This is one we have waited a long time for!
It’s been almost four years since the Arma B-Mustang was released and even before that Arma officially was talking about a coming D-version. For some, to me unknown, reasons this process took a long time and Eduard beat them to the market with more than a year (the Eduard kit came last summer and is excellent, I have two different double-boxings of it where I have started one but haven’t posted anything yet, I will come around to it in due time though…). Let’s see what Arma has to offer!
As always, a very stylish box-art of a legendary pair of machines!
Two, well packed, sprues…
…nicely cast in light grey plastic.
A set of thin and very nicely done clear parts. Since I’ve already started talking about the Eduard kit and in case you wonder: these canopies are ever so slightly both clearer and thinner than the Eduard parts. Not by much but there is a difference to Arma’s advantage.
And since, according to the rules around here, you are always allowed a head start with building: here are all the major parts needed to build two Mustangs!
Today almost all premium kits contain a bit of 3D-print, at least the ones from Arma, IBG and Eduard. I just love these seats! There are also 3D-printed cannon and exhausts, the exhausts will come in handy but for the cannon I prefer a set of turned brass pipes.
A clever solution to a tricky painting problem: paint the whole surface primer yellow and then add decals! With the aid of setting solution the decals settled nicely arouond the raised detail.
This is the B-wing from my earlier build showing how the ribs cast to the top surface effectively made masking impossible, I ended up hand painting the details and then adding a wash to sharpen it a bit. It turned out well but it was a lot of work. The decals are much simpler and, thinking about it, just the fact that the ribs are a loose part now opens up for easier masking as well if you don’t want to use the decals!
And then the question of markings: as all modellers know, Bud Anderson’s “Old Crow” is mandatory. However, none of the other two markings from the box really appealed to me but with two Eduard double boxes on the shelf there is an abundande of markings to choose from without resorting to after market decals. In the Eduard “Aces of the Eight”-box there is a set of markings for Urban L. Drew’s “Detroit Miss”, as close to a world class super-celebrity ever a plastic model can be 
! I base this on the fact that it was the main marking choice for the Monogram 1/48 kit for many years. Apart from that I’m quite fond of yellow markings so that will be perfect.
And finally, the unavoidable comparison to the Eduard kit: I haven’t checked them side by side but the Arma kit is without doubt a very nice kit. It has everything needed for building a -D or a -K with or without dorsal fins, including parts for the PR-variants. There are two different kinds of drop tanks and also a set of bombs. Eduard has managed to cram in even further drop tanks and rockets as well but I think both kits will result in very fine Mustang models when they are finished. Arma’s plastic doesn’t look as refined as Eduard’s at first glance and the ingates are bigger (Eduard has really done a lot when it comes to their ingates) but as soon as I started building I found that Arma are back at the top of their game again.
So, all immediate problems solved, let’s go building
Magnus
Magnus I’ll take your word for it and the Swedish one does indeed look nice but the Haiti bird in light grey with red wing, tail and spinner tips, fixed tail wheel, F-86 drop tanks and modern (1963) antennas just has it for me. If I get around to a third and forth then a Somalian and Swedish pair will join the party.
! If you ever get around to that Swedish J 26, 
