1/72 P-40N Burma Banshees

[Madmaks]

My latest build is a 1/72 Academy P-40N built as "Miss Frances III" 10AF 80FG 89FS based out of Nagaghuli, Assam, India - The Burma Banshees.

 

Despite it's performance limitations the P-40N held its own in Africa and Asia. I have always liked the skull head nose art of the Burma Banshees. My previous Hasegawa build fell and broke and I decided to build the Academy kit this time around and hope to make a few more of these. 

 

Having now built the Hasegawa P-40N and the Special Hobby P-40F (which was surprisingly lacking), I found the Academy kit far better to build. I am not sure dimensionally which is more accurate but the Academy wins in my book for how well the parts went together. The instructions funnily leave out a part which is on the sprue but I did add it. 

 

The carpet monster got the pitot tube and till I can find it a metal pin will hold the fort. Paints are all Tamiya (Olive Drab and Neutral Grey) though I have started getting more partial to Vallejo Air. I gave it a Tamiya wash before sealing with dull coat. The decals have been cobbled together from three different sheets but the differences are too subtle to make out - at least for me. 

 

Thank you for stopping by. Comments are always welcome and makes one get better at the hobby 🤠

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for looking!

Edited November 20, 2021 by Madmaks
Spacing glitch

[stevehnz]

Nicely done, the camo looks good & your weathering shows up well. The Academy P-40N does make up nicely but there is something about its look that jars with me, the windscreen too tall & upright & maybe the spinner too big, nevertheless, you've made it look good. 👍

[Josip]

While more modern and detailed than Hasegawa, Academy kit just isn't true to the original. The fuselage spine, the spinner etc... 

[Madmaks]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Nicely done, the camo looks good & your weathering shows up well. The Academy P-40N does make up nicely but there is something about its look that jars with me, the windscreen too tall & upright & maybe the spinner too big, nevertheless, you've made it look good. 👍

Thanks Steve. Though I was disappointed with the special hobby P-40F kit, I understand their P-40N is really good. Maybe I need to try that out next.

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, Madmaks said:

Thanks Steve. Though I was disappointed with the special hobby P-40F kit, I understand their P-40N is really good. Maybe I need to try that out next.

I don't have the SH P-40F, though I've long thought about getting one. After reading this, I might just stay with the Airwaves resin noses for the Hasegawa P-40s I bought from Hannants years ago. I do hope the SH P-40N is a good un, I've a couple.   (it does review quite well.)

Steve.

[Madmaks]

4 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I don't have the SH P-40F, though I've long thought about getting one. After reading this, I might just stay with the Airwaves resin noses for the Hasegawa P-40s I bought from Hannants years ago. I do hope the SH P-40N is a good un, I've a couple.   (it does review quite well.)

Steve.

So I got the yellow checkered tail version for the F. There was no option for an open cowling fairing - only closed. The only way to attach the drop tank was through PE and the kit doesn't come with an antenna mast or pitot tube. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Madmaks

[stevehnz]

3 hours ago, Madmaks said:

So I got the yellow checkered tail version for the F. There was no option for an open cowling fairing - only closed. The only way to attach the drop tank was through PE and the kit doesn't come with an antenna mast or pitot tube. 

I'm liking my plan A better & better.

Steve.

[Bertie McBoatface]

You have a very nicely built and painted model there. (Whatever the shortcomings of the kit may be, they don't concern us here.) I do like the weathered look.

[GREG DESTEC]

Cool, love the Banshee markings😎😎

[Madmaks]

18 hours ago, Josip said:

While more modern and detailed than Hasegawa, Academy kit just isn't true to the original. The fuselage spine, the spinner etc... 

Considering how popular a subject P-40s are it's surprising that more new tool of the variants aren't out there. 

[Madmaks]

7 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

You have a very nicely built and painted model there. (Whatever the shortcomings of the kit may be, they don't concern us here.) I do like the weathered look.

Thank you Bertie 🙏

[jean]

Hi,

 

I love this paint scheme and you have done a great job! Kudos for your build.

The Academy kit is lovely and scrubs really well. Re the inaccuracies, there is only one I cannot live with,and that is the bulbous profile of the spinner. I simply get an AM spinner and prop and all is well again. Think about it for your next Academy P-40!

Congrats.

 

JR

[Madmaks]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:55 AM, GREG DESTEC said:

Cool, love the Banshee markings😎😎

Thanks Greg!

[Madmaks]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:14 PM, jean said:

Hi,

 

I love this paint scheme and you have done a great job! Kudos for your build.

The Academy kit is lovely and scrubs really well. Re the inaccuracies, there is only one I cannot live with,and that is the bulbous profile of the spinner. I simply get an AM spinner and prop and all is well again. Think about it for your next Academy P-40!

Congrats.

 

JR

Thanks Jean. I was thinking of trying the Hasegawa spinner on it as I had saved it from the previous build. 

[mark.au]

I think you’ve done a great job there, especially with the restrained weathering and nice tight paint job overall.  

Did you use stretched sprue for the antenna wire?  If so, try using the smoke trick to snap it tight, which will make really the only improvement I can see it could use (if you are so inclined, that is  ).

 

As for the kit, not important in this context but I think it’s actually the skinny rear fuselage that throws off the entire look, making everything forward look oversize.

[Madmaks]

5 hours ago, mark.au said:

I think you’ve done a great job there, especially with the restrained weathering and nice tight paint job overall.  

Did you use stretched sprue for the antenna wire?  If so, try using the smoke trick to snap it tight, which will make really the only improvement I can see it could use (if you are so inclined, that is  ).

 

As for the kit, not important in this context but I think it’s actually the skinny rear fuselage that throws off the entire look, making everything forward look oversize.

Thanks @mark.au. The antenna wire is actually my hair 😁 Human hair tends to be quite elastic and the slightest bump will decrease the tautness. I will just have to tighten and reglue it at the mast.

[Bell209]

Lovely job! The prop is either on backward or the blades are positioned incorrectly, though. You have the trailing edge leading the direction of rotation.

[kapam]

Excellent job, Mate!

Your slightly-worn olive drab finish and staining really set it off.  

I have built the Academy kit too and I have to admit that (after reading about) the look of it, when finished, it seems slightly distorted (if that's the word).

That's not your fault though - a really nice build in my view.

Love that wartime photo too!

 

 

[Madmaks]

20 hours ago, kapam said:

Excellent job, Mate!

Your slightly-worn olive drab finish and staining really set it off.  

I have built the Academy kit too and I have to admit that (after reading about) the look of it, when finished, it seems slightly distorted (if that's the word).

That's not your fault though - a really nice build in my view.

Love that wartime photo too!

 

Thank you Kapam!

 

[Madmaks]

On 11/22/2021 at 6:48 PM, Bell209 said:

Lovely job! The prop is either on backward or the blades are positioned incorrectly, though. You have the trailing edge leading the direction of rotation.

Thanks I am planning to replace the prop