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I was reminded of this chubby little fighter, which had rested in my stash for 25 years, when @Duncan B presented his fine build here last October. Although a (possibly better) Dora Wings product is anticipated I decided to launch my Hobbycraft relic now. Classic kits are my passion, and I wanted to finish before I was tempted to buy the newer model. 😀 There are not many options if you want to build an aluminium P-35 because it only equipped the three squadrons of 1st Pursuit Group. I chose the personal aircraft of Major Harold H. George, commander of 94th Pursuit Squadron at Selfridge Field in 1937, thanks to Duncan who was so generous to send me his remaining decals. The P-35 was the first all-metal cantilever single-seater in the US Army Air Corps, a somewhat inconsistent design with a colourful history but a hapless career which may have been the fault of Alexander Seversky himself (or Curtiss-Wright's impertinent influence on Materiel Command). The bird was fast, manoeuverable, climbed well and offered great visibility. Pilots generally liked it except for its tendency to ground-loop. The kit, on the other hand, is not inconsistent - it's perfectly imperfect. This is my third Hobbycraft build and I was rather satisfied with the previous ones. All of them had some parts that failed in scale, but this model is to 1/49 scale throughout - that's 2 mm less all around - save for the width of the fuselage which appears accurate 🤨. Besides, it has an insufficient rudder shape and not much detail. (Should I have tempered my passion and waited for Dora Wings?). The parts, however, are nicely molded and most fit well, and the panel lines deserve applause. I was very lucky to get hold of a copy of the May 2003 Scale Aviation Modeller which offers an excellent scale plan and to have secured the Eduard PE set when it was still obtainable. Without these benefits improvement opportunities would have been limited. Going ahead I concluded that this should be done - - Increase dimensions; I hesitated whether extending the wings was worth the effort, but it also served to create a double panel line (not present on the kit) and to add dihedral (too shallow). - Adjust the rudder by means of a home-cut PE insert plus putty; it's interesting to note that the kit's original bar & stripes decal matches the revised shape very well whereas all aftermarket decals are tailored to the former outline - Hobbycraft's printer outsmarted their tool maker! - Replace the engine (Vector R-1830) and the prop (surplus part from a Monogram TBD with some refinements). - Re-model the cowling (scale extension, half-open flaps, deeper gun troughs, correct panels). - Modify wheel wells and gear covers, in particular the undercarriage strut mounting (from a simple hole to the original pivot bracket). I added home-made girders and braces to SAC white metal struts. It was an endless trial and error cutting the struts and covers to make the model 'sit' right. - Scratch-build the cockpit with parts from the Eduard PE set; the P-35 cockpit was very roomy but appears unorganised and unergonomic by later standards. and more - - Move the razorback 2 mm rearwards; replace windscreen and canopy with vacu parts (Falcon set No. 32). - Modify the tailwheel and tailwheel housing. - Add position lights and other small features. - Use decals from various sources (Hobbycraft, Yellow Wings 48-051 and scrap box). The Indian Head insignia from 48-051 was enlarged by 50% via scan & print to match the original size. This may still be too small depending on which photo and angle you consider. Was it a wise decision to rely on this kit, then? It definitely surprised with more weaknesses than expected and tested my patience, but it was exciting to overcome these obstacles. I hope you like the result and feel encouraged to domesticate this little beast if you have it in your stash. Cheers, Michael References Air Corps, J.V. Mizrahi, Northridge, 1970 Air Enthusiast No.10, William Green / Gordon Swanborough, London, 1979 P-35, Mini In Action No.1, Larry Davis, Carrollton, 1994 From Seversky To Victory - Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt, Warren M. Bodie, Hiawassee, 1994 The Official Monogram US Army Air Service & Air Corps Aircraft Color Guide Vol.1, Robert D. Archer, Sturbridge, 1995 Scale Aviation Modeller Volume 9 Issue 5, Bedford, 2003 Wings of Stars - US Army Air Corps 1919-1941, On Target Special No.6, Peter Freeman and Mike Starner, Ardington, 2009 From Silver Wings to Yellow Wings → follow this link

