This should be good Brandon. I'm looking forward to it. With the Hasegawa E, It's not so much the wing roots, those are fine, but all the damn inserts that fit lousy and don't fall on a natural panel lines. Get ready for a lot of sanding and rescribing. Or perhaps you'll have better luck.

Here's mine if you need a quick reference :

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/165847.aspx

Thanks Joe. I'll definately be refering back to this for the build, especially the painting.

BK

Looking forward to this one, er two.  Very ambitious goals on that Monogram kit. Can't wait to see her all dressed up for the ball. I have pulled that E kit of the stash several times here lately wanting to build it.

Gota love the p- 40. My all time favorite.

Modern fighter would be the f-16 

Must be a air scoop thing.

Very cool, I'll be keeping an eye out for this build!

Toshi

Wow Brandon, that is a tale between two cities.  I never built the Hasagawa kit, but have built the Monogram one several times and it really is a blank canvas as far as detail.  I will be following this build as well.

Brandon,

Look forward to your techniques and color choices!  I did think that you were going to use one of the earlier boxings of the Monogram P-40s?

I am about to start my own Revell P-40B for the 1941 GB.  I must admit that the plastic reminds me of a vac-u-form molding, it is so thin.  I don't see the flash as a problem so much as I'm afraid of breaking something while removing it! 

Fit wise, I'm already seeing some things I need to watch out for.  If you get a head start on me, I hope to see what you do to fix them.

I must admit that she would make a perfect AVG bird, as the parts have Chinese markings all over them! 

Gary

Well, I started the rescribing today, and yes the plastic is quite thin and rather flimsy. I have one upper wing done and it looks much better. I hope to have all the rescribing done this weekend. I thought the two halves were gonna be trouble, but a flat surface and some sand paper and they cleaned up and line up pretty nice now.

I am planning on doing a late '41 -B Pearl Harbor bird. It doesn't need to be a surviver, just one that represents one of the birds parked there that fateful day. I should have some pics up later this weekend. The -E will be an AVG bird for sure.

BK

Update #1,

Now that I have had some hours, many hours working with the Monogram kit I have uncovered more areas that just have to be addressed. Some of which I hadn't noticed until I went back through bvallot's post on the same kit. I'll cover those as I address them. For now here is what I have done.

I have 95% of the re-scribing done. I really hate doing this as it makes me feel like I am destroying the kit and it just looks horrible until you get primer down. I mostly followed the existing kit raised panel lines and then sanded out all the rivit detail and raised panels. Not that I have anything against raised panels, I don't, but this kit looked and felt like a Hedgehog and was over scale on the rivit detail and I felt it detracts from the kits looks. So, I removed all of it. Now after many many hours of scribing and sanding I think it looks sleeker and more appropiate for the scale.

The next area I began working on was the wheel bays. Thus far I have only filled the lower wing area as I have yet to begin boxing in the bays. That starts tomorrow. While I was working on these I noticed that the gear was very under detailed and was missing supports. So I removed the single kit strut and added two in its place and recycled the kit strut to the side. I then added slots in the wings for the struts to go into in an attempt to simulate the real thing. It looks better now and will paint up nice. I'll add a brake line later.

I also removed the kit landing light, that was a joke. I have made a light similar to my B-17 lights that fits the wing perfectly. I will add that just before I close the wings up. I plan to get the wings, upper and lower assembled before I attach them to the fuselage. I think working with the leading edge and its issues will be easier off the fuselage. I will then turn my attention to the cockpit mods. 'Til then, later.

BK

I've still got this kit in the works and this already is fantastic work. I'm going to watch this with great interest.  :)

Ah, Brandon!  You're making me want to do a lot of detail work on my own kit, and that's a sure fired way to lead me into trouble!  No, No, No! 

It really is looking great, sir.

Gary

Thanks guys, I feel like it looks like Hell until I get it to primer, and then it's like, "ok, that works." Till then I am looking at it and finding more and more to do. This is gonna take longer than planned. But hey, it's what I really like to do anyway.

BK

That's the reality of it.  No getting around it. =]  With regards to the raised panel lines and rivets, I personally just gave them a very light sand to knock them down a bit.  The only raised parts that absolutely must be rescribed are over the cowl as those are removable pieces for the engine.  And I suppose the access door behind the pilot on the left side.

Looks like you're off to a good start.  Take your time with this one.  At 1:48, it's damn hard to scratch parts to scale and make them work for you. 

I'm looking forward to seeing how that Legends cockpit measures up to the True Details version.

Looks like a good start Brandon.  Should be an interesting comparison.

Joe

I'm a complete p-40 fan and this build looks like a good one. You got me thinking about rescribing my revell p-40. I used the same plan to rescribe my revell p-61 a first for me but have yet to put it together.

I personally like the rivets that gos back To my building as a kid. Not all kits had them and I just loved them.

Really like watching your build so talented !

Ok, so the butchery continues. I have the wheel bays built up as good as they're gonna get. Fitting them to the wings was a huge PITA. I am not totally satisfied with them overall, but they don't look horrible. I guess they are better than nothing there at all. I will work on closing the flaps and adding my landing light and I should be able to close these wings up. They are pretty flimsy and adding the bays did stiffin them up a bit, but closing them will make all the difference. 
I still cringe when I look at what I've done. Hopefully, the primer and paint will hide my errors.

I began by making a test bay out of card stock and them working with it until I had the shape and fit sort of figured out. I then moved on to styrene sheet and made each piece and fit them one at a time until I had the fit close and the shape acceptable. Once this was done I attempted to replicate the indent for the tire in the fuselage side. That was some trial and error and what I ended up with is out of scale but its the best I could figure out how to do.

I basically built these tubs from photos. I didn't reference any other persons build as I just wanted to see what I could come up with. Next time I will just buy a set of tubs for the Trumpeter kit and make them fit. They look better and are more correct, and certainly easier to work with. This was no simple bit of work. I have a few full days in working with these and getting them in. Now that they are there, I can live with the results. I was pretty unsure of this most of the way. The flimsy wings really frustrate you when you are trying to be precise and carefull. I did okay on this part. It's good enough for Govt work anyway.

BK

Looks like you got it worked out to me. =] It didn't occur to me to fashion them as a bay one could drop in like an aftermarket part.  That's a clever idea. If I recall, I think I was concerned with stiffening up the wings/wingroot.  That's what led me down the road I went.  The ribbing did a lot to help that and I'd imagine that this bay is operating the same way here.

Are you going to add the gearing that allow the struts to rotate and drop down.  I can tell you now that they will not be visible AT ALL. lol  They're so far up there when it's all done... Just take a picture so you can remember what it looked like. =P

At this point I am callilng the bays done. I don't intend to add anything else. I had considered the tubing and the one box but I've decided to pick my battles and after nearly 15 hours of work I just don't want to spend any more time there. Thanks for the complement.

BK

lawdog114

That "butchery" looks fantastic. I scribed a B-17 and P-61 once. I swore I'd never do that again. Where did you get you hole pumch? I need one of those.

 

BK

Ok, well moving on now. I mentioned the flimsy wings and that has become an issue. I'll cover that in a moment.

First, with the wheel bays out of the way I turned my attention to the flaps. I will pose them up because ALL the parked P-40B's I have pictures of are up. The only ones I see down are done so for photos or they are museum pieces. There may be some out there down, but it appears the norm was to have them up. SO, the kit needs some help here.

I began by placing them in the up position and attaching thier pivot points. I played with them until I felt the wing edge gap was acceptable and then glued them down. This is where the flimsy comes into play. At the trailing edge of the wing where it meets the flap the wings sags. Even with the aid of the upper in place the sag remains. I had to solve this to make the wing smooth front to back with no bumps or waves.

I cut think sheet styrene in strips narrow enough to fit on top of the flap and just touch the support inside the wing. I then glued the strip to the flap and let that dry. (the flaps are dead flat to, so that really helps make this work) Once that was dry I then ran a thin strip of Tamiya thin along the back of the new strips and hand held the wing flat to the flap. After a few minutes the wings are now dead flat along the rear of the wing and the flap and trailing edges line up nicely. This trick eliminates the use of any glue along that edge, which would have ruined the look.

Problme two and three: the left wing is wavy, to say the least, from tip to wing root. Even with the upper wing installed the wave remained. AND, the dyhedral is nearly flat on this kit. Now I know we can solve the dyhedral with some tape, glue and the wing roots, but this kit won't let me eliminate it all together in that manner. SO, another solution is in order.

It came to me to use brass tube to make the wing straight, and it then occured to me to also use this method to form the correct angle on the dyhedral. This way when I work with the wing roots later, the angle will already by correct, I'll just need to close the gap. I pland on widening the lower fuselage and filling that rather than the wing roots. It will look better and be easier to do. It won't affect the upper part and shouldn't be apparent when done.

So, I made a 7 in long piece of brass rod and bent it to the correct angle using a technical drawing scaled to my kit. I then placed it in the wing with tape and made sure it would fit and the fuselage would also not be too encombered by its presence. It all fit great. With the rod in place the wave is removed and the angle is correct, all in one move. I epoxied the rod in place. As you can see the angle is now correct and the wave is no longer in the left wing. More updates to come. Thanks for looks guys.

BK

Very clever fixes. TY for sharing this valuable info. I wish i could think of things like this on my own.

Very creative solutions for the P-40 wing problem.  I'm looking at the same problem, but was thinking of some thick sheet plastic instead of brass rod.

BTW, are you going to do anything about the fuselage underneath just behind the flaps? I'm thinking of taking a saw to this area, but I'm open to new ideas.  Thanks! 

Gary

GAF

BTW, are you going to do anything about the fuselage underneath just behind the flaps? I'm thinking of taking a saw to this area, but I'm open to new ideas. 

I'm about to tackle two, make that three issues underneath. First, open the cowl flaps, two build and install a radiator along the full length of the cowl, and third fill the gap at the rear cockpit at the flap area which is huge. 

Looking at your image, I see the area you are referring to. The kit just doesn't have that open like that. I'm not sure that is an area I want to tackle. I'll add the slots, but the long opening at the rear may be too much to do, for me anyway.

What I am planning on doing:

1. open flaps, easy peasy

2. build radiator, copy design from Hasegawa kit and fit it the this kit, make the bulk head solid top to bottom at the front of the wings inside the fuselage, then the air deflector on the rear of radiator will meet this and close the opening. The front edge of the wing has a small bit already, I'll just put sheet stock on that and fill the firewall area, just to close it up. This will have to be inside the fuselage first and then dropped down onto the wing.

