Mark Joyce

The Hobbycraft P-40F kits are long-tail. However, IIRC, none of these kits includes the windscreen possessing the small vent window, which was present on the P-40L (as well as some of the later P-40Fs). That is where an AMT P-40N kit could come in handy, or else a vacuform canopy.

Genuine or not, you did a stellar job on the build. Well done!

I don't know. If this isn't the winner it has to be a close second!

Very nice looking Avenger, and great job on the finish and weathering. Cheers, Mark

Great looking P-47, George. Really nice job of brush painting; I would have believed it if you told me that everything was painted with an airbrush! Thanks for posting the photos. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Harold. The written instructions were excellent; the diagrams not so much. They were often quite vague where parts needed to go, especially in regards to the interior, and at least two times I found myself installing a part where I thought it was meant to be only to find out later that it interfered with a subsequent assembly. I really had to resort to photos on the Internet of the real deal as well as other builds of the kit to figure out placements, and even then it was sometimes difficult for me to figure things out. What anyone did before the Internet, especially if they had no references on hand, is a mystery to me!

Really nice looking Blenheim, Tony. It's aged as well as a nice bottle of wine! Cheers, Mark

Really nice build, and thanks for the background to the plane. Cheers, Mark

Built OOB. I started out fairly strong on this build but petered out near the finish line. Old decals, dive flaps that don't fit in the closed position, confusing instructions, plus a number of self-induced errors on my part took the wind out of my sails. But it's finished, for better or worse, and a (somewhat) worthy companion to my GWH Devastator, also in battle of the Coral Sea markings. As always, thanks for looking and any comments or constructive criticism are welcome. Cheers, Mark

Simon, that detail work, especially the cockpit and engine compartment, is remarkable. They truly look like the real thing. Great job on the build overall! Cheers, Mark

Great job on all three, Rob. You achieved fantastic results brush painting all, much better than anything I can do, and your weathering is equally impressive. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Mark

Nice looking Avenger(s). Too bad Sword dropped the ball with the instructions, etc. Cheers, Mark

Great looking Typhoon, Jim. I like the weathering you did on it. I don't think you overdid it by any means. Cheers, Mark

Great looking Vigilante, Angelo, and kudos for finishing it so nicely...and at all. I don't have personal experience with the kit, but as SAT69 says and from what I've heard from others, it isn't one of Trumpeter's better undertakings as far as fit is concerned. Cheers, Mark

Nicely done, Tony, and great job on the painting in general and those checkertails in particular. I too have a soft spot for the P-40F/L and also those AMT/AMtech/etc. kits, having built loads of them over the years (working on two more as I write this). I'm hoping that Eduard will release the Merlin-engine variants as part of its rumored new-tooled P-40 series, and sent them some unpublished photos of one airplane with great markings as an incentive...I have many more if Eduard is interested. One minor correction: the pilot of "Lighthouse Louie" was the 325th FG's CO, Lt. Col. Gordon Austin. I met him about 15 years ago and had a chance to chat about his time with the unit. Joe Bloomer's P-40L was named "Trixie." Cheers, Mark