilizers. You want them to be vertical. Check carefully as you glue the two fuselages to the center section and as you fit the horizontal stabilizer in place keep the fins vertical to the stabilizer and also parallel to each other. I had to use thin plastic shims and then putty in the cracks.
d. Alignment of the fuselage parts is very difficult. The nose "step" is not deep enough to mate with the forward fuselage. Carefully file down the ridge on the step (around the circumference) until it fits. You may also have to file the inside circumference of the fuselage front to get the nose to fit. (See a above for alternatives).

2. WINGS:

a. You must PREDRILL holes if you are going to use drop tanks or rockets.
b. I made a simple jig to hold the wings at the six degree dihedral. Join the fuselages to the center section and then set them on a flat surface. Measure the six degree dihedral and use Styrofoam or wooden blocks to block up each wing tip.

3. COCKPIT:

a. Needs a lot of work
b. Might try modifying a True details P51 Cockpit but only a few small parts would be correct.
c. Eduard now has a brass set available. I have not seen it.

4. CANOPIES:

Even though I used Squadron canopies, it takes a lot of work to get them to fit. The Kit canopies are thick and not very clear. However, the way the kit is molded requires that you must cut part of the kit canopy frames to make a base for the Squadron substitutes. An alternative would be to use the kit canopies as molds and vacuform new ones.

5. IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW MY METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION, YOU WILL NEED:
a. Wheels and landing gear from a Monogram P51D (or other P51D kit)
b. A set of Squadron Canopies for the P51D (There are two in each set)
c. A small scrap of blank decal paper to make the Squadron insignia
d. An Aeromaster "singles" sheet for the P51D stencils
e. Lots of putty, sheet plastic bits, gapfilling instant glue and lots of sandpaper.

REFERENCES:
Squadron P51 in Action
Squadron P51 in Color
Squadron MiniF82 in Action
Zenith Double Menace F82

Marv Howell, FEB 12, 1997