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First Look Review
132
P51-D Metal Drop Tanks
P51-D Mustang Metal Drop Tanks w/jutting filler neck
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by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

Among their extensive line-up of upgrade sets designed for Revell's 1:32 P-51D, CMK have released a pair of resin drop tanks.

They differ in several ways from the original plastic tanks, primarily on account of the sway braces, plus (as their name suggests) much more prominent filler caps which are supplied as separate parts.

The new tanks arrive in a clear plastic blister pack, which is pretty robust. I did notice though that one of the tanks had taken a knock in transit and the prominent lateral seam will need repairing at the tail end.

Other than that, the casting is excellent, with the tanks attached to casting blocks in two places at the front, with just a wafer of flash linking them. This means that the seam at the nose will be easy to keep neat, but you will need to work very carefully cutting and cleaning up the pour stubs themselves. To be fair, I can't see how else CMK could have done things, but the pouring points are in the most visible area of the tanks where any scars or sanding marks will be easy to spot, particularly with a metallic finish.

A simple sheet of instructions comes with the set, but experienced modellers will hardly need them, because construction is pretty self explanatory.

Conclusion
CMK's drop tanks are very nice and an interesting variation on the kit versions. With just four parts, they may look as though they'd be ideal for newcomers to working with resin, but I'll add the caveat that preparation will require more care than you might expect.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: Well detailed and cleanly cast.
Lows: The seam at the tail of each tank is easy to damage in transit.
Verdict: CMK's tanks look deceptively simple to use, but the prominently placed attachments to the casting block will take real care to clean up invisibly.
  Scale: 1:32
  Mfg. ID: 5128
  Suggested Retail: 13.00 Euros
  PUBLISHED: Oct 29, 2018
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 85.89%

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About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



   
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