by Jeff Sissons
Model photographs by the author
So here we are, very near to completing construction. There's not a lot to do now but fit together all the remaining bits and pieces that make up this amazing model. The tail wheel and the cockpit glazing are first on the list. (See the photos below.) The attention to detail is so great that the rails for the sliding middle section of canopy actually hold the canopy; and, if it is very carefully done, the section can be made to slide fore and aft. "Cool," as they say! The undercarriage doors are then added, along with a few other remaining odds and ends.
Following is a collage of photos of the model as it nears the time when you can put your feet up and enjoy the look of the "baby" that has kept you going for the last two months.
So summing up, this was a two-month model making experience par excellence! The engineering of the parts is spot on. The illustrated directions are clear and concise, and the fit of parts is above average.
Some say scanning and printing onto gloss photo paper makes a "rod for your own back" in finding the correct adhesive to use in gluing parts onto the gloss emulsion. Not so! A few minutes spent with scraps of photo paper and several sorts of glue tells you the best ones to use. I used primarily woodworking glue -- the white PVA variety that is often advertised as "stronger than the wood it glues ." I always have a tube of both Super Glue liquid and Super Glue gel available, as well as a tube of impact adhesive (UK makes, UHU or BOSTIC). The odd bit of emulsion scraping is required; but the aforementioned glues see me through most models.
So full marks, Maly: a splendid model, a joy to build. This is a hard model to make, but it does deserve the Sissons Mark of Excellence. A *****, 10 out of 10 experience!
I look forward to the next offering by this designer.
Finally: As I said in the first few lines in Part 1 of this construction review, Maly deserves a great hit with this model. I urge you to go out and buy it. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to my friend In the USA who sent me his original P-51 as a birthday present to make for this review. A friend Indeed....
Jeff Sissons
