opus999 Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Curtiss Hawk H-81A-2 (P-40B) | 1/72 | Airfix American Volunteer Group, 3rd Pursuit Squadron -- Charles Older, Pilot -- 1942 I finished this on November 17th, 2019. This is the P-40B flown by Charles Older in the Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group). I was very excited about this build as I'd never done a Flying Tiger before. When I was a kid, it seemed like most of my friends had P-40 Flying Tiger models, and I somehow never got around to it. The P-40 is one of my favorite fighters, but until a few years ago, I really didn't know much about the early B and C models. Reading about them in one of my Dad's aviation history magazines, I discovered that the P-40B/C is my favorite model of the P-40. I think it's the sleek looking nose. So this has been a fun build for me. Charles Older was a member of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron ("Hells Angels"), having earned his wings in the US Marine Corps and subsequently resigning his commission to join the Flying Tigers. He was the 3rd highest scoring ace in the Flying Tigers. After the AVG was disbanded, he flew P-51s as deputy commander of the 23rd fighter group. He left the Air Force a Lt. Colonel with 18 confirmed victories and 5 probables. He went on to become a lawyer and Judge in the state of California. His most famous trial as judge was that of mass-murderer Charles Manson. This kit was a terrific kit to put together. I had no fit problems to speak of, except that the piece with the guns and intake on top was slightly smaller than it should've been, requiring a little sanding and re-scribing. The decals are inaccurate: The roundels are a little too light and the starboard Hell's Angel is facing the wrong way and has the wrong leg positioning. WIP is here. Special thanks to @ArmouredSprue for the Academy decals which have the correct starboard Hell's Angel and to @Corsairfoxfouruncle for weathering advice and some info about P-40 gas cap colors! Finishing: Seams filled with CA (superglue) Paints: Mr. Surfacer 1500 black primer > Mr.Color 311 (FS36622) gray underside, and Mr. Color 310 (FS30219) Brown / 2 parts FS34092 and 1 part FS34079 (Model Master Enamel) topside Decals: Kit decals except for Hell's Angel on starboard side, wheel hubs and underside roundels from the Academy kit. Weathering/Wear: Tamiya weathering pastels (black) > white oil paint dot filtering and tan pastels for dust effects > oil staining and dirt streaks with Black and Burnt Umber watercolor Paints > Chips with Testors Chrome enamel applied with a spotter brush Thanks for looking! Questions, Comments and constructive criticism welcome! 38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Excellent work on the AVG Tiger ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredSprue Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Astounding build (WIP) and finished model to the highest standard. Very well done my friends. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted December 3, 2019 Author Share Posted December 3, 2019 18 hours ago, ArmouredSprue said: Astounding build (WIP) and finished model to the highest standard. Very well done my friends. Cheers Thank you Paulo! Thanks also for the assist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 I agree, it is a nice kit. You've done an awesome job of it. Well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 A fine result, and a great set of photos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Mc Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Very nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted December 3, 2019 Author Share Posted December 3, 2019 4 hours ago, Eric Mc said: Very nice. 4 hours ago, clive_t said: A fine result, and a great set of photos Thank you guys! I'm glad you like the photos too, I've been trying to improve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Excellent build, thanks for weathering info, very useful. Wulfman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Very neat. The pastels make for some subtle and realistic weathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Very nice indeed. I built one a month or so ago and thought it was excellent. Yours puts my effort to shame though! Thanks for the tip on the underwing roundels I'll have to change mine too i think. Great job all round. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiton Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Very good looking model. Very realistic weathering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now