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1/48 Airfix Curtiss P-40B Warhawk (A05130) Presented as Curtiss Hawk 81-A2 flown by Robert T Smith of Nebraska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_T._Smith), Kunming, June 1942 Nice kit – purchased at Marks Models Cork. Easy enough build. Only problem with the kit really is the prop assembly fit a bit crappy, and the decals were very poor in many respects. The Curtiss Hawk 81-A2 was the export version of the P-40B. The first aircraft received by the A.V.G. were Hawk 81-A2 fighters originally intended for the RAF, and as such they were painted according to RAF guidelines. As the cammo pattern shows on the top wing, the original roundels were painted over – some aircraft even displayed both for some time on the upper wing. They were delivered to the AVG after a ferry voyage of epic proportions from West Africa, via the middle east and India to the legendary Flying Tigers - the American Volunteer Group (AVG) in China While Curtiss did not have actual RAF paint stocks on hand, they used DuPont paints that approximated the colour descriptions given to them by the RAF As I found the kit supplied decals to be quite incorrect, the roundels are incorrect, i.e. the are 1 point short – so I went with an aftermarket set from kits-world. In addition to being of far better detail and being accurate, they also were of far better quality. In addition to being quite incorrect, the Airfix supplied decals I found to be of very poor quality, with stencilling decals falling off while drying despite the careful use use of microsol and microset – In short, if doing this kit out of box, I would strongly recommend investing in aftermarket decals, the ones supplied are, frankly, doo-doo. The supplied decals are incorrect, with 11 rather than 12 points on the roundel and are of poor quality PAINT – Primer AK 177 surface primer white – I was ot best pleased with it, lifted very easily, this may have been me not allowing it to dry long enough, but it was a serious issue for me. Paint mask AML Hawk-81-A2 (ALAM 48 016) direct from AML web store. I must say the customer service was excellent, initially sent the wrong scale mask the mistake was rapidly resolved and the correct order sent without delay or hesitation. Lower surface XF-75 IJN grey Kure Arsenal Upper Cammo Tan – blend XF59 / XF78 blend Green XF26 deep green with XF-13 patches under flying tiger decals Cockpit / wheel well green a mix of acrylic green and XF4 yellow green Gear XF16 flat aluminium and XF85 tyre black AK9080 flexible airbrush stencil for patchy / salt weather effect Base gloss varnish – Pledge Restore-It (I believe this was known as Future Clear) Final Satin varnish - Galeria Weathering done with various oils and soft pastel based home brew pigments (Icon and Royal Langnickel - poundshop specials fixed with turpentine and hairspray) Acryl pencils, Faber Castell / Derwent / Staedtler and Conte AFTER MARKET Kitsworld 1/48 Scale Decal Sheet KW148058 https://www.kitsworld.co.uk/index.php?CATEGORY=4&SUB=14 Paint mask AML Hawk-81-A2 (ALAM 48 016) direct from AML web store. I must say again the customer service was excellent. Other P40 masks are available. https://eshop.aml.cz/en/camouflage-1-48/727-curtiss-hawk-81-a2-of-china-af-wwii-camouflage-painting-masks.html 1/48 YAHU #4842 P-40 B/C Tomahawk, 3D, colored instrument panels, worth the investment for once, from the highly recommended and always excellent trinitymews ebay shop https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/accurahobbykits

Aifix P-40 done as Boyington's AVG aircraft. Besides adding rivets a bit of Eduard PE was used. Decals are a mix of kit and Kits World. Paint is Model Master medium green and fiels drab lightened a bit with white and wood, bottom isair command grey from True North paints.

Hi everyone and hope you and yours are safe and well. Over at IPMS Ireland, we've an 'All Asian' GB running since the lockdown started and this is my entry, Trumpeter's P-40B in Flying Tigers scheme. The build thread is here if you're interested but to recap.. Kit: Trumpeter P-40B Warhawk Build: OOB except for masking tape for the belts Paints: Revell Acrylics with an airbrush, Klear, Flory Models wash, pastels, W&N Matt Varnish Decals: From the kit I've read about some accuracy issues with the kit (cockpit depth, radio hatch) but I just wanted a relatively quick build and this was great - lovely fit and detail and the decals were great too. Trumpeter P-40B_done (2) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Trumpeter P-40B_done (3) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Trumpeter P-40B_done (6) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Trumpeter P-40B_done (8) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Trumpeter P-40B_done (10) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Thanks for looking and stay safe. All the best, Dermot

