Something to put a little life in and bump this back to page one. A quick look at one of the alternate boxings of the new Airfix 1/72 P-40 - The Tomahawk IIB Starter Set.

The set comes in a standard size box, but for the header card on the top, which has 4 tiny pots of Humbrol acrylic paint (#s 29,33,93,157), a small tube of Humbrol glue, and a #2 Humbrol brush. 

The back of the box has the painting and decaling guide; the included colors are adequate for the main exterior colors, plus black. The pots are tiny though, only 3ml. A standard Humbrol pot is 14ml, which is just less than a 1/2oz jar of say, Model Master. So there is not a lot of paint in these little ones, and I am not sure I would want to attempt to cover the model if this was all I had!

Inside the box, the P-40 plastic itself is exactly the same as the AVG Hawk 81 boxing. It's been covered enough already on the internet, so I won't discuss it further. The outside of the box warns that 'Additional paints may be required to complete the model to a higher specification'. The instructions do limit themselves to the four included colors though, unlike the standard kit.

This means the color callouts for things like the cockpit interior, gear bays, struts, other small parts, etc., are either missing or plain incorrect. While the included colors are adequate for the main external Dark Earth/MiddleStone/Azure Blue of the desert scheme, some of the smaller color callouts are again suspect or missing. Should not the spinner on these Tomahawks be red, as other RAF desert aircraft? The box has it as black....probably since there is no red among the included colors! Looks like additional references will be required here...

Decals are for a single example of No.112 Squadron in Libya, 1941. They are well printed by Cartograf, so there should be no problems using them. One thing to note, though, is that the decals provide the main markings only, such as roundels, codes, and the sharkmouth. As is true of most other starter sets I have seen , all of the smaller stencil type decals are omitted. Not too bad on the P-40, but it was really notable comparing the two boxings of the Spitfire Mk.Ia kit. It was really barren and lonely looking on the starter sheet compared to the regular kit one.

To sum up, I realize the 'serious' modeler that hangs out here is not the target audience of this starter set. But I thought people might want to hear about it anyway. The standard AVG P-40 kit has a retail MSRP of $7.50; the starter set is $13. I am not sure there is $5+ of value in the included accessories (all the paint together is not even equal to one $2 standard pot of Humbrol, for example), so it is tough to recommend this set unless you desire these particular markings. Maybe I will take a look at the Dogfight Doubles set of the P-40B and Zero later on....

The instructions for the Hawk-81 told me to paint the cockpit yellow. I don't think I have ever seen a ww2 plane with a yellow cockpit.

Nice review of the kit, I haven't bought a starter set and probably will not. I often don't use the colours/decals provided. 

Red Baron
I have had the same problem once, I've asked some people about it then.
They told me that that same colour was used to paint the wheel wells on some aircraft.
So it's possible that the cockpit was painted in the same colour,
but I can't really say for sure if it was like that or not.
I think that there is some kind of thruth behind it, but I can't really say for sure.
There were probably some aircraft plants who painted the cockpit yellow,
because of the lack of cockpit-green or some other simple reason.

Regards Ninetalis.

I'd guess by yellow they mean zinc chromate primer, which is pretty yellow. 

I know for cockpits they toned it down by adding black, this creating interior green in its various shades. But early-war, before the anti-glare benefits of a dark cockpit were fully appreciated? Who knows...it's possible I guess.

While we're talking P-40s, picked up a 1/32 Hasegawa P-40M at ModelFiesta this weekend for a bit less than $40 ($40 P-40M, $40 1/32 Ki-44 Tojo w/ 40mm wing cannons, $30 Eagle Editions 190D-9 cockpit for $100...). That makes four P-40s in my stash, tied w/ the Fw 190 for 3rd-most after the P-47 (10) and P-51 (7)...

I was paging trough some of my old magazines and found these interesting pictures of various post-war P-40's
They have some fun paint shemes and since we are waiting for the start of the GB, I'm just going to post this.

Also, maybe this cockpit picture will come in handy for some of you guys

Regards Ninetalis

I will take a few pictures of the Dogfight Doubles boxing of the P-40 over the coming weekend. It does recommend yellow 81 for the interior and gear bays. I guess this pale yellow is the closest thing to yellow zinc chromate that Humbrol has. Correctness still debatable...

Time for some more punishment, with a look at the Airfix Dogfight Doubles boxing of the 1/72 P-40 and Zero kits.

