I won't spend a lot of time recollecting the pros & cons of this 1973 P-51D Mustang release by Fujimi, as it is not really an available contender anymore, although it was a pretty decent kit for its time.
Notable Kit Features:
Basic cockpit (not particularly accurate)
Recessed panel lines and fine raised rivets
Separate engine provided (not particularly accurate)
Radiator scoops are positionable
Option for open engine bay (lacking proper details)
Two piece canopy
Wing tanks, bombs and rockets provided as armament
Pilot figure included
Build Inspiration:
I came across this Fujimi P-51D kit in a local hobby store that was selling off its stock of these kits for $5.00 each, so at that price I bought three. I had planned to do a Korean War F-51 Mustang as I had managed to get a decal sheet that included James Glessner's 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, aircraft based at Pusan, South Korea. The group's aircraft had a large shark-mouth on the front lower cowlings. Glessner shot down a Yak-9 in this aircraft on 2 November 1950.
Heads-Up Report:
Simplified kit
Shell ejector chutes on underside of wing appear too large
Rear tail wheel sits too low in mount
Control surfaces molded in neutral position
Kit Additions / Modifications:
Added seatbelts made from painted masking tape
Drilled out guns
Added different style drop tanks from another kit to match reference material
Used third-party decals
End Result:
The paint scheme for this aircraft was a Natural Metal Finish with only some variation around the exhausts. Weathering was minimal for this quick build. This was part of a Less-Stress build so it is lacking in some of he finer things ;)
If you are interested in replicating the silver painted and natural metal finish (NMF) areas of the P-51D Mustang, see my reference on the Tamiya P-51 page at this link: 1/48th Tamiya P-51D Mustang | Fly Past Rush
The After-Build Report:
This was certainly a decent kit for its time and if you find one of these Fujimi kits at a great price, you can certainly make a go of it, however with the wide range of more recent P-51 kits available such as, Eduard, Airfix and Meng (and given the Hasegawa kit is still decent)... I'd be going with one of those instead.
Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is suppose to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers