1/48 Revell/Monogram P-40B Tiger Shark (AVG Flying Tigers "Hell's Angels")

Waikong; You got to meet "Tex"? NICE! I haven't been to an airshow since I was 16.

As far as I can figure this unusual scheme out, my research suggests that this plane is an amalgamation of 12 year old boy dreams.

If I'm wrong about the following conclusions let me know.

First, the red nose. I haven't found any evidence that the AVG ever painted the noses any colors at all.

Second, the #14 on the nose. The only evidence I've found to support it being there is one single picture of #6, which had this feature.

Third, the tri-color hubcaps. No evidence to support this. This is a suggestion of the connection of all three squadrons I believe. Yellow for 1st squadron, white for 2nd, and red for 3rd.

Fourth, The "Hell's Angels" logo on the right side of the nose should be painted on both sides.

Fifth, The number "14" and the yellow tail stripe suggest that this plane should be in the 1st Squadron. For the 3rd squadron the tail band should be red.

Sixth, already noted is the tail number, which belongs to number 47 of the 3rd squadron; J.T. Smith.

You bring all of this together and it makes for a fanciful presentation, but a historically incorrect aircraft. So my conclusion is that the markings for this plane are nothing but pure fantasy.

But who among us was not absolutely drawn to that boxart when we were just kids??

Lawdog; A new tooled P-40"B" from aifix?? Oh Sah-weet!!  :D  I would like to get my hands on that for sure! Especially if they provide an AVG option with it!!!

The vallejo paints are a dream to work with on figures. The regular stuff works well in my AB too, so I'm not clear on why they have a specific "Model Air" line at all. But I haven't tried the Model Air line yet. The regular stuff works great lol.

Great looking build!  I love the AVG p-40's (as you can tell from my avatar) and have built multipe P-40's in AVG marking.  A few years back I had the pleasure of meeting Tex Hill in a air show and a print autographed by him. Good inspiration to build some models. Looking forward to you putting on the final touches.

As for #14, I have a feeling that Revell just made that up.  I have several references, and like you can't find any plane assigned to #14.  I agree with your understanding that p-8127 was #47 based on those references. 

I spent the better part of an hour last night (and another just before posting this) trying to find out who flew this plane. Closest thing I could find was the tail number "P-8127" which was P-8127/47,  flown by several pilots before being assigned to R.T. Smith. First assigned to No. 2 squadron "Panda Bears" before being moved to the 3rd squadron.

I'm not sure if #14 ever existed as I can find no references to it except for this model kit. If anyone has more information, or just a web page that has more then the background history on the AVG itself I'd appreciate it grealty.

I can find the rosters and names of everyone involved, but not who was assigned where, to what, or when. Kinda frustrating as I'd like to know the history behind this plane.

I think I can change the the 14 to 47 easily enough, but curiosity demands I know about #14!

Thanks Mike for the valuable figure painting tips. As far as taking time to do it, I'm retired that's all I have is time

awesome! well done! I can't wait to see the finished product!

I do have a minor problem with the mouth, but nothing as bad as the eye lol. It will all be sorted out though, and you'll probably never even know I messed it up in the first place lol.

Thanks for commenting, Allan.  :)

Looking good, Mike. Its fortunate it was the eye you had problems with rather than the mouth.

It did the same for me, Jay. Dr Faust's skin painting technique is time consuming but has the best results IMHO. I've seen the same results with oils as well, especially on larger figures where the technique really pays off in spades.

Don't get dismayed with your first results as they may not turn out like you think they should, but keep practicing. Once you get a feel for how thin the paints need to be it gets easier. It still takes more time than any other method though. Dry brushing is quicker and can gain you similar results if done carefully, so weigh your options depending on the meterial you wish to reproduce. Faces and hands look best with the layered method, but sweaters and rough meterials look better dry brushed.

As far as the Vallejo paints are concerned, if you've never used them you may just end up loving them. Good coverage and they spray beautifully from an AB. I use the washes a lot to add to my custom paint mixes because they are already thin and strong. Just a drop or two can change the tone of a color completely.

