nanoblock P-51 Mustang Review

Reviewed by Heather Spalding

Difficulty: Level 3
Time to Complete: 90 Minutes
No of Blocks: 480+
Item Code: NBM-005

Front of the box

Back of the box

A veteran of two wars -- World War II and the Korean War -- North American Aviation's Single Engine P-51 Mustang was the first U.S. fighter airplane to push its nose over Europe after the fall of France. 

One of the highest honors accorded to the Mustang was its rating in 1944 by the Truman Senate War Investigating Committee as "the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence." (Source - http://www.boeing.com/boeing/history/bna/p51.page)

This Nanoblock P-51 Mustang is a medium sized set with over 480+ bricks.  There are two build modes: 1) Flight State (pictured on the front of the box) which displays on a movable stand to enable the aircraft to be posed in various flight positions, and 2) Landing State (pictured on the back of the box) which features the landing gear down and the model sits on the wheels.  I chose to do Flight State as I thought it would be better for display.

The bricks (and star stickers) included in this set

There are no “fancy” or “special shaped” bricks in this set (apart from the ball and joint ones used in the stand if building in Flight State).  Instead there are some clever ways of slotting in various sections, eg the wings and tail section, as you will notice they are built on a different orientation to the other parts of the plane.  The propeller also spins which is a nice feature.

Here are some photos of the build process:

The slot where the propeller attachment goes to 

enable it to spin freely

The main body of the aircraft

The horizontal tail section slotted into position

The various parts ready to be assembled together

Attaching the wings to the underside of the model

Close up of the underside with the wings attached

The underside of the completed model

The extra bricks included in this set

Below are some views of the completed model.

Built in Flight State, the model stands approximately 10cm high and is about 17cm long with a wingspan of approximately 18cm.

Overall it was not particularly challenging but it is an enjoyable model to build.