This is the first finished build for the year. I picked this up at Hobby Lobby, excited about the new Airfix mold. I would highly recommend this kit, as the cockpit/interior is a dream to build. Not quite a weekend build, but start to finish was less than a week. Seriously, this kit was so much fun! Mark

Hi everyone A more accurate title would be Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 which is the "Side B" option of the Airfix boxing A05130. Flown by Flight Leader Robert Smith, 3rd Squadron, Kunming, China, 1942. I thought this was a very nice kit and I would make another (in fact I definitely will as I initially goofed up the shark's mouth decal, so I bought another kit which I will use in conjunction with an Xtradecal sheet featuring some interesting foreign operator schemes (Turkish, Syrian). Researching the colours was a challenge. There are lots of opinions about DuPont's interpretation of RAF camo. In the end I went with Airfix's suggestion of 119 for Matt Earth (approx DuPont 71-009) but Tamiya XF-13 for DuPont 71-013. I felt that Airfix's suggestion of 116 just seemed too dark. The model is pretty much OOB - I just added some photo-etched seatbelts and a gunsight. Desert dust effect courtesy of some weathering powders. DSC_0001_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr DSC_0003_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr DSC_0002_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr DSC_0005_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr DSC_0006_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr DSC_0007_small by Richard Coombe, on Flickr Cheers Richard C

This was a short project to relax for a while! I finished the 1/72 Airfix Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 as a P-40B AVG machine, basically out of the box. I only added break lines, PE iron sights, simulated the canvas interior of the wheel wells and opened the cockpit. Nice that the kit provides the correct pitot tube. I had some fitting issues around the cowl, but nothing really serious. I used the kit decals, correcting only the colors ans corners of the sharkmouth. I issued the camo patron on Tamiya masking tape from the excellent Osprey AVG publication. Hard camo edges make this task easier. The pilot figure comes from the Hasegawa WWII pilots set. Hope that you like it. Marco