3. with the flaps closed the gap at the fuselage is about 1/8 in. Ill fill that with sheet stock and that will also push the wing root a tad higher, making a better fit at the wing root. If you look at this area closely, you will see it is not flat but has a peak if you will. It will take filling it with sheet stock either bent up or built like the peak of a roof so it follows the belly's shape. A piece about 3/16 in wide and from side to side with that peak will fill that up nicely.

I also found that with the dyhedral set all I have to do to close the wing roots tight is widen the fuselage at the flap area. I'll leave the cowl set at the kit size as this fits the front of th wing roots great. BUT, the reat has a gap. With the tail also set at the kit size at the rear wheel, you can just open the fuselage at the flaps about >1/8 in and then taper it closed at the rear wheel opening. This closes the wing root gap and is far easier to do than fiddle with the roots themselves.

All the time I spent working on getting the wings just right has paid off as it allows me to keep everything else at the stock kit attachment points. Otherwise I would have had a ton of work in other areas that would have actually been more difficult.

In the photos, the fuselage is just resing there. The gaps close totally when you hold it in place. It's a nearly perfect fit front to back.

Thanks, Brandon!  You're probably taking this further than I want to go.  You'll end up with something to appease the modelling gods.

I had never noticed the slots in the bottom of the fuselage until I looked at the 3d model.  I don't think I've ever seen a picture of that section.  That's the area of the drop tank / bomb attachment and it looks like a separate piece.  I was considering using a saw to cut that section out of the lower wing, then using some sheet plastic to form a new piece to go over that area, but now that I think about it, it may be possible to just put a piece over the existing and have it extend up under the cooling flaps.  I'm going to take some measurements on the 3d model and see if that's possible.  I'll let you know if I come up with something.

Thanks again!

Gary

UPDATE:

I've pulled the relavent section of fuselage out of the aircraft model to see what it looks like.  This is it.

It actually curves up to fit over the oil coolers in the forward lower fuselage.  Too complex of a shape to comfortably create out of plastic card.  The hole in the side (about the middle) is where the flap actuator rods come through.

I think what I will attempt is to cut a slot in the bottom of the fuselage where the section ends (tail-ward end) and then see about creating a curved piece to give the illusion of a separate piece.  Not sure if it's worth the trouble.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know what this area looks like in case you're interested.

Gary, I can better see that piece now that you pulled it apart. I plan, and will, make the green area for the air flow control out of the rads, but that back piece would not be worth the effort to form on its own. I'll add the slots and see how your trick works out, otherwise I'll have to live without it until I just can't stand it and lose my mind, and do it anyway.

BK

Gary,

Here are a few good shots of that area. Seeing it like this makes me think I may attempt this. It doesn't look all that hard.

BK

Thanks, Brandon!  Looks like I may have to redo my coolers a bit. 

Well, now that I have several GB's knocked out I can return to working on these kits and pull them from the neglected pile. I am looking forward to getting these done. 

BK

Well, it's nice to be back at these two kits. The Monogram kit is getting a major hack and slash treatment to hopefully make it a lot more detailed. My attempts at these upgrades are just that "attempts" and I feel fall short of the skills I've seen from others on here, but I am having fun with it so I shall press on.

I have begun reworking the fuselage to allow me to fit the AM resin cockpit, which was made for this kit but it really doesn't fall into place and has required more work to make fit than I expected. Oh well, it's a major improvement non the less.

Another area I wanted a "attempt" to correct is the slit in the belly that lies just behind the radiator air exit area. Why the kits don't have this is beyond me but I'm attempting to add it to the kit. Although not completely finished I think it is pretty close to what I had in mind. I feel now that I placed it a tad too far forward, but "too late now" to correct that. I'll just have to live with it. you can see the slit here in the photo below.

Anyway, that is mostly done and I am happy enough with it to move on. So, another area I wanted to address is the radiator air exit area located under the cowl flaps that directs the air out of the radiators. I began with plasitc tubing, glued them together and then cut it off at an angle and mounted it to the front of the wing at another angle. Once I get this fully fitted and shaped to my liking I will build the radiators just forward of that. I will also open up the from of the engine cowling and build the ducting "to" the radiators as will. This should all be visible upon finally assembly. I think it will be a nice improvement over the sparse kit parts. More updates to come.

BK

This is really good detailing, Brandon. I think I will be following your example the next time I pick up this kit. All of the rescribing, the details you've added, and the scratch building are better than you give yourself credit for.

I'm loving all of it.

Nice job Brandon. I wouldn't worry much about the vent along the belly. If you look more closely at other adjacent panel lines, you'll see you've got it right where it belongs. Clever solution for the air exit duct. That was the one thing I could not fit when I built the engine for mine. I waited too long to put it in and couldn't fashion it accurately and slip it in from underneath. =[ You looked to have done a good job here.

The detail that you are applying is just unbelievably amazing.  Everything you've done thus far is beyond my comprehension!  Such phenomenal technique.