I used a few drops in the mix for the Dark Green in the camouflage on the P-40. I started with Tamiya NATO Green, added a bit of Daler Rowney Black, and then brought the green tone back with a few drops of Vallejo Dark Green wash. Looks like the perfect Dark Green to me.

Practice. It gets easier as you go. :)

Thanks a ton for the You Tube figure painting links Mike ! It really opened my eyes on how to do it and I'm anxious to try it.  Now on to Hobby Lobby for some Velajo Paint which I never have used before.

Greatmaker

I've found that revell is excellent on sending out replacement decals.  They have set me replacement decals at no charge for several of my models

 

Good to know. If I ever really screw some up I'll have to contact them.  :)

Thanks Brandon! I"m building it like I always wanted to as a kid. Just right out of the box wih the cool Flying Tigers scheme. This is my third attempt, and my first as an adult lol.

I'd like to build it again with the Pearl Harbor scheme next. There are a few things I would like to change for that one though. Including a bit of scratch building to keep it more accurate and interesting.  :)

I really love the lines of this airframe! I'd love to build the P-36A as well. They were beautiful planes with lovely NMF and markings for their time.

I've found that revell is excellent on sending out replacement decals.  They have set me replacement decals at no charge for several of my models

It's looking really good. I am no where near that on my build. You made that look really great. 

BK

Toshi, The Amazing

If that happened to me, I would be very upset.  Unlike you, I would have to order a AM decal.  Personally, I don't feel comfortable painting an item as such.  If it were a small nick, no problem.  

 

Thank you, the Trumpeter 109 kit is really a challenge.  One piece at a time, LOL!  Thank you for visiting the 109 thread.

Toshi

 

AH, well since I screw up frequently, its given me plenty of opportunities to have to find ways to fix my mistakes. I don't have a budget for after market decals and such. If I mess it up, I have to fix it.

Besides, I think I could paint a fresco on one of these things if I wanted to lol. I have a background in illustration as well as many other skills that lend a hand to my builds.  ;)

Thank you Toshi for visiting. I will always keep an eye on your progress, my friend.  :)

Thank you very much! I painted him using the techniques I posted previously. Lots of thin layers built up to make smooth transitions between the highlights and shadows.

Simple tricks of light and shadow added to the usual bag of tricks, such as washes. :)

M. Brindos

LOL I'm not sure why you would feel bad about it, Toshi. Its just the risk I take when I use LC to work with decals lol. Like I said, this is nothing new and I've got a fair bit of practice repairing decals because of it.

Thank you for looking in, my friend. Your 109 is looking good, and that Kingfisher is a surprise as well. I didn't know Monogram ever included PE with, well anything lol.

 

Thank you, the Trumpeter 109 kit is really a challenge.  One piece at a time, LOL!  Thank you for visiting the 109 thread.

Toshi

Awesome Build! That pilot looks fantastic. Everything is so clean it looks like you airbrushed all those fine details.  I have painted this pilot but nothing like you have attained

LOL I'm not sure why you would feel bad about it, Toshi. Its just the risk I take when I use LC to work with decals lol. Like I said, this is nothing new and I've got a fair bit of practice repairing decals because of it.

Thank you for looking in, my friend. Your 109 is looking good, and that Kingfisher is a surprise as well. I didn't know Monogram ever included PE with, well anything lol.

Very cool, I feel bad about the eye, but it looks like you got it repaired.  I'm looking forward to your finished P-40!  

Toshi

Ressurection time!

I threw my back out last week and its still giving some big issues. To pass some time I pulled out this old bird just to get out the AB and put some paint to something.

I started off where I left off last, opening up the brass ejection holes and adding the rest of the bits to the landing gear area. Lots of styrene bits and Bondo were used to get the pieces to go flush and somewhat even.

It was an ugly mess, but with a lot of sanding it straightened out alright.

I bit of primer to check for bad areas did reveal a few, but mostly it looked pretty good.

