Model Monkey | P-51D 3D Printed Exhausts with Shrouds

Reviewed by Chris Nicoll

Model Monkey Revell P-51D 3D Printed Exhausts with Shrouds

Model Monkey’s original Revell exhausts have been reviewed here already (1, 2). This is a review of the new exhausts with the shrouds for modeling those aircraft (such as Lou IV) with exhaust shrouds. Rather than replicate the original reviews, please see those on this site.

The new set includes the exhaust shrouds as well as the exhausts themselves as seen below:

I was not a fan of the one-piece exhausts and shrouds that Model Monkey started with as I thought they would be much harder to paint, and they look like one piece instead of exhausts coming through the shroud – although your opinion may differ.

Thanks to Steve at Model Monkey who was VERY responsive in making the separate shrouds.

The shrouds can be installed from the outside (making masking so much easier!) but the exhausts themselves differ slightly from the original exhausts. The main difference is that the mounting plate for the exhausts is both narrower and shorter than on the original exhausts which may be seen below:

For the original exhausts it seems to be necessary to slightly shorten the front of the mounting plate – which helps with mounting them in the correct position on the aircraft. All of the positioning lugs on the bottom of the mounting plate should be removed as well.

The new exhausts are also now open at the mounting plate so when placing them in the sun to cure, it is probably a good idea to set them exhaust opening up, and perhaps on toothpicks or something to let the wax inside the exhausts head up and run out. Also makes painting the interior easier, but since I prime my exhausts with a black primer I don’t paint the insides myself.

Here is a picture of the unprimed shrouds, with the original exhausts fitted:

And compared to the Eduard exhausts in the kit shrouds:

The Model Monkey exhausts are rounder and larger than either the kit exhausts or the Eduard exhausts and I think look better. Here they are installed on my Revell P-51D Mustang:

What I found is that the exhausts do not just slip into the shrouds as do the kit exhausts or the Eduard exhausts – rather a method I found works very well is to slightly bend the exhausts to help align the individual exhaust tubes as shown in the picture below. I found they go in much easier this way (actually, it’s the ONLY way I’ve been able to get the exhausts to fit).

There is a level of detail in the openings themselves which I think adds realism to the kit, more so than the kit exhausts or the Eduard (which I like, but think are too narrow).

The nice thing is us modelers now have many options when it comes to the exhausts – the kit, Eduard and now both shrouded and unshrouded Model Monkey Exhausts. Especially when it comes to unshrouded Exhausts, I think the model Monkey exhausts have the size and shape that beats the others. I like them in the shrouds as well.

Thanks to Steve Larsen of Model Monkey for the review samples of the exhausts with the shrouds as well as making separate pieces.

© Chris Nicoll 2018

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This review was published on Friday, July 20 2018; Last modified on Friday, July 20 2018