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A Hawk for Two - 1/72 TP-40N


Tweener

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I fear quarantine has finally caught up to me and left me fit for the madhouse.

 

While I finish tracking down the paints for a 1/72 Texan in Brazilian Markings courtesy of Tim and finish painting a 1/72 Mustang in Guatemalan Markings courtesy of Herb, I've decided to crack into what I expect will be a years-long endeavor.

Having recently done more reading on the later marks of the ever-beautiful P-40, I came across a few more photos of the TP-40 models, both K and N, and somehow decided making a TP-40N starting from the Academy kit didn't seem all that difficult. So then, of course, I chose to make it difficult.

 

And expensive.

 

And time consuming.

 

As only a modeler could.

 

I stumbled back across Super Model of Polands fine website and began to take inventory of just how much aftermarket I could work into the build, from flaps and gear doors to engines and radios, and even bomb racks and machine gun bays. With some wheels, stencils, and control surfaces for good measure, I've gotten to work. Now I just need new cockpit parts, exhaust pipes, pilot figures, and resin wheel bays from Aires. Perhaps a new pitot and gun barrels will even find their way to the bench. 

 

PART flaps were chosen because they're vastly more detailed (and easier to use) than the ones Verlinden provide. 

 

Seeing a Hasegawa P-40N for cheap, I picked it up to make use of some of the leftover parts from the Verlinden set that won't find their way into this build, as a dry run to get more experience with resin and PE. Expect to see that in an Olive / NG Brazilian Scheme eventually.

Once the Academy kit arrives, I'll be able to make more visible progress than just cleaning resin parts and opening access panels.

 

For now, the parts:

TP-40N 1/72

 

TP-40N 1/72 TP-40N 1/72 TP-40N 1/72 TP-40N 1/72 TP-40N 1/72 TP-40N 1/72

 

Wish me luck!

Stay Healthy,

Tweener

Edited by Tweener
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On 9/12/2020 at 3:59 AM, Hook said:

Pulling up a chair!

Might want to make it a recliner, this could be a while! :)

On 9/12/2020 at 4:15 AM, Lewis95 said:

Well this looks like it could be fun! 

It's already been a lot of fun, I'm hoping to get a few photos up today. The engine is already mostly painted and ready for install, and the radio bay has been constructed. I just need to figure out if the bay was painted Zinc Chromate Green or Yellow.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 4:46 AM, Jackson Duvalier said:

Are you done yet?

5 Hours, 5 Months, or 5 Years, that is the question! 😆

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A first update!

Most of the progress has so far been focused on the wings - specifically the wheel bays and gun bays.

I ultimately decided not to buy the Aires resin wheelbays, fearing for the strength of the wing, and used the center section of the Verlinden part after cutting out the roof of the bays. The final shape isn't fully accurate, but the depth is, and the more restrained detail of the PE looks far better IMO.

TP-40N Wing Progress

 

The bad news is that the replacement flaps by PART simply did not fit, and even if they had, were too fragile to be much use. They were discarded, and so the immediate future of the build is uncertain. Worse, even though I have thinned the parts as much as I can without damaging them, I can't mount the top wing part over the gun bay. I think I'll have to remove the bay, thin the bottom wing, and reattach it, but I'm not optimistic about the chances of removing the bay without ruining it. 

 

In better news, I chose to use the basic Academy fuselage instead of the LF Resin piece, as it's easier to work with and fits better with the wing. The engine is attached, and now I just need to scratch the alternate air intake filter box and attach it to fill a gap between the end of the engine part and the inside of the nose. The radio bay has been added as well, and once I get the base color down, the radio itself will be installed. 

I think the next step will be to detail the landing gear legs and attach the PE hubcaps to the wheels. From there I think I will take a break to finish the Hasegawa P-40 and Airfix P-51.

 

Stay healthy, and wish me luck!
Tweener

 

 

 

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Good luck, Tweener!  The Verlinden wheel bay detail looks good, and the gun bay looks right.  Hope you can make it go without grinding holes in anything.

 

Have you considered using the spinner and windscreen from the Hasegawa kit?  They look better than Academy's efforts and fit perfectly.  

 

I have a stalled Academy P-40M/N in inventory, I tried putting in Aires wheel bay castings and Eduard flaps.  As I recall the flaps fit very well into the modified Academy plastic, but were difficult enough to fold and glue that I lost momentum.  I'd certainly recommend them and use them again, now that I have the feel for how to fold them. 

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13 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

Good luck, Tweener!  The Verlinden wheel bay detail looks good, and the gun bay looks right.  Hope you can make it go without grinding holes in anything.

 

Have you considered using the spinner and windscreen from the Hasegawa kit?  They look better than Academy's efforts and fit perfectly.  

 

I have a stalled Academy P-40M/N in inventory, I tried putting in Aires wheel bay castings and Eduard flaps.  As I recall the flaps fit very well into the modified Academy plastic, but were difficult enough to fold and glue that I lost momentum.  I'd certainly recommend them and use them again, now that I have the feel for how to fold them. 

I'd spent a couple minutes looking for the Eduard set last night and couldn't find them... I may just have to find some way to make them from plastic card, or I may just have to build the kit without them. Neither seem like exciting options... The other thing I could do is simply plug the gaps with plastic card and use the slightly oversize bottom flap piece from the Verlinden set. The inside of the wing would lack detail, but worse things could happen.

 

Thanks, Tweener

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A quick rummage revealed that I attempted to use Eduard set 72-386 for the Hasegawa P-40N... curious how the Hasegawa bits fit so perfectly with the Academy parts.

 

Looks like that part may no longer be supported.  Seems Special Hobby's P-40N is the new Chosen One. 

 

I'm not enough of a P-40 fan to know offhand whether the flaps could be partially dropped, but if so that might be an option.

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7 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

A quick rummage revealed that I attempted to use Eduard set 72-386 for the Hasegawa P-40N... curious how the Hasegawa bits fit so perfectly with the Academy parts.

 

Looks like that part may no longer be supported.  Seems Special Hobby's P-40N is the new Chosen One. 

 

I'm not enough of a P-40 fan to know offhand whether the flaps could be partially dropped, but if so that might be an option.

I've seen a set of the Hasegawa flaps on Ebay, may have to give those a go...

 

In the meantime I'm taking it easy and finishing my Academy P-40E and Hasegawa P-40N.

HASP-40N

 

I've added a Verlinden resin cockpit and Quickboost resin exhausts to the P-40N and may yet had the extra Marabu bomb racks once I decide on a scheme. I may go with one of the options from the Academy 40N, or if not, it'll be an RCAF Kittyhawk IV from 1946.

 

Thanks, Tweener

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  • 2 months later...

More progress has finally been made. In the fuselage, the rear bulkhead, rear sidewalls, and radio bay have been added and are being painted. The new (radiator?) seen on P-40M and N has been added from a piece of card, and soon, the front sidewalls will take their place as well. 

 

On the wings, the gun and ammo bays have been reinstalled in a better way that allows the wings to fit together better. Additionally, some filling and sanding has taken place, and now some lines need to be scribed, which I've yet to ever do. Hopefully that can be delayed for a while, but then I expect this build will take years either way.

TP-40N Wing Progress

 

That's all for this time,

Tweener 

Edited by Tweener
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