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Airfix 1/72 P-40B Tomahawk


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Here is my Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk IIB in 1/72nd scale.

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-06

 

 

This particular aircraft, GA-F, was flown by P.O. Neville Duke with 112 Sq, Fort Maddalena, Libya in 1941.

The Airfix kit box art:-

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-00

 

 

The following items were used:-

 

Kit is Airfix starter set A55101.

Kit Decals used.

MRP lacquer paints for main camouflage.

Tamiya paints for primer et.al.

Rub ’n Buff metal paste for the exhausts.

Quickboost resin propellor set QB 72 364.

SBS resin exhausts 72039.

Scratch-built bullet-proof screen and gunsight.

Replaced fuselage spine aerial with brass rod.

 

More Pictures of the finished article:-

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-01

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-02

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-03

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-04

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-05

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-07

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-08

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-09

 

 

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-10

 

 

 

As promised @stevehnz here is a photo of the bullet proof screen. You can just about see a blob of PVA glue on the top left corner.

I’m glad my eyes don’t have the resolution of my camera otherwise I’d never build another model!

P-40_GA-F_My_Airfix_Build_Done-11_Windscreen

 

 

 

What I learned from this build.

 

The spinner is red, not black as Airfix would have you believe.

This is typical Airfix starter set practice so they don’t need to supply red paint.

They also don’t supply stencil decals.

 

On the shark mouth decals I would cut the lip extensions off and apply them separately.

 

Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is fierce! Be careful how much you use and how hard you clamp your parts.

 

MRP paints spray beautifully if you can cope with the smell. Use a spray booth!

 

Don’t touch your decals after applying MicroSol until they are dried.

 

Cutting out canopy frame masking in situ is not easy. There’s gotta be a better way.

 

The carpet monster lives! I lost my landing light and had to use Micro Krystal Klear.

 

Do not use a hair dryer to dry paint on resin propellor blades. They warp!

 

Quickboost resin propellors are nice but the jigs are all but useless. The jig’s hole is nowhere near central and the blades on mine ended up angled back and I had to warm them up to straighten them.

I’d still use them, but they aren’t a huge improvement on the kits propellor imho.

 

SBS resin exhausts are very nice and well worth using.

 

Getting old sucks. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.

 

Above all else choose a subject to build that you love.

I made the mistake of picking this kit because although I appreciate the significance of the subject and it’s a lovely little kit, the P-40 isn’t an aircraft in which I’m all that interested. I thought I could rattle it off quickly to give myself a bit of practise because I wasn’t too bothered if I messed it up.

When I built my Airfix Spitfire 1a I was always really looking forward to seeing the finished product because I love Spitfires, so I had no problem getting down to it and built it in about three weeks..

With this P-40 I just wasn’t as passionate about the subject and consequently lost a lot of interest in it. Modellers block became a serious problem and going to my modelling desk became a bit of chore rather than a pleasure, hence the seven month build time.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I built it, I learned a lot and I’m very pleased with the result.

However, I have more than enough kits of subjects I do love so I’ll make sure I start with them first from now on.

Perhaps Special Hobby’s nice little Gnat F1. I have two of those so I can afford to mess it up.

 

Comments and criticism are very welcome.

Thanks for your interest everyone.

 

Regards,

 

Keith.

 

The build thread is here:-

 

My previous model Airfix Spitfire 1a DW-K is here:-

 

 

Edited by KeithR
Links added.
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3 hours ago, KeithR said:

Getting old sucks. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.

Yep.  Reading glasses for normal work and an Optivisor for details.  You my have found the model a chore but you have made it very, very nicely.

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I recently finished one of these and it fought me most of the way.  Maybe I should have bought the starter set?

 

I'm particularly impressed with your clear bits.  I've built two of these beasties so far and on neither one do the transparencies look as good as yours; the more recent one was masked and painted only to be stripped and re-masked-and-painted, then when that didn't turn out replaced by a second unit from an other kit... which also took two go-rounds of painting.  The windscreen doesn't fit all that well, either, but that's hard to tell on your lovely little P-40. 

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Many thanks for your kind comments @Jeddahbill, @Farmerboy, @2996 Victor, @SAT69, @ColinChipmunkfan, @Vinnie and @swralph.

It’s much appreciated and very encouraging.

 

 

On 15/01/2021 at 23:51, Natter said:

Reading glasses for normal work and an Optivisor for details.

Thanks Dave. I’ve got a cheapo set of lenses a bit like an Optivisor but found them a bit uncomfortable and the optical quality perhaps isn’t what it should be.

I use a prescription pair of glasses for general close work. For really close work I put a pair of +2.5 dioptre reading glasses on top of them.

Do you wear reading glasses under the Optivisor?  Any tips for which lens power to get?

 

 

On 16/01/2021 at 00:55, Jackson Duvalier said:

The windscreen doesn't fit all that well, either, but that's hard to tell on your lovely little P-40. 

Thanks @Jackson Duvalier. At the front of the cockpit sill there’s a step which lifts the canopy up too much. I trimmed that down a bit and the windscreen/canopy fitted much better.

I didn’t use any glue at the bottom of the windscreen. There’s a small gap but you have to look closely.

I had problems with the width of the fuselage initially and the canopy was too wide. When I corrected the fuselage width the canopy fitted much better.

My WiP gives more details.

 

 

On 16/01/2021 at 03:47, stevehnz said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the tidy bit of PVA on the windscreen, at the range I can focus on things, it would be invisible. :) 

Thanks Steve. It’s invisible to me too thankfully. Poor eyesight has its benefits. Cameras are very unforgiving.

 

 

On 16/01/2021 at 07:50, Homer said:

just finished its 1/48 scale brother looks great in desert colours 👍

Thanks @Homer. Have you posted any pics, I’d love to see how the 48th scale kit builds up?

 

 

On 16/01/2021 at 15:44, Toryu said:

Looks like it's gonna eat my desert Messerschmitt here.

Thanks @Toryu. I’ve had a look at your 109. That’s a fine model. I’m very impressed with your innovative solution to dihedral issues.

I was lucky with my Spitfire. I guessed how much extra dihedral to put on it in the hope that when it dried and relaxed it would be OK.

It was good luck rather than judgement that it was. I’ve no idea whether my P-40’s dihedral is OK.

Your fuselage extension is flawless. Brilliant.

Incidentally, how did you insert the one word link to your build where is say “here” in your post?

I’ve tried all sorts to no avail.

 

 

On 16/01/2021 at 18:13, Paulaero said:

Stunner, Neville Duke of Hunter fame no doubt.........

Thanks @Paulaero. Yes, Neville Duke’s the man. Quite a chap. He had a long and eventful career. Wikipedia has lots of interesting stuff on him.

Speaking of Hunters, I’ve got some of those………

 

Well, thanks very much to all you Britmodellers for your interest and encouragement. I couldn’t have done it without you.

What a great site this is. Happy modelling all!

 

Right…… Now where’s that Special Hobby Gnat F1 :)

 

Edited by KeithR
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35 minutes ago, KeithR said:

how did you insert the one word link to your build where is say “here” in your post

 

Thanks for your kind words ref. my 109.

 

The link is easy: Open the topic that you want to link, copy the www address, go to the topic you want the link in, double-click on 'here' (or any other word) to highlight it, click the little chain in the top tools line, a box opens to paste your link into, click 'insert in the post' - done! You may give it a different colour or not. It even works with photos.

 

Regarding the dihedral: If there is space enough between the wing parts I use a slightly different method by connecting both wing fillets with two parallel pieces of thread, inserting a little length of plastic in-between and turning the plastic so that the threads get tighter.

 

Good luck, Michael

 

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