This is my last build for 2019. It is Academy’s 1/72 P-40N. My Niece got this for me Christmas 2018. I wanted to make this special. After months of planning what I wanted to do with it I decided to make it one of the Burma Banshee’s P-40’s. I chose to do the “White 27” of the 88th FS/ 80th FG based in Karachi, India in 1944. I always like the P-40 and many of them have the shark mouth nose. The Burma Banshee’s all used large skulls on the nose making them unique looking. This will be mounted in a display case so that I can display it on my desk at work.
For detailing I purchased the photo etch set, a Merit acrylic display case, and a set of Rising Decals Burma Banshee’s part II. The decal set includes 7 different aircraft from the 88th, 89th, and 92th fighter squadrons.
To start with I cut out the vents on the nose to add the more realistic photo etch versions. The side walls of the cockpit were then painted and detailed with photo etch accessories. The dash and seat was detailed and I installed the P-40N-5 rear cockpit section. The kit includes both the N-1 and N-5 sections so all 7 decal set aircraft can be built. The fuselage was assembled. I drilled out the gun barrels and added a brass pitot tube on the wing. The kit pitot looked way too large for the scale. I started to add the landing gear doors and the kit doors were way too thick. I used some sheet styrene and cut my own.
Next up will be the painting and decaling.