Toshi

My insanity continues and I press on. I fabbed up a set of radiators and used my General shape tool to get the inside of the fuselage right and mounted the rads on that so they will sit right up against the exit duct. I needed something to use for the rads to give them the grille appearance I wanted and I found an old automotive AC orifice tube in my toolbox that I cut the screen off of. The mesh size is just right and the fit was within my needs. So, this is the end result. This will have to be installed after the two halves are closed from the nose. 

I also began fabbing up the intake duct work and the odd shape changing over to round inside the cowl presented some challenges to say the least. But, I think I got it figured out. Using heat on round tubing to shape the ends and then using sheet stock to make the rest I think I licked it. This will be mounted to the nose piece and installed with it when it's glued on. The duct will just contact the rads and the screens will/should be visible from the front. I still have some work to do fitting and trimming but you get the idea.

I also followed BV's example and removed the cowl mounted guns and drilled out the cowling and I will be installing brass rod. The size is the same as the moulded kit part but there will now be some gap at the barrels and give a tad more realism to them. I may ever try to find some resin or brass barrels and use them if they are much better than just stock rod. 

Thanks for looking.

BK

Now that is an example to follow! Wow! I've never thought of doing that with this kit. 0.o

Okay, so now the air intake ducting is complete. And believe me boys, that was a HUGE PITA. But, I think it really helps the nose of this bird tons. When it's all painted it will look great.

BK

Nice job on shaping those intakes. =] I think it makes all the difference on the P-40B. That kit part is just not cutting it on it's own. You've done a real good job with bringing all these lines to scale especially with the carb intake...nice and thin! The first thing I do is look inside rad intakes on my -B. It feels so good to see that kit part vindicated. =D

OH MY WORD that's amazing scratch building.  To even figure out how to do it befudles me.

Brandon, I am enjoying following your build. Especially so because the Revell P-40 was the first kit I built on my return to the hobby. I am satisfied with the results; but it comes no where near to the detail which you are putting into your P-40. I expect yours will fly!

I suspect it will to, Shipwreck. lol

I can see you adding something like a small motor to this thing to make the prop spin and then we'll all be sitting with our lower jaws sitting at our desks gathering flies.

Incredible work!

Somehow this one slipped by me but I'm glad I saw your post BK. To put it in the words of that famous attorney Vinnie Gambini, you took me back to my yute with this old Monogram P-40. Amazing attention to details and scratch work! Looks fantstic BK.

Alrighty then ! I've completed most of the work on the pits for the B and E models. I loosely tossed them together for the photos, more assembly is still to come. The B received a full "Legends" resin pit and was painted according to what references I could find for a B, not that many B pits available, most were E's.

The E model got the kit pit and some PE to spice it up. You can see the PE seat versus the kit seat. Big difference.! I went ahead and soldered the seat up and then used CA for the belts. The seat was much easier to work with after making it one with the solder gun. I am very happy with how it came out. 

Now that I have both pits ready for the two halves to be closed up I will turn my attention to the tail wheel on the B model and rig something up. I really want that kit to appear new just before Pearl Harbor, so I will attempt to put the canvas bag on it with a complete rebuild of the wheel and mount. This should be interesting.

Thanks for stopping by.

BK

The B...

And the E...

Beautiful work, Brandon. I'm not sure which one I like better yet. Both of those pits look great.

Excellent job on both Hawks.  Compare your cockpit with that of the US Naval Aviation Museum's "restored, not preserved" P-40B here if you haven't seen it already.  It originally came from Russia.

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/nnam/virtualtour/?s=pano701

Yours is very well done.  Keep up the good work.

Brandon,

. . . uh . . . 

Holy Crap that's awesome !  (please pardon my language)

Chris

richs26

Excellent job on both Hawks.  Compare your cockpit with that of the US Naval Aviation Museum's "restored, not preserved" P-40B here if you haven't seen it already.  It originally came from Russia.

http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/nnam/virtualtour/?s=pano701

Yours is very well done.  Keep up the good work.

 

Thanks again for the source.

BK

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I am still rather taken aback by the sparseness of the P-40's pit as compared to other fighters like the Corsair, which has much more in terms of bits and thingys scattered about. The P-40 is pretty bare bones.

Thanks again,

BK

That's because it used to be a P-36 lol.

Brandon,

This is kit building at its finest. I'm so grateful to be able to see how you detail, modify, add/subtract to and from a kit. It's really inspirational.

Thanks for the thoroughly enjoyable WIP and the invaluable learning experience.

BrandonK

Thanks for this. I felt like there just wasn't much going on in the pit of the B and painted it up as best I could from the limited B references. 

BK

 

Brandon, I realize this may be a little late in regards to your cockpit for the -B, but Squadron makes a very detailed Walkaround for the P-40B. I saw it the other day at my LHS. The one I used is from Classic Warships. Here's a link: 

http://www.classicwarships.com/aircraft_pictorial/aircraft_pictorial.html

Prices for $18 if it's worth it to you.

Both booklets offer quite a few detailed views at all parts of the aircraft as well as changes made throughout its early development. You'll note weathering patterns on many of the photos also. =]  Hope it's of use.

Your PE seat is fantastic! Definitely worth doing. I may have to jump on one of those next time I do one. =] Great cockpits. Your painting has improved quite a bit. Looking forward to the rest.