Curtiss P-40B Warhawk 1:48 Airfix via T7 Models First flying before the outbreak of WWII, the Warhawk was a development of the P-36 Hawk, and although it was never the fastest fighter in the sky, it was a sturdy one that took part in the whole of WWII in American and Allied hands, with a lot being used by Soviet pilots in their battles on the Eastern front. The various marks garnered different names such as Tomahawk and Kittyhawk, so it can get a mite confusing if you're not familiar with the type. It wasn't able to keep pace with the supercharged Bf.109, but was used to great effect in the Far East and Africa, which may have assisted in the feeling that it was a second-string aircraft of inferior design, when this actually wasn't the case – certainly not to the extend inferred. It was robust, cheap to make, and easy to repair, although its high altitude performance dropped off somewhat. The early marks were under-armed with just two .50 guns firing through the prop from the top of the engine cowling and a pair of .303s in the wings, but later models benefitted from improved armament. The B model that is the subject of this kit was a revision of the initial airframe with lessons learned from early production, self-sealing fuel tanks and armour in critical parts of the airframe, although this extra weight did have an impact on performance. It wasn't until the –F model that the Allinson engine was replaced by a license built Merlin that gave it better high altitude performance. The Kit A new tooling from Airfix, this is a welcome early model Warhawk that was used in China by the American Volunteer Group (AVG) before the US entered into WWII, as well as at Pearl Harbour in 1941 when a few aircraft managed to get airborne during the carnage inflicted by the Japanese sneak attack that brought American into the war. Airfix have come on in leaps and bounds since they were bought by Hornby some years ago, and their kits are much improved from those of yore, with lots of extra detail without affecting prices too profoundly. The kit arrives in one of Airfix's striking red boxes, and inside you find three sprues of mid-grey styrene, plus one of clear, and a compact decal sheet, with of course the by-now-familiar limited colour instruction booklets that also have the painting and decaling guide on the rear. A long look over the sprues shows some nice detail, although the panel lines aren't the finest, but should look well under a couple of coats of paint and primer. This is one of the new Made in England products that was manufactured in Blighty as well as being designed in the UK, and that is evident by the change in plastic colour, as well as the style of the moulding. The clear parts also look to be an improvement over recent kits, which has got to be good news. You get a nicely detailed cockpit, a pilot figure, the option of open or closed cooling flaps on the engine, raised or lowered landing gear, using alternative parts for the legs, tyres and doors, a choice of open or closed canopy, as well as a choice of windscreen styles. All good so far. Construction starts with the cockpit, which is built up on a portion of the centre-section of the wing, shows the front of a fuel tank behind the pilot's seat, a detailed front bulkhead, and a pair of side walls that have a latticework of ribs and stringers on which the various ancillary controls are suspended. The instrument panel is suspended on the sidewalls, and a decal is included to detail the dials, with no background colour to complicate your paint choice. The optional pilot figure is a squat fellow with separate arms, and should fit within the cockpit without any fettling, but test that supposition before you get too far with the build. The fuselage halves have ribbing moulded-in, some of which will be seen thought the radio hatch if you elect to leave it open. There's no detail inside other than the ribbing however, so it seems little more than an invitation for an aftermarket provider to make a radio set. The cockpit interior is glued into the fuselage whilst upside down, and once set up and upright the intakes for the chin scoop are added, terminating with a nose-ring at the front. This then allows the fuselage halves to mate firmly, after which the final part of the chin-scoop ducting is added at the tip of the nose. Two sections of the sprue are left in the nose until this point too, in order to give the assembly more rigidity during assembly. These are cut out when the fuselage is set in order to accommodate the gun-trough inserts and gun fairings. The large wing fairings are moulded as separate parts, and are added to the fuselage before the wings are built up, slotting into a keyed area on the side. The lower wing is full span as you would expect, and into this is placed a single piece that performs the combined task of providing the fabric-lined wheel bay inserts and adding a little structural rigidity to the wing. The assembly then slots into the bottom of the fuselage leading-edge first, engaging a pair of tabs into the corresponding slots, which is a nice touch. The upper wings and the "knuckle" fairings of the landing gear bays are then added, as are the tail plane, followed by the separate elevators and rudder parts, which are posable. The instructions helpfully give you maximum deflection angles for each surface, which will help you get them looking right. A choice of open or closed cowling flaps is next, simply by choosing the appropriate part. Next you need to choose whether to model your Warhawk with the wheels up or down, which affects your choice of parts for the next few steps. Wheels up includes a closed tail-wheel door, partial depth main wheels and main struts, plus closed bay doors, such as they are. The gear down option has single-part struts with a retraction leg, with additional struts added for extra strength, and open bay doors that fit into place with good-sized contact areas. The wheels are separate from the hubs, and have a slightly over-done flat patch at the bottom to simulate the weight of the airframe on the pneumatic tyres. The prop is supposed as a single part that fits into a five-part spinner/axle that glues into the larger hole in the front of the fuselage, and requires you to be careful with the glue if you want to keep it spinning. The exhaust stacks and wing-mounted guns sit into their respective slots, and a choice of straight or cranked pitot probes slot into a hole in the port wingtip. The final task is to fit the pilot's armoured glazing before adding a choice of windscreen parts, and the rear-view panels that cause some much fuss over the colour of the panels behind it. Then you have a choice of open or closed canopy parts, after which you're done. Markings There are two markings options in the box for this model, both of which are quite well-known if you have an interest in the early war exploits of American fighter pilots. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. From the box you can build one of the following: P-40B flown by 2nd Lt. George Welch, 47th Pursuit Squadron, 15th Pursuit Group, Wheeler Field, Oahu, Hawaii, 7th December 1941 – Olive drab over Compass Grey, with the old style US Star roundels. Hawk 81-A-2 flown by Flight Leader Robert "R T" Smith, 3rd Squadron, Kunming, China, June 1942 – Dark green and light earth camouflage over camouflage grey undersides, wearing the Republic of China roundel and fuselage art showing a winged tiger. Conclusion An appealing kit of an aircraft that doesn't get the recognition it perhaps deserves. It looks like a pleasant build to boot. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

1/48 scale, OD/Neutral Grey. Mostly OOB. Comments welcome.

