Special Hobby P-40N Warhawk - 1:72 Special Hobby

[Paul A H]

P-40N Warhawk

1:72 Special Hobby

 

 

The Curtiss P-40N Warhawk was a single seat fighter that could trace its roots back to the radial engined P-36 Hawk first flown in 1938. It ranked amongst the most widely produced US fighters of the war, with more than 13,000 rolling off the production line. A popular aircraft with its pilots, the P-40 earned a reputation as a manoeuvrable yet tough aircraft. The P-40N was the last major production variant. The fuselage behind the cockpit was stretched to counter the torque of the more powerful engine. In an effort to reduce weight, the number of .50 cal machine guns was reduced from six to four, but was later increased to six following feedback from pilots. In Commonwealth service it was known as the Kittyhawk Mk.IV

 

This is an all-new kit from Special Hobby, unrelated to the P-40F released in 2008. Inside the top-opening box are three sprues of grey plastic, a small clear sprue and a sheet of decals (plus a small extra 'addendum' sheet. Gone is the fret of photo etch parts, indicating Special Hobby's continued progress towards the mainstream. The parts are all well detailed and crisply moulded, although the panel lines are a little heavy here and there, particularly on the fuselage sides and lower wing surface. Altogether there are over 70 parts.

 

 

 

 

Cockpit detail is very good indeed. The cockpit sidewalls are moulded separately to the fuselage and feature crisp, clear details. The pilot's seat, armour and bulkhead are all moulded separately, as is the instrument panel and control column. The floor of the cockpit is moulded in place on the part that joins the upper wing halves, but this does not particularly compromise detail, particularly in this scale. Aside from the cockpit, the only other item that has to be assembled before the fuselage halves can be joined is the radiator, which is made up from three different parts. The lower wing, just like the upper wing,  is moulded in one piece. The main landing gear bays are made up of a plastic square part which sandwiches between the wing halves to give convincing depth and detail. Two different main gear wheels are provided, so make sure you select the correct version for the particular aircraft you wish to build. The tail wheel is moulded in one piece. 

 

Once the wing has been joined to the fuselage, you can add the remaining control surfaces. The horizontal tail planes are solid parts, while the rudder is moulded separately to the vertical tail. The engine exhaust pipes are moulded separately to the fuselage and can be added from the outside of the fuselage, which is a major plus when it comes to the painting stage. Two sets of cooling gills are provided; one open and one closed. The propellor is moulded with all three blades as one part which, once painted, can be sandwiches between the front and rear parts of the spinner. A choice of two different drop tanks are provided, along with a bomb for the centerline pylon. The transparent parts are beautifully thin and clear and the sliding part of the canopy is moulded separately to the windscreen. Two different parts are provided depending on whether you wish to finish the canopy in the open or closed positions. 

 

 

The decal sheet provides for three options:
⦁    Curtis P-40N-5, 49th Fighter Group, 7th Fighter Squadron, Gusap, New Guinea, 1944. This aircraft is finished in Olive Drab over Neutral Grey with a white tail;
⦁    Curtis P-40N-5 "Butter Bean II", 80th Fighter Group, 89th Fighter Squadron, Nagaghuli, Assam, India, 1944. This aircraft is finished in Olive Drab over Neutral Grey;
⦁    Curtis P-40N "Snafu", No. 120 Squadron, ML/KNIL/RNEIAAF, 72nd Air Defence Wing, RAAF, Mokmer Biak, New Guinea, 1945. This aircraft is finished in Olive Drab over Neutral Grey; and
⦁    Curtis P-40N "Snafu", No. 120 Squadron, ML/KNIL/RNEIAAF, 2VB Andir, Dutch East Indies, 1947. This aircraft is finished in Olive Drab over Neutral Grey.

 

 

 

The decals themselves are nicely printed and look glossy and opaque.

 

Conclusion

 

Airfix have already provided us with a nice early Warhawk, so it's good to see Special Hobby cover the later Warhawk with this new kit. It is both more detailed and more complex when compared to the Airfix kit, and is all the better for it. It should build up into a pleasing model, particularly if you acquire some of the not-inconsiderable resin sets that CMK have released alongside the kit. Recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of 

[Andre B]

Is this the ultimate "Sky Captain P-40N" ?

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/12349/were-any-of-the-aircraft-in-sky-captain-and-the-world-of-tomorrow-based-on-rea

 

Cheers / André