Brandon, here is more references:

http://www.boxartden.com/gallery/index.php/Profiles/Detail-Scale/61-Curtiss-P-40

Brandon - great looking builds. I just started the Hasegawa kit you've got, and I'm going with Aleutian Tigers markings for mine. Thanks for sharing the pics - those references help.

As for the -B, I admire your grit taking on the Monogram kit. I remember building it as a kid, and it's definitely got the right lines, but I feel spoiled with the newer kits and didn't want to go to that one, even though I REALLY want an AVG Warhawk. I'm waiting on Airfix's 1/48 kit and hoping for the best, but I'm guessing it may behard to find initially. You are certainly doing that older kit proud, and it'll probably be hard to tell you didn't build a newer kit when you're done with it.

-BD-

richs26

Brandon, here is more references:

http://www.boxartden.com/gallery/index.php/Profiles/Detail-Scale/61-Curtiss-P-40

 

BK

Amazing what you have done with that old kit.  Always good to see some AVG stuff.

Well, the progress continues. I have the offices closed and they look better than they did when I started. Most notibly the -B pit is fantastic compared to the Monogram kit parts. It is now correct for a -B and well detailed. The -E only received some PE upgrades but the seat really sets it off, I think anyway.

I have the two halves of both fuselages now joined and the body work on both kits will begin. The -B needs a great deal of love and the -E needs a suprising amount as well. Im not very happy with Hasegawa on the fit of the upper cowl on this kit; perhaps I just have a bad mold. The Monogram kit is so bad it's really not even funny. I know lots of folks have built this into a really nice plane, but my particular kit is a real piece of crap, top to bottom. I won't bother building another one, it's just not worth it. There are better kits coming. But, I shall press on with this one anyway.

Oh, and I also installed my UltraCast resin exhaust manifolds and pitched the kit parts in the garbage. They look really good.

I also added the nose piece with the air cooling intake ducting and screens along with the radiators, also with screens. They look far better in place than the open area the kit comes with. I still have some detail painting to do, but you get the idea. I am pretty happy with how this come out.

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to address the tail wheel and thinking I am building this as a fairly new plane that has seen little use, before the attack on PH, I decided to go with a tail wheel that included the canvess cover. I also found this way would lessen my work and I wouldn't commit myself to an institution for attempting the fine work Britt did on his. So, I cheated a bit and added some tissue soaked in white glue to make up the canvess and then used tubing and aluminum strip to reconstruct the gear. In using this method I have also made it possible to pivot the tail wheel as it slips inside of the brass tube. Once I paint this all up and install it I think it will look pretty decent. Certainly better than the kit parts.

That's pretty much it for now. I have a great deal of filling and sanding ahead of me, but I've made great progress lately, so I am pleased. 
Thanks for following me on my insane build. I need all the support I can get.

BK

Excellent! Just excellent! :D

Beautiful cockpit and the rest ain't bad either! 

What a crisp and clear looking cockpit...it looks fantastic.

Looking great, Brandon. And I'm glad you have beensharing this - it made me realize I should paint my seat aluminum instead of interior green. What's annoying is I used the same Eduard set you've got, so it was already bare metal to begin with before I primed and painted it!

-BD-

Just a quick update. I've pulled these off the "I need a break" shelf and have begun to work on getting these two kits completed. Today I finally began to install the windscreens and get the wings ready for final mounting. I'll be posting some more pics soon.

Special thanks to MrBrindos for motivating me to get back on these two turkeys.

BK

EXCELLENT!!  :D

I am very happy to see you continue this double build! :D

Okay, so just a quick update. The windscreen is on, but it has a huge step to the fuselage and should not have any step at all. I tried to make two different types of windscreen fit better, but the kit part was the easiest to set down and now I have to work the filler in and make it all smooth. UGH!! I really dislike working with filler at the windscreen, it's a HUGE  PITA. But, the results will be worth the extra hours of work.

BK

I've got the same issue with mine, Brandon. I'm going to fill with styrene strips before I putty, but I've got the same problem. It is a bit wide at the base of the windscreen. I don't remember that being a problem before. 

M. Brindos

I've got the same issue with mine, Brandon. I'm going to fill with styrene strips before I putty, but I've got the same problem. It is a bit wide at the base of the windscreen. I don't remember that being a problem before. 

 

BK

I had to raise mine up a mm to get it to match the slider. Now there is a large gap I have to fill in.  If I didn't raise it it would've looked funny. Lol

at least I don't have to rebuild the frames like I did on my Spitfire! 

I'm making slow progress on the -B. I attached the wings to the fuselage and closed the gap in the wing roots by widening the lower fuselage with a wedge shim that runs from the wing roots to the tail wheel. It closed the gaps perfectly, so I'm really happy with that.

I also decided to close the radiator flaps instead of showing them open for two reasons. One, I didn't like the look of the exit ducts I had made and I also decided to make a scratch built PE set of radiator flaps. I used scrap material from an old PE fret and measured and cut, shaped and glued what turned out to be 5 pieces together to make a set of better looking flaps. They fit really well and I think really help the look of the kit underneath. The kit parts is really dull and heavy. It just neve looked right. So, I used photos from my walk around book and scratched them up.

Now on to the tail.

BK

Looks better than mine. :)

I've stuck with kit flaps, but sanded them down to make them appear thinner.