Flying Tigers P-40B/C AFV Club 1:144 The American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" 1937-1942 In April, 1937, Claire L. Chennault, then a captain in the United States Army Air Corps, retired from active duty and accepted an offer from China for a three month mission to make a confidential survey of the Chinese Air Force. At that time China and Japan were on the verge of war and the fledgling Chinese Air Force was beset by internal problems and torn between American and Italian influence. This was the beginning of Chennault's stay in China which did not terminate until 1945 at the close of World War II. Chennault's combat and other experiences between 1937 and 1941 in China laid the ground work for the organization of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) in 1941 which consisted of volunteer pilots and ground crew; from the U.S. Army Air Corps, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines (note - these airmen had to resign from the U.S. Forces and were then employed by China into the Chinese Air Force as civilians). By the time of America's entry into the war in early December 1941, the AVG's personnel, with 100 Curtiss P-40B Warhawk aircraft had been formed into three combat squadrons. These Warhawks were part of an order that had initially been placed for the Royal Air Force; however, the RAF considered the P-40B to be obsolescent and an agreement was made for the P-40B's to go to China and the RAF to get later model P-40D variants. The Flying Tigers' role was a very short-lived one (although their name and feats were used and re-used throughout the war), lasting from only December 1941 until 4th July 1942 when they were disbanded and replaced by the China Air Task Force of the United States Army Air Forces. During this short period, the AVG The Kit There are only two sprues to be found within this package. The main sprue, in a light olive green plastic, holds all (ten) of the main components of the model except the canopy. The second sprue is in clear plastic and holds a single canopy piece. These are enclosed in a clear plastic bag that is attached to a card backing; on which is printed the assembly instructions on one side, plus a painting and marking guide on the other side. There is no cockpit detail whatsoever, with just and open area but I would envisage that some aftermarket producer; perhaps Brengun or Retrowings, might produce a detail set sometime in the future? One can hope. The large air intake, situated under the nose of the fuselage, is closed although it shouldn't take more than a couple of drill holes and some cutting to open out the fairing. Detail on the kit, in terms of panel lines, ailerons and fuel/ammunition covers etc. is good but fine; therefore care should be taken when painting, especially if brush painting as these areas could be lost under layers of primer and topcoats. There are a couple of sink-holes on the upper wings, one on each close to where the wing attaches to the fuselage. There is one small aspect of the kit's production which is unusual and that is the model has a pair of mainwheels, for a wheels-down setting, but the tailwheel is fitted into the fuselage in the raised position. This means that a tail-wheel will need to be crafted by the modeller if they wish to depict the aircraft on the ground. The canopy is a single piece casting and looks to be simple but nicely detailed. The canopy frames are so narrow that only with real care and masking would prevent slipping onto the clear glass when painting. Don't let that put anyone off though, the frames do look correctly proportioned; it is just the diminutive size of this model that may cause concern on painting and detailing. Decals The decals provided for this kit are produced in Taiwan, although I have seen a set on-line (kit No. AR 14401) which are produced in Italy, possibly by Cartograf?. The set with this kit is not to the standard of the Italian set (this kit is actually marked AR 144S01) and only comes with enough decals for a single aircraft; that of code 68 of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron "Hells Angels" of the American Volunteer Group and piloted by Charles H. Older. You will have to trust me when I state that there are two 68's on the sheet below. The white of the decals matches the background causing them to blend. Colour details are provided on the back of the card packaging FS specifications with matching details for Hobby Color and Mr Color paints. Conclusion I would describe this kit as a simple affair that will not take much effort to assemble into a decent but basic model of the Hawk 81A2/P-40B Warhawk; however, having said that, I think this kit is a good foundation to build a better model. The cockpit area could be built up and enhanced with some plastic sheet and then painted; plus the intake could be hollowed out, providing a little more detail etc. The detail is good and, with the addition of camouflage and the decals, this should build into a nice addition to the WW2 family of fighter aircraft in 1:144 scale. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

Hi all,thought I would join in with a simple OOB build of Airfix,s Tomahawk after one fell into my trolley today in Aldi,Now this kit has defeated me twice since it was released so hopefully third time lucky,I had a rumage in the spare decals box and have a set of AVG decals as well as the desert scheme in the box but I think I can cobble together decals to build a 26 sqn machine based in the UK at Gatwick just waiting for colour confirmation in the discussion section.

