AIRCRAFT - On The Warpath: The Curtiss P-40

Hello all!! Back from the dead again. I haven't had too much luck the last couple months. But I will sum it up quickly.

Shortly after my Hard Drive on my comp failed, I lost my job and my Wireless modem fried for some reason. So it took me a little while to get enough money aside to pay for those. Oh and then we decided to move to Arizona. So I used up all of my savings to move out here (But my car didn't make it....) On top of all of that excitement, we were already planning on getting married, which we did on Sept 4th.

So finally, here I am with everything all situated and getting in order. We just permanently set up camp here in Dewey, AZ Sunday, and finally got internet and everything worked out. Phew.

There are a lot of posts here I gotta go through I see. BTW I had to tear apart my booth, and bench, and they ended up in the trash in CA. Now I am back to square one on those, but I have a LOT of workspace now. Time is always against me, I swear...lol I should have my model room unpacked by this weekend and a good idea of where I left off.

No models were damaged in the move. It was a HUGE success!!

Heath, welcome back and congratulations on getting your nuptules tied!

Also glad to here that no models were harmed in the move. Tough luck on your ride and computer. Glad to have ya back and can't wait to see some progress.

Welcome back Heath. Congrats on the move & marriage.

Regards, Rick

G'day Folk's,

I've got 2 kits in progress to add to this GB.

First:-
The older AMT P-40f in 48 scale is an OOB assembly, but will have 3 Sqn RAAF markings on it.

Second:-
The newer Academy P-40b also a 48 scale assembled OOB, but with 112 Sqn RAF [Nth Africa], in the markings of Clive Cladwell, who flew this bird on several missions and scored 2 kills with it.

Fine looking progress Lobbie.

Looking good so far Rob. Keep us posted.

Regards, Rick

Looks great from here, can't wait to see some decals.

Jerry

BTW, anyone heard from Steve (blackwolf) ? He seems to have been MIA for a while.

Regards, Rick

Sorry....haven't heard anything from Steve. ......Steve?......Steve?.....STEVE!! Where are you man?

Jerry

I am back... I'll wait for the applause to die down though...

I'm seriously out of touch with this GB as well as other things modeling at the moment so I needs'da doosum ketchin-up...


Fade to Black...

WElcome back Steve. Been on a vacation ?

Regards, Rick

Steve-O..... Good to have you back. (You are back aren't you?)

Much has happen while you were away shuckin' Bubba. Lot's 'O completed models and such. I'll try to get you those pics you requested as soon as I get a chance.

What'd you think of ROCON?

Thank you all, I appreciate it. I was able to build up my modeling loft very quickly, and even made a new spray booth that works very well. The last couple days I was able to join the fuselage halves together, put in the panel, and the seat/floor area. Right now I am getting ready to attach the lower wings, and then snap some pics tomm.

The biggest problem I am having is the forward air intakes, as the piece that came with the eduards kit was all screwed up. I have been building it up from putty because according to my references the " Y " divider piece in the front is formed so it flows into the cowling smoothly. Rather than behind the cowling as it was sitting the other day. So slowly but surely I am building it up. BTW the kit pieces are a pain to get to fit correctly. So seams galore for me...... YAY!! Stay Tuned.....Pics tomm.

edit: spelling

Looking forward to the pics Heath. The Eduard, X Mauve, kit does have a few seam problems, but so does the new Hasegawa.

Regards, Rick

Ok, here are the pics I promised. This first one is of the " Y " Intake divider I was referring too. Sorry for the blurry pic..lol This little pain was sitting almost an 1/8" aft of the cowling, and I am almost at the point where it meets the cowling, and blends in smoothly.



Here is a great shot of the wing joint seams I have to deal with. As you can see there just isn't enough material on the inboards to mate well with the Fuselage joint. The wings fit perfect on the outside edges (ie I didn't move it over too far..lol), and I did not sand the edges that are supposed to meet the fuselage. Planning my seam attack as I speak.



And here is an ok shot of the cockpit. Again you can see that nice fat gap at the wingroot. I had no complaints of the cockpit other than those PE panels are really tough to glue in...lol



And a quick panel shot, even though I sure wish it was a bit clearer. Gonna have to take some photographing lessons from Pix...lol


Right now I am waiting on some paint I had to order from squadron (my new LHS is too weak, they don't even stock decent paint!). So I will have a few days to knock out the seams. I am thinking plastic stock for the wingroots. The rest just fill and sand, fill and sand, fill and sand...lol

Good job so far... nice looking pit. Good luck with the wing roots.