Since I've been busy at work I've made so very little progress on mine.

Seeing the progress you've made on yours brings a big smile to my face. It looks fabulous so far.  :D

What a fantastic job you're doing on this build!

Toshi

Thanks Toshi.

Mr Brindos, I have really dreaded this part. But now that it's done I can move on with completion. There have been parts of this build that I just lost sleep over how to correct them and this was no exception. Thanks for looking.

BK

I know what you're talking about. I avoided the cowl flaps on my build, but the canopy/Windscreen is still a step I am totally dreading. 

I know what has to be done, but it's just a tricky problem. I finally put some more work into my P-36 which I've been really putting off for that very reason You mention.

The fit of the parts is so awefull and its causing me a lot of trouble with putty and sanding. Lots of time being spent on corrections. Its still never going to be a show stopper. Too many things off about it And I'm not up for putting that much effort into correcting everything. A better kit is just a far better option, y'know?

The Monovell is worth it Though.  :)

Ok, so I finally managed to get the -E to the paint stage. I decided on this one that I would try the black base technique. I have to say I really like it and it is way easier than I thought it would be. And best of all, it uses far less paint overall. Win-Win.

I also wanted to fade the paint a bit from the callouts which were Dark Earth and Dark Green. So, I used iModelkit to match up two RLM colors that are about 15% lighter than the callouts but a really good match for tone. I sprayed the underside in Neutral grey and the uppers in RLM 79 and 83 from Mr Color paints. I think the lighter tone hit the mark for what I was looking for. It's hard to see in the shots, but the lights and darks of the base just barely show through in the paint. The eye can see it, the camera doesn't catch it so much.

This kit is nearly ready for decals. The -C has some body work left and then primer. Whew, the end is in sight.

BK

I really like the way the underside turned out with the black basing. What type of masking did you use for the camo? I really like the way you toned down the colors for the naturally faded effect. That's something I was thinking of with my Airfix P-40. But I will start with the base colors and lighten them as I go As I like the way it looks. 

This is really looking good BK. I am eagerly awaiting to see more soon.  :)

M. Brindos

What type of masking did you use for the camo?

I use Silly Putty. I find it works perfect and doesn't damage the paint.

BK

Well, I've hit a milestone. The -B has been smoothed till I can't stand it and the gaps have been closed up. I took it to the booth today and hit it with a layer of Tamiya grey primer. Now the hunt for problem spots, a good sanding with 3K grit and black basing. I may be able to have it in paint this weekend. 

BK

Outstanding BK, simply outstanding.

I'm quite happy with the -E and I am progreessing toward the finish line with it. The -C is another story. I am not at all happy with the windscreen fit so I'm gonna have to reevaluate how I attack that, it has to be redone. The canopy I totally missed and so I will be borrowing the idea from M.Brindos and remove the canpoy part on the fuselage and add it to the sliding canopy so it looks correct as well. And then there is the windows in the cutouts. In the photos I'm looking at those are flush mount to the fuselage with NO gaps. So, that too needs fixed and I don't know how I'm gonna do it.

Well, all I can do is press on. With this much time invested I don't want to cut any corners now. What's few hundred more hours between friends?

BK

Great attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Like so many others above, I really like the cockpit.

My idea for the rear windows is to mask them first and set them with Vallejo clear gloss. Then putty the edges after the gloss dries nice and solid. 

I may have to make two sets of masks after I sand around the first set.

I'm hoping that will work. Same strategy I plan on using for the windscreen.

Maybe that can spark up an idea for you? :)

Bk

regarding the windows, thin clear acetate cut to fit the opening and glued on with either Aleenes or Clear Parts Cement. I had a similar issue with another model a while back and it worked out fine.

That's a good idea as well. It could be difficult to get the slight curvature to them, but that might be the answer for me as well. 

Thanks!

M. Brindos

That's a good idea as well. It could be difficult to get the slight curvature to them, but that might be the answer for me as well. 

Thanks!

 

You are welcome. Experiment first by making patterns out of paper or thin plastic sheet till you get a perfect fit then transfer the outline on to the acetate. Using thin plastic sheet lets you fine tune it by lightly sanding the outline for a good fit.  I like to use Aleenes on something like this because it dries invisible and will not leave any signs unlike CPC from Testors that you can actually see it if a little gets on where you don't want it to be.

Thats a pretty good idea. I may give that a shot if the kit parts don't pan out. What I've done is bevel the inside edges and that lets them sink into the fuselage and flush mount. I've glued them in with Gorilla epoxy which is crazy clear when dry and filled the edges with Tamiya putty and sanded smooth. I've masked over the mask to protect the mask and not scratch the parts. So far so good. I'll know if this is gonna work this weekend when I can shoot some primer over the area. Thanks for all the tips.

BK

Yeah that was my plan. If it works for you as planned then I'll be doing the same. The acetate idea has me thinking of building frames to get the curvature correct.

Did you remember to drill out the access holes for the fuel and glycol ports? I remember them already being there when I built this kit as a kid, but both modern releases I've dealt with didn't have them.

-Mike B

My kit has those two raised in detail. I haven't put the port side on yet. I was just gonna put a decal over them and call it done, but those appear recessed rather than raised. Which begs the question, now that the kit is closed up how might I recess those?

