Eduard have added to their extensive line-up up Brassin upgrades for their superb 1:48 P-51D Mustang with a replacement main undercarriage set.

It's important to note that the set provides new gear legs and undercarriage doors, not the mainwheels themselves. The reason for this is simple - there were multiple types of tyre-treads fitted to the Mustang, and Eduard market highly detailed resin versions these separately. Or, of course, you can opt to use the styrene mainwheels included as standard in the kit (although, having compared the Brassin diamond-tread wheels with their styrene counterparts HERE, I can vouch for the fact that they are a very worthwhile upgrade).

Returning to the undercarriage set, it arrives in a simple resealable bag and comprises a pair of cast bronze gear legs and grey resin wheel doors.

The sample parts are flawlessly produced and preparation should be quick and simple - apart from removing the resin parts from their casting blocks, there's just a faint mould-line to polish away and one small section of material to remove from each metal gear leg. The items are designed as direct replacements for the kit undercarriage, so no modification is required to fit it.

In terms of detail, the resin doors offer quite a subtle improvement over the standard parts. If anything, this highlights just how good the kit is in the first place (see Andy Brazier's build of a pre-release sample HERE), but there is some extra riveting on the inside faces and extra finesse evident on some of the fittings.

The set really scores with the undercarriage legs. These are only better detailed, with brake-lines added, but will actually be simpler to use than the plastic versions, because they already have the oleo scissors in place.

Eduard provide a neat set of instructions with clear illustrations. To be honest, apart from drawing attention to the small section to remove from each leg, they should hardly be necessary for most modellers used to working with resin and metal parts. Gunze Sangyo paint matches are included.

Conclusion

It's not cheap, but Eduard's Brassin P-51D undercarriage set is undoubtedly an improvement over the standard kit parts and will definitely be a time-saver for anyone thinking of adding brake-lines from scratch. That said, the plastic originals are already excellent and will satisfy most modellers. These are top quality bronze and resin parts - so it will really be down to personal choice whether to invest in this upgrade.

Based on first impressions, I don't think I'm being unfair in classing this as slightly "luxury eye-candy" for Eduard's Mustang - but I'm about to embark on a multiple-build which will give me the chance to compare how the upgrade and kit parts work in actual use, so I may revise my assessment.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.