Finally finished this one…1/48 Revell kit. All acrylics and pastel powders. It came out pretty cool. I tried a for me a new mud technique using real dirt, white glue, pastel powder, and acrylics. Chipping done with silver Berol colored pencil.
I added resin tires, exhausts and a Legends resin cockpit, after market decals. I took a drop tank from a Tamiya P-51 kit and scratch built the supports. First time really trying any scratchbuilding. I think that is about it!
Oh yeah I also made my own set of “Black Magic brand P-40 camo masks” I found a jpeg of the oringial, scaled it and re-drew it in Adobe Illustrator. Printed and cut out of regular paper tacked down with poster tack. If anyone wants a PDF file of the camo masks let me know. For some reason I can’t post a PDF here. Might just be me.
Great job Redman! I love the P-40B. I think you’ll find a lot here who agree. Those tires look terrific. And your colors and camo stenciling are right on too. Very nice hawk. =]
That is a great rendition of a war-weary aircraft. Nice!
I do believe that the drop tank should not be there, however. The early P-40B the Flying Tigers were using did not have connections for them. When they received later model P-40s, they did use them as seen in this photo.
That is beautiful work. Captures the appearance of a war bird that has seen many hard days. Love the Flying Tigers and the P-40B, to me the early P-40s the best looking of the P-40 models. Nice work!
Did some further research and it seems that the Flying Tigers flew P-40Cs, or Tomahawk IIBs. The P40C/Tomahawk IIB had the capability to carry a centerline tank/bomb, as you have shown, since it had somewhat less internal fuel due to self sealing fuel tanks.
Very nice and very real looking P-40. They operated out of very crude air fields and dirt/mud runways were common. If my memory serves me correctly that was ACE Dick Rossi’s, or Tex Hills P-40 (?). Anyone?
Thanks Redman, The model is not just a way to wile away the time, but is an exercise in hand/eye coordination, assembly, working with tools, and following instructions, and a history lesson in three dimentions. Your model is all of that as well as a great trribute to the pilot who is befitting the title of ACE and one of the greatest generation. THANK YOU.
Yes, you would think so, but the ones sent to China apparently did not make provision for drops tanks.
“The Model B’s received by Chennault and assembled in Burma at the end of 1941 were not well liked. There were no auxiliary fuel tanks that could be dropped before going into combat, and there were no bomb racks on the wings. Chennault considered the liquid-cooled engine vulnerable in combat because a single bullet through the coolant tank would cause the engine to overheat in minutes. The Tomahawks also had no radios, so the AVG improvised by installing a fragile radio transceiver, RCA-7-H, which had been built for a Piper Cub. Because the plane lacked a turbo-supercharger, its effective ceiling was about 25,000 feet. The most critical problem was the lack of spare parts; the only source of spare parts was damaged aircraft. The planes were thought to be what no one else wanted, dangerous and difficult to fly. But the plane had advantages: its gas tanks were self-sealing and could take hits without catching on fire. There were two heavy sheets of steel behind the pilot’s head and back. The plane as a whole was ruggedly constructed.”
And
“The Flying Tigers gave the P-40 everlasting fame, but there has been a lot of confusion as to whether they used the P-40B or P-40C. It turns out that when the British deferred part of their order for the P-40C, Curtiss received the order for 100 planes from the Chinese and they had a number of the P-40B self sealing fuel tanks left over which they installed. Since the Chinese order didn’t specify drop tanks, they were left off. Even though they were technically P-40C’s, they were actually closer to P-40B’s in how they were equipped.”
I went digging into my stash and found the Academy 1/48th scale kit of the P-40. They include decals for two AVG aircraft including this very subject. They Identify both aircraft as P-40 Charlies. Interesting. As stated earlier it is not just a hobby, but a learning experience as well. GOOD STUFF!
