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Special Hobby new-tool P-40's


72modeler

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Wow! The postman delivered my new-tool 1/72 SH P-40E/Kittyhawk 1a and P-40N just now! I am very impressed with both of them, and I have listed some quick observations below. I don't think you can go wrong with either one, and they are better than the Hasegawa and Academy kits. I am looking forward to the K and the M, and holding out a faint hope that they will also do the P-40Q with the bubble canopy and cutdown rear fuselage! Not going to get anal about what needs to be removed/altered from one version to the next, as this is just meant to give you a quick look and not a detailed evaluation.

 

Kittyhawk Mk 1a (72377)  P-40N (72374) Many parts are common to both types as well as future releases; from what I see on the sprues, a P-40E, Kittyhawk IV, P-40F-1, P-40F-5, and P-40M, as well as Kittyhawk II's and III's can be done. Comments apply to both boxings, except as noted.

 

Fuselage, wings, stabilizers, and fin/rudder fit almost perfectly on the 1/72 drawings I used- Osprey P-40 Aces of the CBI- which has P-40C ,P-40E, P-40K early and late, P-40M, and P-40N scale drawings, which are pretty accurate, at least in my opinion.

 

Panel lines are very nicely done- sharp and very Fujimi/Hasewaga/Tamiya-like!

Upper wings are one piece, with the central section that joins them providing the correct curved floor- yes! Adj. trim tab on LH aileron and fixed tab on RH aileron. Trailing edges very sharp, ailerons molded top and bottom on upper wing, but not the flaps, so it will be pretty easy to cut and position them on the lower wing halves, if desired.

 

Exhaust recess has the bars separating each pair of stacks; fishtail and tubular exhaust stacks are provided, but the fishtail exhausts could be better.

Wide chord and narrow chord props are provided; spinner looks very good- very sharp point and good taper.

Two sets of wheels provided- both are 30" in diameter, so for a P-40N with 27" wheels, you will have to look at an aftermarket source. One set with smooth wheel covers and one with spoked hubs are provided- both have smooth tread.

Three different injected instrument panels; each having the same rudder pedal assembly and main panel, but three different armament/switch panels between the pedal assemblies.

Round and square-backed seats provided, but lack the reinforcement dimples and lower lumbar ledge- easy enough to add; radiator/oil cooler matrices done as front and back assemblies- nice touch. Cockpit sidewalls, armored back plate, and seat mounting frame as separate assemblies; control column and hydraulic lever supplied as separate parts

Coolant radiator flaps supplied as open or closed.

 

Landing gear struts and doors nicely done, with separate arm used to rotate struts included. Wheel bays are boxed in by a one-piece casting- very nice touch. Ribbing on roof of wheel bay but no canvas covers are included. On the N fuselage, the aux air inlets are done as recessed circles- will have to be drilled out and backed with plasticard  for no see trough.

 

There are two different styles of belly tank and one bomb which can be mounted on the centerline; stores/tank rack is provided, but mounting holes will need to be filled if the racks are not fitted. Wing guns and fairings are molded in total on the upper wing assembly- not bad-looking, but an insert with proper fairings and open muzzles would have been better. N's could carry a bomb under each wing, but there is no provision for this- no flashed over holes present.

 

Gunsight is included on the clear sprue, but it is the same type for both kits- I think an N-3; for the large reflector sight used on the late E's, F's, K's, and maybe others, a different sight will have to be provided.) IIRC some versions had the gun camera built into the back of the sight assembly- see BS-w's post for details.) No ring and bead auxiliary sight is included. No gun camera port in the RH wing knuckle  or supplied in a housing to go under the wing. Landing light opening in lower wing with lens on the clear sprue. The canopy is done as a separate windscreen, separate quarter windows/rear transparency, and two sliding hoods appropriate for each type; one hood on each type has an angled base at the front edge as well as one with a straight edge, so both open and closed choices can be made- nice touch!. Framing is appropriate for each type. I'm guessing that an additional windscreen with angled side panels will need to be provided for the late E/F/K variants that had them fitted.

 

All in all, two very nice kits that will build into very accurate models of the versions named. Special Hobby is getting closer and closer to the mainstream kit makers in finesse, detailing, and accuracy with this series- I hope this quick look will be helpful and that I made accurate comments. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest!

Mike

Edited by 72modeler
added additional text for clarity
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5 minutes ago, occa said:

How do you see the F and L variants planned ?

They needed a completely different nose

Because they molded separate fuselage halves on their P-40N boxing, and the parts on the sprues marked 'not for use' on the 1a and N boxings  can be used for the other versions not yet released, with a different fuselage and clear sprue, short and long-tailed K's, F's, and M's can be done. Probably not clear in my original post- sorry!

Mike

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When SH initially announced the new P-40 series, they specifically said only Allison engine versions. We cam hope they eventually do the Merlin versions too, but I'm not holding my breath, especially since they did the Merlin versions a few years ago.

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4 minutes ago, Chuck1945 said:

When SH initially announced the new P-40 series, they specifically said only Allison engine versions. We cam hope they eventually do the Merlin versions too, but I'm not holding my breath, especially since they did the Merlin versions a few years ago.

Those were earlier molds, IIRC, and not up to the standards of these more recent releases; I'm with you in hoping they  do the F's, but if not, I still have my long and short tail MPM and SH P-40F kits as well as my Airwaves resin short and long tail resin P-40F conversions to use the cowlings from to graft onto one of the suitable  new-tool kits.

Mike

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