The larger box is about the size you'd expect to find a 1/48 single engine fighter in. A sturdy cardboard tray inside holds the following -

Separately bagged kits of the P-40B and Mitsubishi Zero; once again, the plastic here is exactly the same as the standard AVG Hawk and Zero boxings. So all I'll say here about them is I think they are pretty good value for dollar kits. There is plenty about them on the internet already.

A third bag contains a black plastic display stand that can hold both of the aircraft, and a small sticker that goes on the nameplate molded into the stand base that identifies both planes. 

The last bag contains the goodies - a small tube of Humbrol glue, Humbrol #0 and #4 brushes, and 8 of the tiny 3ml pots of Humbrol (#s 11,33,64,81,85,90,128,155). More about that paint in a bit...

Also included were a combined set of instructions with full color paint and decaling guides for both aircraft, a combined decal sheet for both planes, and a small Airfix flyer catalog and club info sheet. Unlike the starter sets I have seen, the Doubles boxing decal sheet has all of the small stencils for both aircraft included.

The markings are for two well known machines of the Pearl Harbor attack, Lt. Welch's P-40B of the 47PS 15PG, and the Zero of Lt. Saburo Shindo off the carrier Akagi. Once again printed by Cartograf, they should prove perfectly usable based on past experiences with their decals from Airfix kits.

While the decals are an improvement over the ones I've seen in the starter sets, the instructions are still lacking in the painting directions department. Unless you are already knowledgeable in the subjects, you will likely have questions, as Airfix tries to limit themselves to the included paints again, despite the box warning that additional colors may be necessary.

While the exterior of the P-40 is catered to pretty well, the closest color Humbrol has for the grey-green of the Zero is Beige Green/Sky #90. Not too bad, but it definitely a tinge greener than I would like. The interior of the P-40 is called out as the previously discussed 81 pale yellow. The interior of the Zero is recommended as Humbrol 226 - US Interior Green!

But wait a minute you say, there is no 226 in the set. And you're right, there is not. A pot of #64 grey that is not even called out for either kit is among the eight, though. A mistake in my set, or is it like that in all of them? Anyway, #78 is the usual recommended interior green for British A/C, and Tamiya uses that color as XF-71 for both British and Japanese Navy interiors. So why not include that color instead?

It doesn't end there, though. The metallic blue-green aotake finish of the Zero gear well and door insides is not even mentioned; no direction at all is given for painting the Zero's parts in those areas. Probably because Humbrol does not make anything like that color in its range, but it just another typical example of the many compromises, errors, or omissions in the painting directions of these kits. Additional references are definitely recommended.

Once again, this set is not really targeted to the serious hard core modeler. It is not as bad a value as the starter sets, though. The kits have an MSRP of $7.50 each, and the stand $12. So that is $27 of the $30 the set sells for. So the rest of the accessories are only about $3 this time, better than the starter sets. 

If you like the markings provided, and want the stand, this is not a bad set. Otherwise you may want to look elsewhere and get some aftermarket decals for the standard boxings of the kits.

I like the stands, its a pity that they don't include them more often in kits.

I don't think I would try and paint a entire model with only 3ml of paint. I would just pour the 3ml into my 14ml jar of the same type.

Ninetalis: Wow, those are great photos! Gee, if we had a service station with a P-40 on the roof I'd stop there all the time.

MJames: Thanks great review there! If I may nitpick the interior cockpit paint for Mitsubishi built Zeros looks very close to me to USAAF interior green . Those built under license by Nakajima did have an interior colour that looks to me as almost the same as the RAF cockpit paint. 

Baron Richtofen: Picked up a nice little Otaki 1/48th P-40E at a show yesterday along with some great decals. I believe I can modify the kit to a P-40F by removing the carburetor air intake from the top of the cowling. 

Cliff

Gamera - Ive seen some reviews of that kit, looks to be quite decent. I thought the P-40F also had a shorter fuselage than the P-40E.

the real red baron

Gamera - Ive seen some reviews of that kit, looks to be quite decent. I thought the P-40F also had a shorter fuselage than the P-40E.

 

I'll have to check. If it does I can always build her as the P-40E.

The very early version of P-40 in action (#26) that I bought like 30 years and published in 1976, states that early Fs were identical to the E fuselage wise, and the lengthening occurred during the F production run. Unfortunately, no serial or other information to differentiate aircraft with is given though. 

