P-51 Mustang Mk.IVA
Masks for Dragon Kit

Montex Model Club, 1/32 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron.com

For the uninitiated, Plastic Model Club is a Polish company that provides complete resin kits as well as painting masks to replicate aircraft markings.

K 32160 is the latest addition to the Montex Super Mask range and it will appeal to us Aussies.

The set provides vinyl masks to produce two North American P-51 Mustang Mk IVs in the markings of 3 Squadron RAAF that operated in the Mediterranean theatre in 1945 in 1/32 scale.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

The individual options are:

• P-51 Mustang Mk IV KH755 CV-W, piloted by Warrant Officer Lew Ranger.  The machine is finished in ANA 613 olive drab and ANA 603 sea grey upper surface camouflage over ANA 602 light grey undersides in what has been dubbed the “Firewall Scheme” so named because the demarcation between the camouflage colours breaks along the firewall between the airframe and the engine bay.  The aircraft also wears the Mediterranean theatre’s red spinner as well as the 3 Squadron’s Southern Cross bearing medium blue rudder.

• P-51 Mustang Mk IV KH716 CV-P, piloted by Squadron Leader Murray Nash.  This option is in natural metal finish with an olive drab anti-glare panel as well as the red spinner theatre marking and 3 Squadron medium blue rudder marking.  The CV-P squadron letters are also in the same medium blue of the rudder.

Complete national marking masks are provided for just one machine as well as a pair of CV squadron codes and the individual aircraft letters.  Absent though are any of the myriad stencil data items that the one-to-one scale machines wore.  Also provided is two sets of canopy masks, one for the insides and one for the outsides of the canopy and one for the instrument panel.

Be aware that all the markings are provided in the “mask” format which requires you to first paint the colour of the marking on your model and then apply the mask to the painted area and then pant over the mask with the next colour.  A fiddly process that has its pluses and minuses but it does provide you with excellent results once you master the process.

The masks are come packed in clear plastic zip-loc bag along with a piece of stiff cardboard to stop them from being bent and creased.

Postscript

If you want to find out more about the RAAF’s 3 Squadron, including the camouflage schemes worn by their aircraft and the pilot’s that flew them take a trip to James D. Oglethorpe’s website “3 Squadron - Australian Flying Corps / Royal Australian Air Force - Australia's Top Guns” at http://www.3squadron.org.au/ you won’t be disappointed.  One specific article - 3 Sqn RAAF Mustang Mk.IVas - a Reassessment - by Steve Mackenzie at http://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/Mustangs/3%20Sqn%20P-51K%20P1.htm will be of great help in assisting you in painting your model correctly.

Thanks to Darek from Montex for the sample

Montex Masks and Models are available from their website

Review Text Copyright © 2010 by Rodger Kelly
Page Created 9 February, 2010
Last updated 9 February, 2010

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page