wolfhammer1
Did some further research and it seems that the Flying Tigers flew P-40Cs, or Tomahawk IIBs. The P40C/Tomahawk IIB had the capability to carry a centerline tank/bomb, as you have shown, since it had somewhat less internal fuel due to self sealing fuel tanks.
John
Yes, you would think so, but the ones sent to China apparently did not make provision for drops tanks.
"The Model B's received by Chennault and assembled in Burma at the end of 1941 were not well liked. There were no auxiliary fuel tanks that could be dropped before going into combat, and there were no bomb racks on the wings. Chennault considered the liquid-cooled engine vulnerable in combat because a single bullet through the coolant tank would cause the engine to overheat in minutes. The Tomahawks also had no radios, so the AVG improvised by installing a fragile radio transceiver, RCA-7-H, which had been built for a Piper Cub. Because the plane lacked a turbo-supercharger, its effective ceiling was about 25,000 feet. The most critical problem was the lack of spare parts; the only source of spare parts was damaged aircraft. The planes were thought to be what no one else wanted, dangerous and difficult to fly. But the plane had advantages: its gas tanks were self-sealing and could take hits without catching on fire. There were two heavy sheets of steel behind the pilot's head and back. The plane as a whole was ruggedly constructed."
And
"The Flying Tigers gave the P-40 everlasting fame, but there has been a lot of confusion as to whether they used the P-40B or P-40C. It turns out that when the British deferred part of their order for the P-40C, Curtiss received the order for 100 planes from the Chinese and they had a number of the P-40B self sealing fuel tanks left over which they installed. Since the Chinese order didn't specify drop tanks, they were left off. Even though they were technically P-40C's, they were actually closer to P-40B's in how they were equipped."
http://flyingtigersus.ning.com/profiles/blogs/development-history-of-the
They eventually got some P-40E's in spring of 1942, and drop tanks.
This is no fault of Redman who did a great job on the model, but it's a fault of the Revell/Monogram kit that has always been there.
Gary