This Boeing P-26 of the 17th Pursuit Group's headquarter section was my first exhibit for Britmodeller. It is possibly the personal mount of the Deputy Group Commander, based at March Field, CA in the spring of 1935, shortly before the Peashooters were handed over to the 20th PG and the group became the 17th Attack Group. I decided to do a little upgrading on this fairly good Hobbycraft kit. Besides installing a Vector R-1340 engine and cockpit detail from Eduard (48 265) I replaced the prop blades (too short), the wheels (too narrow), the windscreen (too thick) and added hollow blast tubes, new carburettor intakes and a few more things. The following pictures show two other modifications: the additional covers around the rear of the cylinders and the gap between elevator and stabilizer (I removed, sanded and re-attached the elevators). To fix the rigging wires to the undercarriage I drilled through the fairings, rebuilt the tips with paper jackets and, after assembly, pulled Griffin Jewelry Wire through the wheel spats. (Two different grades of wire were used on the Peashooter). This method required an unusual approach of installing the wheels later. There is a couple of bugs that I spotted too late and didn't correct. The engine face plate appears a trifle too small, but it's a very nice piece and I wouldn't know how to change it apart from vacu-forming a completely new one. In hindsight it would have been easy to adjust the second small error, which is the position of the upper cable fairings on the inside of the wheel spats. They should be higher up towards the wing than shown in the instructions to have the wires go across more symmetrically. All 17th PG markings are home-made since they are not represented well on any decal sheet. Likewise, the available underwing 'ARMY' inscription (Starfighter Decals 4001), which is too wide across the span, needed to be applied letter by letter with less space in-between. Unfortunately my printer's color cartridge failed when I printed the group crest and I didn't get the texture as clear as I wanted. I thought the Matchbox 1930 Packard Victoria in 1/43 is an amusing complement to give a feeling for the era. You will notice the modified front. When I was 13 years old my father accidentally stepped on the car and broke the headlights - big drama! I hope you enjoy the pictures and my experience with the Hobbycraft kit is useful. Happy modelling! Michael References Boeing P-26A, Profile Publications No.14, Peter M. Bowers, Leatherhead Air Corps, J. V. Mizrahi, Northridge, 1970 Boeing P-26 "Peashooter", Aero Series No.22, Edward T. Maloney, Fallbrook, 1973 Boeing P-26 Variants, Aerofax Minigraph 8, Peter Bowers, Arlington, 1984 P-26, Mini in Action No.2, Larry Davis, Squadron Signal Publications, Carrollton, 1994 The Official Monogram US Army Air Service & Air Corps Aircraft Color Guide Vol.1, Robert D. Archer, Sturbridge, 1995 The P-26 has now been joined by the contemporary Kawasaki Ki-10 which I built as my contribution to the 'High Wing' groupbuild here. Both were active in China in the fall of 1937. While the Peashooter appears more advanced it was perhaps not as efficient and successful as the 'Perry'. With comparable performance ratios the Ki-10 was faster and climbed better. This juxtaposition is a fine illustration of the technology transition that occurred in the thirties.

I'm certainly not the only one whose enthusiasm for the Chance Vought F4U is as old as his modelling obsession. This is my latest Corsair from four years ago. BuNo. 02350 arrived on Guadalcanal on 12 February 1943 with VMF-124, the first Marine Corsair squadron in the theatre. As Black (later White) 13 it was assigned to Lt Ken Walsh, who claimed some of the 6 victories of his first tour in this aircraft. 2/Lt Kenneth A. Walsh - VMF 124 1/Lt James N. Cupp - VMF 213 When VMF-124 stood down for R&R in April their Corsairs were handed over to VMF-213 and this combat-hardened fighter started a second life with Lt James N. Cupp. Christened 'Daphne C' after his wife it was now identified as White 7. The faithful Corsair helped Cupp record his first two victories before it was retired in July 1943 when fresh F4Us arrived. The Hobbycraft kit is a reasonably good product for a start. I followed my practice of using what's available in the aftermarket* plus some scratch-building of propeller, wheel wells and air intakes. The dihedral of the outer wing section is too shallow and was increased, and the span of the tail is a bit too short (the original one as well as the CMK option) which I considered negligible and did not correct. The most difficult operation was fixing the landing flaps in the down position. Finally I added a little gimmick by making the upper cowling removable to access the engine for maintenance. I hope my efforts match the performance of this outstanding fighter. Thanks for looking, Michael * After-market parts of this build: Eduard upgrade set, CMK cockpit floor, Eduard cockpit details, Vector engine, Vector cowling ring, CMK control surfaces, True Details wheels, Quickboost undercarriage covers, Squadron canopy REFERENCES CHANCE-VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR, AERO SERIES NO.11, EDWARD T. MALONEY / UWE FEIST, FALLBROOK, 1967 CORSAIR ACES – THE BENT-WING BIRD OVER THE PACIFIC, WALTER A. MUSCIANO, NEW YORK, 1979 F4U CORSAIR IN COLOR, FIGHTING COLORS NO.3, JIM SULLIVAN, CARROLLTON, 1981 F4U CORSAIR, FREDERICK A. JOHNSON, JANE'S, TOKYO, 1983 CORSAIR ACES OF WORLD WAR 2, OSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES 8, MARK STYLING, LONDON, 1995 CORSAIR 1940-1970 – 30 YEARS OF FILIBUSTERING, BRUNO PAUTIGNY, PARIS, 2003 INTERIOR COLORS OF US AIRCRAFT 1941-45, MARTIN WALIGORSKI, IPMS STOCKHOLM ORG, 2005 MODELLING THE F4U CORSAIR, OSPREY MODELLING 24, BRETT GREEN, BOTLEY, 2005 THE VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR – A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE, MDF 18, RAFE MORRISSEY / JOE HEGEDUS, KINGSWAY, 2010 F4U CORSAIR WALK AROUND, DAVID DOYLE, CARROLLTON, 2011 VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR, WARPAINT SERIES NO.70, CHARLES STAFRACE, DENBIGH EAST