BK

No the caps are raised and the kit got that right. what you are seeing in that picture is the holes in the plexiglass so they can be accessed. 

What I'm asking is if you've drilled the holes in the kit glass. They used to be there but they're not there anymore.

Oh, I see. No I haven't drilled the glass yet. I can do that still. Thanks.

BK

No problem at all. Y'know, I haven't checked the Airfix kit yet to see if the ports are already there, but I suspect that they are.

The color of those caps are different, depending on which markings you've chosen. For the early types the gas cap is black and the glycol is aluminum, but for the exports they are red for the gas and black for the glycol.

Sometimes the glycol cap is yellow. Not sure if that was factory, mandated, or just field applicated. 

The Tigers were typically red/ black as far as I can tell.

Not sure if you already knew that or not. If anyone knows better, please, PLEASE correct me. I'd like to know for sure. :)

Well, mine is an early -C cuz it'll have a fuel tank and PH markings so I'll use the black with aluminum look. Thanks for the tip.

BK

Does anyone know on the -E version what color the lights on the fuselage beside the pilot are supposed to be? I've see both red or blue on the port side for color. I'm assuming those are Nav lights and would match the port or starboard color, but I can't confirm this.

BK

I think those are just ID lights. Blue is the only color I've seen them in so far.

Hopefully someone has a better answer. Sorry.

I am pretty sure that I read someplace that they are formation lights, either blue or red. This is an E.

I just confirmed that there were blue fdormation lights on either side of the -E! "P-40 Warhawk", Part 2, Bert Kinzey, p22

Good info, Shipwreck. My Airfix kit includes them, but they've always been missing from the Monovell kit and I never knew they existed.

Thanks for that info!

Just behind and below the pit. Almost directly under the gas cap. BK's last picture (above) shows it quite clearly.

So, COOL. Thanks guys. Now next question. What is the cap in the port cutout of the -E and what color should it be?

BK

Still a gas cap and I think it's still Black.  Not entirely sure at this moment lol.

Thanks Mike.

One last light, located starboard underneath to the rear of the wing/fuselage area. I'm thinking its a formation light? Red? Blue? Then those will be done.

BK

I don't know what that one is. ???

Edit: perhaps white ? maybe a landing light/friendly identifier?

Well I completed the -E kit a few days ago and it feels really good to have one done. The -B/C now has a new windscreen that fits super good and is ready for primer. I have to finish up the port side cutout glass install and then its off for, hopefully, the final coat of primer.

I used a Squadron canopy and Gorilla Clear Epoxy to set the windscreen in place and it fits awesome and the epoxy is nearly totally invisible, so winning. I had to hand mask the windscreen but I will have the frame shape much cleaner this way too. The canopy slider also includes the frame piece that is moulded to the kit part, which has been removed, so I don't have to fab that up now. Another win. Again, I had to hand mask this part, but again I am controlling the frame size more this way.

With some luck I can have this one ready for paint this weekend. Fingers crossed.

BK

Here are some shots of the -E now that it is done.

Excellent work! That thing looks gorgeous. I can't wait to see the -B.

-BD-

Oh, wow that's looking good. That -E is beautiful!

Looks like we may be fairly close to finishing our -B's around the same time lol.

I know how good it felt to get the bottom painted. You're almost there too.  :)

That is correct for the -E, the -B needs the rail on the canopy. Near as I can tell it's complete. Besides, it's done and I'm not going back now.

BK

That looks awesome sir!  Just a superb build!

Toshi

That's a really spiffy looking P-40! Great job!

Anyone know why these aircraft needed so much antenna wire?

1943Mike

Anyone know why these aircraft needed so much antenna wire?

 

Good question. I too, have often pondered this.

BrandonK

That is correct for the -E, the -B needs the rail on the canopy. Near as I can tell it's complete. Besides, it's done and I'm not going back now.

BK

Looks correct to me, Brandon, here's a close-up:

jeaton01

 

 

BrandonK

That is correct for the -E, the -B needs the rail on the canopy. Near as I can tell it's complete. Besides, it's done and I'm not going back now.

BK

 

 

 

Looks correct to me, Brandon, here's a close-up:

 

Brandon, you sure got that right. I never would have guessed; the canopy must run on that top ridge with a G shaped atachment to hold it in place - clean! And thanks for the photo, John; it went to my P-40 file.

Ben

Great finish on number 1 BK. 

lawdog114

Beautiful! Indeed very good question about the antenna. I was unaware that set up extended to the E. It certainly makes it tough to handle.

 

And yes, it is all that much more delicate to handle and clean.

Thanks for all the kind words, much appreciated.

BK

So I did some reading and searching and found a small thread on a forum where a modeler said he spoke to a P-40 vet and the vet said that you could have a row of identical P-40s and each one would have a different antenna set up. They basically didn't have any hard and fast rule as to what each plane had. He went on to state that he recalled that if the plane had a mast, then it had tail to mast antenna only. If it had no mast then it could have tail to fuselage only and tail to wing tips with tail to fuselage.

I also went to several sites where photos could be found and I found examples of mast and non mast antennas on planes up through the -F variant.