Anyone with a Hobby Lobby looking for a deal they usually have the Academy 1/72 P-40E in stock, at least the one around here. With the regular 40%off coupon it is just over $7 there. Not bad....

MJames70

The very early version of P-40 in action (#26) that I bought like 30 years and published in 1976, states that early Fs were identical to the E fuselage wise, and the lengthening occurred during the F production run. Unfortunately, no serial or other information to differentiate aircraft with is given though. 

Anyone with a Hobby Lobby looking for a deal they usually have the Academy 1/72 P-40E in stock, at least the one around here. With the regular 40%off coupon it is just over $7 there. Not bad....

Thanks! I looked around and it seems some of the later Fs got a bigger tail fin as well. If I build the kit as a E I can dig up some decals somewhere. The kit ones are yellow as a lemon now.

Heck, no big deal either way- I paid a grand total of four bucks for it so if I end up buying another kit for the GB it's not going to break the bank.

Yep, the early Fs were basically Es modified to carry the Merlin. P-40F-5 models had the lengthened fuselage a la the P-40K. The L corresponded to the P-40M.

I'm actually over the moon, as I just discovered the existence of an F/L conversion nose for the 1/32 Hasegawa P-40E/K/M! Knew I grabbed that kit at the show for a reason!

http://www.greymatterfigures.com/index.php?p=2&id=88

Doogs: Thanks! The drawing on the decal sheet looks like the E- no lengthened fuselage so I'm still not totally sure. I've got several monthes till the GB starts so I'll keep researching it.

Congrads on the nose job for the giant scale P-40, you've really been bitten by the 1/32nd bug eh?

Gamera

Congrads on the nose job for the giant scale P-40, you've really been bitten by the 1/32nd bug eh?

Yep! I still very much enjoy 1/48 and couldn't imagine going exclusively 1/32, but I do love the giant planes. Honestly, after I knock out the Airfix 109, I might move all my future 109 builds to 32nd. Just seems far and away a more workable scale for the Bf...

P-40s, Jugs etc are certainly orders of magnitude more massive, but the presence they command in 32nd is really something else.

I like 1/32nd too, just that I feel the need to try to super-detail something that big so I try to avoid doing too many of them.

Just saw that Hobbyboss has released a new P-40M kit in 1/48 scale.
Looks pretty straight forward to me, not to much nick nack and such.
only wondering about how some people will feel about the windows molded into 1 clear part.



Regards Ninetalis.

My first model was a 1:72 Hobbyboss P-40M, i remember the clear part being in one peice too.

I have come across some more info on the E/F fuselage length question. According to the second volume of Detail & Scale on the P-40, the first 699 of the Merlin powered Fs had the 'short' fuselage similar to the D/E models. The rest had the new longer fuselage to combat directional stability problems. F serials in the following blocks were short fuselage 41-13660 to 41-13695 and 41-13697 to 41-14299. Maybe this will help some. Not sure how good their numbers are. 

MJames:

Thanks! I still need to do more research on which model my decals are for. Been a bit distracted lately

That helps a lot though.

Cliff

DoogsATX

I was just going to go after it as a USAAF P-40N...until I saw the second livery option in the box. RAF 112 Squadron, GA-? (yes, actually a question mark). 

Hi Doogs!

Just found these pictures:

 http://www.mts.net/~royb/images/fx760museum.jpg

"Museum rendition of Kittyhawk Mk IV FX 760, GA ? flown by "A" Flight Commander E Ross"

http://www.mts.net/~royb/112_photos_page_4.html

http://www.mts.net/~royb/images/ET790gaquestion.jpg

"Poor photo of ET790 GA ? , carried the name "Christine " under the cockpit. Billy Drake flew this plane 8 June 1942, claiming a BF109 it is also the plane that Plt Off John Satterehwaite Barrow, 118054, RAFVR was lost in due to flak damage on 22 July 1942"

http://www.mts.net/~royb/112_photos_page_3.html

Nice, thanks!

It's gonna be tough deciding between all my various options, but I'm leaning pretty heavily toward GA-? at the moment.

Instead of a kit, presented for your consideration tonight is a 1/72 decal sheet instead, from Kits-World 'P-40Bs of the RAF (112 Squadron) and the American Volunteer Group'. Rather than post any of my own pictures, I'll just post a link to the manufacturer's page instead http://www.kitsworld.co.uk/index.php?CATEGORY=5&SUB=14&THISPAGE=1&RADIOSORT=4&PICFILE=170&STKNR=170&STRH=2380&ORDN=2303&RNZ=298851

Note that the image there is about twice the size of the actual sheet. It comes in a plastic bag,  with the sheet inserted inside a single sheet of paper, printed on one side, that has been folded in half that covers placement and painting details. The sheet seems pretty obviously aimed at the new Airfix kit with its recent release. 

