1/32 Hasegawa P-51D Mustang

by Niels Dol

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After building a lot of 1/72 kits, I started with 1/48 and 1/32 again, this was the first 1/32 kit I've build since years.

Besides the Hasegawa kit, I've used a Verlinden update set for the cockpit and a pair of True Details weighted wheels.
All together it was a nice kit to build, although some fit wasn't that great in some areas.  I wanted to use the full engine in my Mustang, but when I installed the engine in it, the engine cover wouldn't fit that good. For the rest, it was quite ok.

The whole plane was airbushed / painted with Revell aluminium, Model Master's Steel and  Interior green and for the rest Humbrol paints.

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I chose to build a Dutch P-51, but I wanted one with roundels, and not with the flags (like in the Dutch decal set), So I needed to make the "number" decals myself. I've used the Dutch Decal roundel set for the roundels, and for the rest the original kit decals.

A brief history of the H-340 itself:

This plane arrived in crates in Australia on August 1945 and was put together by the RAAF and delivered to the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force on February 12th 1986. During April and May all P-51's were flown to Tjililitan on the isle Java. The H-340 entered service as N3-640 serving with the 121 Squadron. Early 1947 the number was changed to H-340. It flew both Police Actions (against the Indonesian republicans). Somewhere during February / March 1949 the H-340 was turned over to the 120 squadron as a replacement for the old P-40N Kittyhawks. The 120 squadron with the H-340 was the last active squadron in East Indies, Together with a few C-47's.
With the loss of Netherlands East Indies the H-340 was handed over to the Indonesian Air Force (AURI) as F-340,where it also served against the Netherlands again during the '62 New Guinea conflict. It is unclear to me how this plane ended it's life.

Regards,
Niels 
Lelystad, The Netherlands

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Photos and text © by Niels Dol