BLUE NOSE

Jared Demes Tamiya 1:48 P-51B

The Kit

This summer I really wanted to build something with natural metal finish, and something with D-day stripes. I thought I'd do both with this limited-edition Tamiya 1:48 P-51B “Blue Nose”.

This limited edition is really a fantastic kit. Many modelers will be familiar with the standard Tamiya P-51B, it's been out for years now. This “Blue Nose” edition comes with new seated and standing figures. I decided to save the seated pilot for another future build. He's posed with his arm hanging out the window in a very relaxed position.

The next new and really cool feature is a window masking set. This set provides masks for the standard green house and Malcolm hood canopies, and a large masking set for the curved blue nose section. You simply align the masks with the panel lines and curve them around the nose. This helps when you add the white and red decals that also follow the curve. The kit has two options for the same aircraft, “Snoots Sniper”. Option B is an early version which has the green house canopy. This version has less artistic flair on the scheme and boasts full D-day stripes that go around the fuselage and wings.

Option A is for a Malcolm hood version as featured on the box. I can only describe this option as more patriotic, it's got more red, white and blue on it. And one set of D-day stripes going up half the fuselage. As a result, the decal sheet is very extensive, as the D-day stripes are included with the set.

I decided on building option B with the greenhouse and full stripes. I began my work on the cockpit cleaning the parts.

The Build