Let's look at the AVG side first. Marking details are provided for three AVG P-40s - '68' of Charles Older (same as the Airfix standard kit boxing), '47" of R.T. Smith, and '48' of David 'Tex' Hill. There are port side views of each of these aircraft almost 1/72 scale, but the top, bottom, and starboard views of the markings and camouflage pattern are very small.

Also provided are color names for the camouflage, and one set of 4 Chinese roundels in a darker shade of blue than the kit sheet has, which many feel the blue is too light on. A nice extra is that some insignia for other aircraft, variations of the 'Satan's Angel' insignia, Japanese 'kill' markings,  as well as side numbers and serial numbers to make up your own are given too. So if you have references, you will be able to do other AVG P-40s. 

Printing quality appears high, and some of the more detailed items, like the Flying Tiger, appear crisper than the kit sheet. Which is admittedly not bad, though. These appear just a touch nicer. 

On the RAF side, markings are provided for two Tomahawks of 112 Squadron - GA-F of Neville Duke (same as the Airfix starter set boxing), and GA-O of William Houston. The only difference in the two aircraft, besides the codes, is that they are in the 'A' and 'B' schemes, with colors opposite of each other. Serials, codes, and shark mouth are all that is provided here. Roundels and fin flashes must come from the kit or other sources. Numbers are provided again where you can make up your own serial if you have references.

The placement guide is similar, although the top, bottom, and starboard side camouflage views are a little larger. One odd thing is the color notes. It claims the desert scheme is Dark Earth, 'Sand', and 'Sky', where Middle Stone and Azure Blue are the correct colors for the last two. 

Obviously, like protective mask training in the military, the true test of a decal is actually using it. Until you enter the gas chamber or put the decal on your model, it's all theory and talk. I have not used these, and am not sure I will. Some other modelers I have talked too have said they have had no problems with Kits-World decals.

To wrap up, I said I am not sure I will use them, as a lot of it is the same as given in the kits, which is not bad. And the Airfix kit decals have worked alright for me in the recent releases. Some of the decals are nicer, like the Tiger and the Chinese roundels. But that may not be enough to shell out for the sheet, which is around $10 from places like Sprue Brothers, where I got mine. But I thought it would be interesting to check them out, and report on them for you all out there if you're looking for something a little different for your P-40B...

Put me in this one as a tentative member... I've got a 1/24th scale Vintage Aircraft Series P-40E that I might start back up on.. I'd put it aside because I lost one of the halves of an exhaust stack... I think I can cast a resin replacement though.. Can ya dig a kit that has a 26-piece exhaust system (Two exhaust manifolds and 12 two-piece stacks)?

MJames: Thanks for the head's up and the review. I used a set of Kit's World decals on my Monogram P-61 and they worked out great.

Von Hammer: Looking forward to seeing how she comes out. Picked up Vintage Fighter Series 1/24th scale P-47D earlier this week.

Damn, that's even bigger than my Warhawk!

Never seen a Vintage kit in person...how are they? Or how were they seems to be the more appropriate question....

Yeah the P-47 is friggin' huge, normally I wouldn't have bought something that big and expensive but  it's just so crazy off the wall - well you only live once so what the hey???? And if I don't build the thing I figure in 5-10 years I can probably flip it on ebay for twice what I paid for it (hopefully).

Nice kit, the detail is really good. The radial engine is almost a kit in itself. Lotsa options- belly slipper tank, four wing tanks (2 metal and 2 paper), two bombs, and two three cluster bazookas. Even the pilot is nicely molded.

When I get my camera back I'm intending to post some photos over in Doog's P-47 GB along with a 1/48th P-47 for scale.

MJames70

Never seen a Vintage kit in person...how are they? Or how were they seems to be the more appropriate question....

Like the man siad, the engines are kits in themselves...  Everything is molded in grey, and the sprues look great.. Nice detail, but a few things need work, like some of the recessed panel-lines.. Far too deep and wide for the scale, so they'll get filled and rescribed.. Luckily it's not that way thoughout the kit..

Has a great multi-pose pilot figure as well.. Overall, I'd give it a solid eight...