SO, I guess what this tells us is, try to set up your plane to what any photos of IT may show. Otherwise we just don't know for sure how it was set up. Since my plane has no mast, I opted for the wing tip configuation. I could have done the fuselage only and that may have been correct also. In the end, I set it up as that was the look I wanted for this AC. It may not be correct, I'll be the first to admit that, but in the end I can live with that as well.

BK

Edit, quess I found my answer, I guessed correctly. Whew!!

LOL BK, we start digging around and even more questions come up. Who knows what was only back then and the few pictures one can find now is what we can use as a guide. I went thru the same thing researching my He162 build.

1943Mike

That's a really spiffy looking P-40! Great job!

Anyone know why these aircraft needed so much antenna wire?

 

A guess is that the radios were poor (when they worked).  Some added aerial wire might help their range.  I do ponder those aerals from the wing tip to fuselage as it looks like a good way for a pilot to "clothesline" himself.  I doubt they lasted very long, at least on the left side.

That's good information. Looks like my build only needs the tail to fuse aerial. Which is good, because I dread those wing wires lol.

Great guess sir!  As I said before, I can't wait for the finish!

Toshi

Well, now the -B is in the paint booth. I gave it a dose of Alclad black primer, sanded that with 3K grit, then mottled it up with white to complete the black basing. I then applied Mr Color #317 which is a tad lighter than Tamiya Neutral Grey. I find this color more correct to my eye than the Tamiya which I find is a bit dark, to me. I'll let this dry for a few hours, then shoot the upper surface.

BK

I can see how this is going to work. Waiting for color. :) :) :)

The E looks fantastic!!!! The B is shaping up very nicely!

Top coat is now on. The camera really doesn't pick up the subtle tonal variations caused by the base coat, but you can see it with the naked eye. I am so glad to finally be putting color on this one. I have nearly a year on it and probably over 100 hours. I won't be doing one of these again anytime soon, if ever.

BK

I can barely see it, but yeah its there.  

I feel your pain. I don't think I want to build another one of these for another few years lol.

The results are worth it though.  :)

Coming along splendidly. I too am anxious for the finish - I'm sure it'll be just brilliant.

Coming along BK. Very nice. =]

Thanks gentlemen, I appreciate the kind words.

I have to admit that building the -B is a bit challenging as there appears to be no photos of this actual plane during the war, at least that I can find. SO, that means I have to attempt to read between the lines. The decal placement, tail callout, antenna setup are all best guesses based on various sources and survivor AC. I know this is not an exact mirror of the plane LT. Taylor flew on Dec 7 and got 4 kills, but it's the best I can do with the info I was able to drum up.

I have all the decals on and now I have a bunch of small detail work to do. I still have a ways to go on this one but the finish line is finally within sight.

BK

LOVELY! Just fantastic, BK.  :)

They're going to look fantastic together.

So, I wrapped up this project. I took too long to do this and I am glad to have it behind me.

Overall, I didn't completely pull off what I set out to do on the -B, but I am happy with what I finished with. After painting was done I added the -E clear nav lights that came with that kit and they fit perfectly with the -B and I painted them. They look great.

I eneded up installing a resin prop and spinner as I just could not get the kit part to look correct. I did this after the paint work and therefore it is a tad off on the nose fit, but I can live with it.

I have so much changed over the kit I can't even remember what all I've done.

Let's see:

Resin pit, resin prop, scratch intakes, scratch cowl flaps, scratch wheel bays, Squadron canopy, resin exhaust, scratch tail wheel and boot, AM decals, PE pit parts and sights, clear Nav lights, resin wheels/tires, crank style pitot,...

That's what I can remember. And TONS of scratch work like a full rescribe, dyheadral correction, nose reshape, etc, etc...glad to be done.

Thanks for looking.

BK

Whoops, I forgot to unmask the landing light.

Wow, that looks great.  I really like the early P-40's, and your "B" build looks super.

Pat

PS.  The "E" looks great too

Holy cow, Brandon! That doesn't even look like the same model I'm also building! That is superbly finished!! I absolutely love how yours turned out! That AM prop was  good choice.  ;)

Well done, Brandon.

Well done Brandon!

Sorry for asking naive questions but is that red button on the stick the gun "trigger"?

Excellent job Brandon.  There is one oversight I see on it.  US P-40's used a straight arrow pitot tube which is the same as your E.  British P-40's used the crank bent styled pitot tube.

1943Mike

Well done Brandon!

Sorry for asking naive questions but is that red button on the stick the gun "trigger"?

 

BK

richs26

Excellent job Brandon.  There is one oversight I see on it.  US P-40's used a straight arrow pitot tube which is the same as your E.  British P-40's used the crank bent styled pitot tube.

 

BK

Thanks for all the kind words, Gents. It was a labor of love that turned into a labor of "I just want it done."

BK

WOW wonderful build.  Man that's some skilled model building !

I want to do a 1/32 someday when my skills get better but I doubt if they will ever be this good .

When some one says WWII fighter plane I think of the P-40.

BrandonK

Thanks for all the kind words, Gents. It was a labor of love that turned into a labor of "I just want it done."

BK

 

Oh boy,  do I know that feeling. I haven't touched my build in days lol.

Thanks guys, you are all too kind. This kit is a monster to make into a really nice build but it teaches you so much along the way. Thanks again.

BK