Hello everyone! Here I am again! This time I'll guide you through the whole building process that will end up in the completed model of a Curtiss 81A-2 or the famous P40B. I'm not sure about the site policy on using images from the internet, but if I broke any of the rules, please let me know ASAP and I'll remove them. History: This aircraft became a legend after being used by the American Volunteers Group (AVG) in China circa 1941-42, in combat against the Japanese forces. This group was later known as the Flying Tigers and the Disney Studios even designed a logo for them, but in most of the cases they displayed just the flying tiger, without the "V"and the circle. Flying Tigers emblem (internet) During this period, the China government gave a scarf for every pilot fighting in China called "Blood Chit" and was written in Chinese characters the following: "This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue and protect him". Blood Chit issued to AVG members (R. E. Baldwin Collection, via Wikipedia) I'll try to represent the aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant Charles "Chuck" Older, squadron leader of the 3rd Squadron called "Hell Angels", his plane was the "white 68". 3rd Squadron Hells Angels Squadron Leader, Flight Lieutenant Charles H. Older. Charles Older with his aircraft. 2nd aircraft in the row is #68 being refuelled. In this photo taken by R.T.Smith on the 28th May 1942 near Salween River Gorge, we can see: #68 flown by Arvid Olson, #46 flown by Bob Prescot, #49 flown by Tom Hayward, #24 flown by Ken Jernstedt, and #74 flown by Link Laughlin (B. Smith). This photograph was taken by Robert T. Smith in #77, on 28th May 1942. The shot includes: #68 flown by Arvid Olson, #46 flown by Bob Prescot and #24 flown by Ken Jernstedt (B. Smith). #68 showing the starboard side. Flight leader Robert "Duke" Hedman in Tomahawk #68 in 25th December 1941. He was accredited with destroying 4 x Ki-21 "Sallys" and 1x Ki-43 "Oscar" on this date, thus becoming America's first "Ace in a day". Cockpit detail of #68. For this project I'll use the excellent Airfix A01003 Curtis Hawk 81A-2 in 1/72nd scale. (All photos from now on are mine, except when noted). Box front. Box back and painting scheme. Decal sheet for one version only but lots os stencils provided. Clear parts for closed canopy only Instruction sheet #1/4 Instruction sheet #2/4 Instruction sheet #3/4 Instruction sheet #4/4 Sprue A Sprue B Detail under wings Nicely done engraved panel lines. The overall fit seems to be very good. Now, let's start! Beginning with the cockpit interior. I've painted all interior parts (cockpit, wheel's bays, etc) in Interior Green, since I use acrylics Tamiya Paints, I've mixed 2 parts XF3 (Yellow) + 1 part XF5 (Green) for my interior green. I airbrushed all the parts and after dry I brush painted details with XF1 (Flat Black) and let it completely dry before giving it a coat of Tamiya Panel Accent Wash (brown). Removed the excess after dried using Tamiya thinner X20 and a brush. Cockpit walls painted interior green (XF3:2+XF5:1) and details picked with XF1. Details of the decal for the instruments panel. I did change the manual hydraulic pump lever to suit the scale. This is the kit original seat, after reviewing my references I've noticed that the seat wasn't round but flat on top (see the photography showing the #68 cockpit detail above). Here is the seat corrected. The instruction calls for interior green for the seat, but all my references shows an aluminium colour instead. I've painted using XF16 (Flat Aluminium). I've done some weathering by dry brushing with aluminium. I've also picked the 2 front .50 machine guns stocks over the panel sides. I've added an Eduard PE seat belts. USAF WWII Eduard PE seat belts in place. Joined the fuselage halves and little was to put putty on. The exception is the gap just behind the seat and I still need to remove putty to place the head rest. Another view showing how good the joints are. Almost no putty was used. I've glued the wings in place. Very nice fit with not much filling needed. Next I moved to the spinner. It is missing the panel lines since this piece is made of three parts, the bottom and middle section connects to sandwich the propellers, and then the top. I've used a very simple technique, just place a micro saw between a book to the desired height and than move the part against the blade. Move the blade to another height and repeat the process. Simple like that! Here is the final part. I've added the cooling slats, the kit has the option of open or closed. I also installed the radiator cover. It required a little bit of putty, but nothing to scare! Here is the motor cover in place, a little bit of sanding to match the parts. I've also decided to open the exhausts. It is a very simple thing to do with micro drills and it really enhances the model appearance. On the left side is the part with the holes opened and on the right is the original part. I've worked on painting (Tamiya Matt Brown) some parts here the exhausts and the tires hub, I've just used the colour that was in the airbrush here since there is a decal covering everything. Painted the tires using Tamiya Rubber Tires. The propeller received a first cover of Tamiya Matt Yellow (XF3), then it will be masked off to paint with Matt Black. Corrected the rudder horn Another view of the horn Inserted the needles "machine guns" in the nose... ... and the wings Just a "mug" photo Pre-shade done, model is read for painting, underside ..... .... and upper side Landing gear painted, using Tamyia XF19 Sky Grey Painted the disc breaker in XF19 Sky Grey Propeller painted in XF1 matt Black Wheels centre come in a separated piece which helps to paint and detail, in this case the decals is in place Now I'll weather the sub-assemblies and start thinking about the painting.