The spinner needed a bit of Bondo as well. It didn't turn out perfect, but it looks better than it did.

I sprayed the insides of the flaps and the gear well doors all Chromate Green, although I'm fairly certain they should be Chromate Yellow for the time period. Maybe I've got that backwards, I don't know.

A quick Krylon Gloss cote sealed it all up and prepped it for decals.

The rest of the decals have actually snuggled down really well. I can see the rivet details under the wing decals and they just took a little coaxing with a q-tip.

After the left side of the Shark Mouth was settle in I trimmed the right side down some to get it to conform better. I aslo found out that you should separate the Eyes or they may end up trying to settle on the exhaust stack.

As I was adding the eye to the right side I missed and got it stuck to some still wet LC that I should have waited to dry properly first. I managed to get part of it unstuck and moved into position, but the rest of it was going to need a patch job. Fortunately this is nothing new for me.

I sanded the rough bits down and touched up the Dark Green first so I could see better where I was going to need to repaint the white back on. I touched up the white and that's where I've left off for now. Next I will repaint the red parts and then the black will finish it off.

Once I finish up the repairs I will continue with placing the rest of the decals on. From that point I will give it all a matte finish and then move on to some light effects, such as chipping and exhaust stains.

No problem at all Jetmaker  :)

That's the stuff I'm working on doing now. Its more advanced stuff, but I'm learning it fairly well I think. I'm still aiming for those near flawless blends. It's been a tough fight learning how to shade all black clothing. That's definitely the hardest color to shade right, but I figure if I can master blending greys into an all black appearance then the other colors have to be easier lol.

Well, that's how I figure it anyways. :)

Awesome site!! Thanks for the link, Mike!

lol I only shaded his face (painting) and drew on some eyebrows after dotting the eyes in. I didn't draw or paint in any eyelashes.

The word I was given for this is "Microlimbnistics" lol. I can't paint in eyelashes in 1/35 and I sure as heck can't accomplish that in 1/48 lol!

Time and experience are the only things that separate us in skill level Toshi. Anyone can actually be better than I. I've seen a great many who are! So I will not be accepting any Grand Master titles today my friend.

I'm only good at it because I decided it wasn't difficult. I use all of the same skills for every other build, be it a plane or tank, with my figures. I think in terms of light and shadow. Simple as that. Then its just a matter of practicing.

My technique? I use many. Sometimes one works better than an other. But I will certainly do my best to help you out.  :)

This video made me change how I painted figures; www.youtube.com/watch and that gave me a new direction to go in the beginning. Before this I was dry brushing everything.

Then here is the more advanced stuff I've been watching and doing lately; www.youtube.com/watch and part two; www.youtube.com/watch

For brushes I highly recommend "The Army Painter" series of brushes, and particularly the "Insane Detail" and "The Psycho" found here; usshop.thearmypainter.com/products.php That's what I use.

Eventually I'm going to try using water colors again too. I have water color pencils and I'd love to see if I can adapt them to my figure painting.  :)

That is just the beginning. I hope that doesn't scare you off lol.

Edit;

Missed something you asked about lol.

Once you get a dark shadow wash over your figure's face it becomes a lot easier to see where things need to go. Then its up to a steady hand to get what you want to see happen, to actually happen. (stay off the caffeine obviously lol)

:D

To MBrindos,

How the hell did you put eye lashes, eye brows, and eye balls on the pilot as such amoung the many other detailed items that has been artistically implemented by you.  I'm aware that your talent, expertise, artistic rendition, and experience all play in to this scenario.  I just don't understand how you do it.  Is there a special brush or tool?  How can you see where to paint?  Or do you have access to some type of artificial intelligence micro bots that actually do these jobs for you upon your command?  This detail is out of this world, I now understand how you're the "Figure Painting Moderator" or in my words "The Guru and Jedi Master of Detailed Micro Technical Painting"!  I guess I'm interested in your technique.  

