New Airfix. The Good....P-40B

[Properjob56]

Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk IIA/ Hawk 81-A-2

 

This is my build of the Airfix 1/72 kit first issue (#AO1003) with the Flying Tigers decals.

 

No flash, no moulding defects, no fit issues save the rudder and side glazing, decals were good. Paints used were Hu.28 for the undersides , Hu.119 for the brown topside colour with Airfix M3 ( Yes, you read that right) for the green. Engraved detail was sharp and its depth appropriate. Nose inserts were slightly off needing some sanding to be rid of small steps. Similarly the wing/fuselage join had a small step which needs eliminating.

 

Comments

Assembly.                                                                                                                                        a) The undercarriage legs in my kit were, surprisingly, a very loose fit to the wing. Thus, and contrary to the usual advice for recent Airfix kits, give them several coats of paint to try and tighten them up.                                                                                                                            b) The pitot tubes for AVG Tomahawks are of the kinked design, not the straight rod the instructions would have you use.                                                                                                    c) I assumed the aerial wire was the usual rudder to both wing tips, a feature of the P-40/P-36 range. Again, references were unclear as to whether there was, additionally,  a central wire from rudder to top of the fuselage. Some showed it, others didn’t. I left well alone as there was no definitive contemporary photo of the plane with it fitted.

 

Decals and Colour Scheme

The major error in the decals is the ‘Hells Angel’ figure. It should be depicted as walking to the rear on the starboard side and the legs are in a different position to the one on the port side. I didn’t know until too late and so it’s the Airfix decal unaltered.                                                Similarly, the shark mouth should be coloured inside with a light blue on this particular aircraft.                                                                                                                                    Stencils are included on the decal sheet but some are so small as to be, for me, impossible to work with. Consequently 2 are lost

Colours on the Tomahawks of the AVG are extensively discussed on this site and elsewhere.                                                                                                                                        a) For convenience, I’ve kept to the Airfix recommendations, on the assumption they are for an aircraft whose colours are weathered by the tropical sun but recognising that the underside grey should have a blue tint and the roundels on the underside should be in a much darker blue than the sun drenched roundels on the topside.                                                                 b) Curtiss interior green was depicted by, ironically, Nakajima interior green from the Colourcoats range (ACJ04) as being the closest to the actual colour.                                                            c) I’d run out of my go-to Dark Green, Hu.116, but found, tucked away, an old, unopened tin of Airfix M3. I opened it, not expecting much, and to my surprise it was perfect. That tin must have been purchased in the mid ‘60’s and so is 55 years old. It’s followed me round the country with all my many house moves. Amazing.                                                                                 d) At the last minute,ie today, I found a contemporary photo showing one of the AVG planes where the rear of the propeller was natural metal. Investigating, it seems that factory fresh USAAF planes had props with natural metal and maroon on their rear sides but as these were delivered to the British where they were fitted out, I left mine as black and presumed the photo showed an exception to the rule 🤷🏻‍♂️.                                                                                  

 

In short, an excellent kit with all the detail you could reasonably expect. There’s certainly no need for AM stuff save to get the right decals. All the other issues I’ve listed can be easily rectified.    The only kit I can compare it to from my own experience is the Hasegawa P-40N, moulded decades ago .... and it shows. How Airfix make kits as good as this for the price is alchemy.

 

Recommended to all without reservation

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Properjob56

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Good looking Tiger. 

[Winenut]

Nice Tiger!

 

Everyone should have one of these in the cabinet

 

Such an iconic aircraft and scheme

 

Well done

[Toryu]

That's a nice job. I know the problem of building a model and finding out afterwards what should have been different... That's modeller's life!

The 'natural metal' prop blade rear is actually the former black colour sand-blasted away.

[kapam]

Well done!

It is a nice little kit - I did mine with Pearl Harbor paint and decals (aftermarket) and was pleased to see the latest Airfix re-issue is similar.

The colourful marking on yours really make it stand out, I must say.