[BH] The other day, I had a beautiful revell p-40 that was almost done. It was almost completed, but I hadn’t sprayed the dullcoat on it yet. When I did, the decals crumpled up! This is a new problem to me, and if any one knows what happened let me know. Anyway, i was so frustrated that i airbrushed over the entire aircraft with testors aluminum metalizer. It looks really shiny[:D]! Anyhow, i put 8 decals on it from my spares collection. Two blue circle/white star decals on each the upper and under wings, and two on the fusealage. Also, on the under wings, I put two decals, one “U.S.”, and one “ARMY”. I wanted to know if this is just my own little frankenstein, or if their ever was an actual USAAC XP-40B evaluation plane.
First, [#welcome] to the forums. There are a bunch of knowledgeable people here who can answer your questions. If anybody can answer your question (and provide a pic or three) it would be Blackwolf3945. It’s his favorite plane, so he would definately know.
Sorry for the disaster! I know that I always try to use Microset to really make them lay down good, and then let the decals dry for a day before painting. After that I make my first coat of clear a light coat so that it begins to dry fairly quickly. Don’t know if that was your problem, but hope it was a fluke!
It sounds like you used testors dullcoat. I have had advrese results using this stuff. Testors dullcoat is a laquer, and probably attacked your decal. Next time use pollyscale flat. It’s an acrylic and wont dissolve paints or decals.
Jerry
I have used Testors dullcoat over a lot of different decals on a lot of different models without any difficulties. I do know for a fact that if you hit the model with dullcoat before the decals are COMPLETELY cured dry and set, they will wrinkle.
Steve
The good news is that there was indeed an XP-40 with a BMF. The bad news is that it was significantly different than the P-40B in many respects. A P-40B painted in BMF would not represent an accurate portrayal of an XP-40.
Regards, Rick
next time, put future on the plane before dullcote. don’t have to worry about any oopes like that
There was no XP-40B, but there was an XP-40. Curtiss took the 10th production P-36A and modified it to come up with the original XP-40, Model 75P.
There were a great number of modifications made to the airframe during testing but the XP-40 appeared in three basic configurations, known to some as the XP-40, XP-40 Modified and XP-40 Final.
I’ve been working on a page dealing with the XP-40 for my P-40 website. It’s not yet finished, but I’ve put up some images showing the original XP-40 and the XP-40 Modified.
You can see it HERE…
A good example of one of the very slight changes made to the aircraft can be seen in the first two shots of the XP-40 modified… note the different shapes of the intake under the nose…
I have yet to add any images of the XP-40 in its final configuration, but here is one. This is the only incarnation of the XP-40 that you would be able to model with any P-40/B/C kit without having to make many modifications. The easiest way to tell the XP-40 in its final configuration from production aircraft is the blister fairing in the area of the tail wheel and the shape of the rear quarter glass panels.
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Steve… that’s a great website you’ve put together. You know, my Dad worked on the P-40s at the Curtiss factory on Genesee Street before he went into the Air Corps.
Nice job!
Jim
The original XP-40 had the radiator scoop under the aft fuselage. The late configuration XP-40 had the radiator scoop moved to it’s now familiar position under the nose, but it was a different shape than found on the P-40B. The first production Tomahawk was the P-40CU, which was similar to the late configuration XP-40 only with the radiator scoop enlarged & moved forward slightly. It also had a redesigned landing gear. The P-40B was the first combat ready version of the Tomahawk, with 2 more .30 cal MG’s in the wings & added armor to protect the pilot & fuel system. The landing gear remained the same as on the P-40CU, but I believe there were further changes to the shape of the radiator scoop as well as the canopy & rear quarter glass panels.
Regards, Rick
Thanks guy! I’m trying to make this the biggest baddest P-40 site on the net. It’ll take alot more time and effort and I have a few things to work out, but I’m getting there…
Sometime back you posted some photos you had taken of Doc Anderson’s P-40 at Geneseo. Thanks for letting me use them on the site… I haven’t put them up yet because I meant to ask you if you could send me some larger versions of those images. If so, groovy. If not, no biggie…
Also, I’d like to ask you to tell me more about your Dad. I’m planning on making a page on the site devoted to folks who worked at Curtiss…
If you’d rather contact me offline, shoot me an email at peter_four_oh@yahoo.com
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