I’m thinking about getting one (or acouple), and I wanted to know which kits are the best for all the major versions (-B,C,E,F,K,M,N) in terms ofaccuracy, fit, detail, and price.
Hey Jaypack55,
I recently purchase P-40B Tiger Shark kit from Revell and asked similar question to folks here. Look at the link and you should have a basic idea of what you should be purchasing.
/forums/761476/ShowPost.aspx
Ditto what m1garand said on the -B… that thread covered it pretty well.
I haven’t built it, but I saw a friend’s build of the Hasegawa -E model… it’s a beautiful kit. I have AMT/AMTech kits for the -F, -K, -F/L and N, and while I haven’t built them, all look nicely detailed (though not as nice as the Hasegawa kit).
Rummage around Hyperscale and Modeling Madness for reviews- they have a lot of good info on P-40s.
And remember- Spitfires and P-40s: You can never have enough! [;)]
the Hasegawa build up nice the hobby craft required more work
Thad
I’m putting the finishing touches on a 1/48 Hasegawa P-40E and I must say it was a very nice kit. There is a little bit of seam work to do, due to the modular design of the kit (so as to make it more efficient for them to mass produce the different versions of the P-40), but as long as you have basic seam filling skills, then it’s a piece of cake. [:)]
I did the Arii P-40E and was very happy with it especially considering the low cost
then built the AMT/ERTL P-40N and found that to be a very nice build and with a low price tag also. They offered the the F as well.
Next I did a resin XP-40Q-2 from Planet models, that took a little more work and had a high price tag but turned out very well
I used the Hasegawa P-40K for my video, that was a nice build with a mid-range price tag
Other kits in the stash that I have looked over include the Trumpeter P-40B but it has some issues with shallow cockpit and rivet lines. The Revell P-40B has a very accurate outline but has raised panel lines. Some modelers don’t like that but I don’t find them to be a huge problem. If you can find any of the AM Tech kits these are basically the AMT/ERTL kits with some new pieces tossed in like resin tails (long tail F) or nose (Merlin Engined) or some new plastic parts. The basis of these kits is all good and the add-ons are of top quality work. Hasegawa employed modular technology when they did their K and now you can pick up an E which is really the same kit with a different tail plug. In addition to this Griffon does a Klimov P-40 nose for use with the Hasegawa P-40E that makes for something a little different. Eduard recently released a profit-pack P-40N/M that includes so many neat little details that you just have to say “Wow” when you open the box. Price is a little higher than the other plastic P-40 kits for this one but well worth it. That pretty much covers the basic kits, once I start talking about aftermarket goodies I could write a book on all the options there. Best thing is to decide which model you are going to build today and then scope out the extras you want for it.
I recenty finished the Eduard P 40 profipack kit. It is the old Mauve kit reboxed with all of the goodies you could want. Resin interior photo etch canopy masks and great decal set. The only glitch with the kit is the fuselage needs to be spread open with a piece of sprue to make it fit nicely agiants the wing joint. Once you install the right width piece of sprue the joint it fits perfectly. I was extremly happy with the kit and the fuselage is the only gripe I could find with the kit. Though it was not hard to fix it was very unexpected because of the high quality of the rest of the kit.
Soulcrusher
My only P-40 build so far is the old 1/48 N-version by Mauve. I installed a resin cockpit from True Details (one of their better ones IMO), resin wheels, and some AM decals from Aeromaster. I loved that kit! The only issue was the wing-fuselage joint, and I fixed it the same way soulcrusher did.
I’ve got Hasegawa’s ‘E’, ‘M’, ‘N’ kits & they are little gems. Be sure to read the build reviews on H’scale though, because they are not shake’n’bake kits - need a bit of work.
there is a 1/24!! p40 for sale on ebay
(all of these kits are 1/48th scale)
the old Airfix (E)kit is “cute” in that it has an engine you can show off.
quick,cheap and easy but not too accurate.
the Revell (E)kit was so simple I built it while listening to an 80-minute music CD!
I would describe this as a fun kit but not too accurate.
despite what many poeple say I still prefer the Monogram B/C kit,although it has “issues” it is reasonably accurate and very reasonably priced. (watch out for the wing/fuselage joint,if you do the flaps down you will see into an empty fuselage)
AMT/ERTL/Amtech family (E,K,M,N) actually all come from the same mold and are reasonably priced and reasonably accurarte.
I would consider these as bargains, as the Hasegawa kit is truly superb but twice the price.
the Mauve/Eduard M,N are also quite excellent and if you can find a Mauve original (Ebay?) the kit is just slightly less detailed than Hasegawa and much better priced as you don’t have to waste money on resin and photo-etched pieces you are not even going to see when the model is done. (Eduard profi-pack)
the Hobbycraft kit (P-40B) suffers a major error as the whole nose section is too low.
I haven’t built the Trumpeter kit(s) yet so I can make no comment.
I haven’t got a Hasegawa N yet so I can’t say anything about that but the E is the best P-40E in 1/48th scale !!!
My favorite WW2 fighter…these are 1/48
The Monogram P-40B is the oldest but still the best and cheapest P-40B/C. This one has resin cockpit and gear wells…
The Academy/Hobbycraft version has major shape problems, http://www.kitparade.com/features00/p40brb_1.htm but can be fixed…
The Trumpeter isn’t too bad but the rivets are too heavy handed for some folks…
The Hasegawa P40E/K/M/N series are very good but can be tricky to build…
The The AMT/AmTech P/40 series are also very good value, not quite as nice as the Hasegawas but a lot less expensive…
I have a Mauve P-40M but haven’t built it yet. When I do another -B or -C it will be a Monogram (Revell). If I do a later P-40 contest bird I’ll use a Hasegawa kit. When I feel the need for another P-40 variant for my shelf I’ll use an AmTech kit.
I usually do a couple P-40s a year…
Guys-
Those are sweet looking P-40’s! Every one of them looks very nice. I am currently building the Hasegawa -E. I started it when it first came out, and put it aside countless times due to all of the re-scribing to be done. After seeing Espins WIP, I was compelled to finish it. After a couple of nights with some super glue and a re-scribing tool, it’s finally coming together.
I’m really looking forward to seeing some pics! [:D]
[#ditto] but I used the kit wheels and decals.
Roy
Thanks Scott! I’ll post some soon, hope it looks as good as yours does!
A couple of years ago, I built the now extinct Pro Modeler P-40E I picked up at Sun’n Fun. The wing fit to fusalage required A LOT of work. I added True Details weighted tires, Eduards gun sight, fishing line for the wire antenna. Overall, it turned out pretty nice. I bought the AMT/ERTL E kit and the Hasegawa version as well. Haven’t built either, but by the looks of it, the Hasegawa kit looks better designed.
Those are some nice lookin’ builds, guys! Oh yeah, thanks for all the information on the kits! Last night I ordered the Eduard profipack and the Navair -F (anybody know anything about this kit?) I’m also gonna get a couple revell -B kits when I go to Walmart on Sunday.
My grandfather would be proud of all you. He was a design engineer for Curtiss-Wright aircraft in St. Louis and was responsible for the design of the hydraulics and landing gear on the first three or four models of the P-40. He also did some work on the XP-55 Ascender (one of those really cool looking “pusher” planes that just never panned out). The only kit I ever saw for it in 1/48th, my preferred scale, was from the Czech Republic and it sucked all around.
Thanks Grandpa. It looks like you left some work worth remembering.
Are you sure they’re your favorite WWII bird? [;)]
Nice looking builds!