Toshi

To MBrindos,

Thank you for the tip in regards to the airbrush technique and usage.  I agree in that practice is needed, as they say; "Practice makes Perfect".  I'm glad that the learning curve is not an issue with the Testors/Aztek airbrush kit.  

The paints that come with the AB kit are all enamel.  I will assume that I will be utilizing a lot of Testors thinner to clean the AB equipment with.  Oh, well with every pro there's a con.  

As for the bondo, you'll be happy to know that it will or can hold onto the gaps in your masterpieces for decades.  I used to be a car nut and worked with a little bit of everything in regards to a car.  Of course this is in the 80's when fuel injection was not heard of yet to the general public.

I recall my son at 14, I wanted to either kill him or to kick him out of the house.  With my daughter, I wanted to move out of my house.  LOL!  I'm glad and happy to hear you and your son building a scale model together, cherish these little moments in time.  They are rare and precious.  My son is now 25 and my daughter is 21.  As much of a PITA that they were, as adults and living on their own, they now realize what, how, and why.  Both of them worry about me and will come over at a moments notice if need be.  I enjoy times when they come over to visit and join Mrs. Toshi and I for dinner.  These are the rare times as such.  What I'm trying to convey here is that after all the hardwork and the headaches, it always comes together, just like a scale model.

Toshi

Thanks for the compliments guys you make my scrawny little pilot happier lol. :D

I'm not sure how long the Bondo will last, but if it's good enough for cars then I shouldn't have too many issues lol. I had this old tube of the stuff in my tool box, and one day I was looking at it and thought, "I wonder how well that'll work?". So I brought it to the bench and it works really well. I can add liquid cement to it and it flows into cracks really well also. Best part is that you can wash it off your fingers without much of a problem lol.

Once I started telling people about it I found out I wasn't the only one to ever think of using it.

Pro? I wish. I will be selling my work soon enough, but that, IMHO doesn't make me a pro. Pro is more of a standard you hold yourself to I think. I'm still working on that lol.

Wow, that pilot looks killer! I've been seeing a lot of you pro modelers using the Bondo. I'm gonna have to check that out. I hear it lasts forever

The good old Badger Patriot can be had for about 60 if you look for it. It's a super reliable, double action, siphon fed airbrush. Not one for fine lines, but those Italian planes can come later.

That figure looks really good from what we can see of it so far.

Those canopy parts actually look really well made. So much crud out there.

That looks like a hole for a stand.

Pilot might like a pile of sweet and sour pork ribs and rice!

Yum!

Thanks Toshi! I'm using Bondo Glazing Putty - very little shrinkage. ;)

I got a little carried away with the pilot. I started showing Jr how to paint the pilot and next thing I know I'm about 3/4ths through it and he was off doing something else lol.

For the canopy I just fitted it and put a small drop of liquid cement at the front to keep it in place. The tape is for the gaps at the bottom. It will make things easier.

I've heard some good reviews on the Aztek AB. Its a little similar to mine, but mine is a siphon feed no-name that I've been learning how to use to my advantage. Best advice with the Aztek, because its not adjustable, is to practice on another kit first and figure out what it is capable of in your hands. I did my first spraying on a 1/72 Revel Spitfire. The learning curve wasn't that steep and I'm pretty comfortable with it now. Biggest challenge now is getting my paint mixes just right. lol.

Are the paints that came with your AB enamel or the new acrylics Testors is selling?

I'm using artist's acrylics and they wash out with a simple hot water rinse. Testors enamels are a bit trickier with the enamel thinner and you have to break the brush down a give it a good scrubbing after a few colors.

Also, a cheap compressor in your future will change how the brush works dramatically. I started on canned air and could get , maybe, five good minutes before the pressure dropped down too low. I compensated for the "cooling" effect on the air can by submerging it in a pot of warm water. That will bring the pressure back up, but then you have to play with the settings on the AB to get something good out of it again.

If the Aztek doesn't seem to work very well, or inconsistently, its probably your air supply. A cheap compressor will be a good investment until you, and me too, get a better AB.

:)