Heath, I think plastic stock is your best bet for correcting the wing root problem. I've built 3 of the Mauve kits & never encountered that much gap. I wonder if the molds are wearing out or if Eduard's molding process is having problems.

Regards, Rick

I've built two of the Eduard P-40Ns, including the one for this group build, and on both I've encountered problems with that wing root gap. I haven't built the similar Mauve kits, so can't comment on how they go together. I thought, especially with my entry for the group build, that the problem was caused by the resin cockpit, but I'm not positive about this. On my first build, done years ago, I didn't find out about the gap until after the fuselage was done, and I simply filled the gaps with lots of putty. On my most recent build, expecting the problem, I used 'spreader bars' to overcome the problem. I got the idea here:

http://www.modelingmadness.com/scotts/allies/us/48p40n.htm

It worked, but on mine the floor of the cockpit sat a bit low.

That Y piece for the radiator is a real pain, and takes a lot of dry fitting to get to fit with any semblance of normal.

Keep at it, Heath! Looks great so far.

Mark

Just started #2 for this GB. Hasegawa 1/48 P-40 E with the Eduard PE detail set... WOW that's a lot of little pieces. Currently working on folding up seat and getting some of the kit detail chiseled out and the PE stiff in its place. Hopefully I will remember to install the cockpit this time

QUOTE: Originally posted by wing_nut Hopefully I will remember to install the cockpit this time

If you forget it this time, Marc, then something is definitely wrong! Do you have a post-it note or something by your work station to remind you? How is that Eduard PE set? The Hasegawa kit seem pretty nice OOB, so does it seem the PE kit is worth the cost?

Well, I hadn't really planned on doing a second build for this, but since there is no end date, others are doing second builds, and I've started another P-40, I guess I might as well throw my hat into the ring again. I'm working on AMtech's P-40K with the resin tail. I have the new tail on and primed the area the other day to look for flaws. I was surprised by how well the tail blended into the fuselage. However, I was not so surprised about my rescribing--it leaves a bit to be desired. Not terrible, but one can tell which panel lines I worked on. I probable won't redo it but might try touching it up a bit.

Mark

Mark,

That is always the big question… is it worth the cost. Considering the amount of detail that this will add to the overall finished product… I say yes. 2 frets with a lot of painted stuff and 6 pages of nicely drawn instructions, covering the whole airframe. Cockpit, LG, tail wheel, gear doors, wheel wells fuselage details…all get some sort of treatment. If you saw the progress pics Pixilater posted not too long ago, it is the same set. I will post some pics when I get more of the cockpit done… too many sub-assemblies at the moments. Also have Ultra Cast exhausts and wheels too.

Some progress pics of #2 build. The Eduard set is really just gorgeous. Clear instructions of easy bending…. Opti-Visor is a must though. Same one Pixilater posted a short while back so it should look familiar. My IP had some of the same whitish spotting his did but not nearly as bad. There is a bad reflection in the pic here… it is fairly black.
I got into a discussion with a friend who does not build models anymore but did as a kid, and even though he’s a couple of years younger than me… we are going back… trust me. He could not believe the level of detail that can be attained with these sets but argued that it was cheating, that this stuff should be scratched, like the old days. I told him that’s exactly the point….. Those were the old days. There are many that still super detail and it’s all scratched. This, to me, is merely an extension of the kit being a kit itself. To which I am also making enhancements, like 12 individual stretched sprue switches about 1/32” long on the IP. The pit alone, OOB would be 9 parts. With the detail set, some extra added cables etc. to bring the parts total to about 60 and about 6 hours, these sets are a kit all by themselves. The model manufacturer just did not put it in the same box. He started to come around by the end of the discussion so we had a beer and stayed friends.

Very nice work Marc. That Eduard PE set is about the best one they have done IMHO. I don't consider it cheating to use AM detail sets, but I do consider it expensive .

Regards, Rick

totally agree with you about AM stuff, put in what you want and buld what you want. Great looking build so far, especially those landing gears.

Very very nice work Matt....the PE parts look fantastic.

Jerry

Great work Matt. Can't wait to see more.

Great work so far, Marc! As Rick said, aftermarket isn't cheating just rather on the expensive side. I'm whittling down my use to things such as Ultracast seats and exhausts.

Mark

Besides the fact this thread needed a serious BUMP... here is entry #2

Hasegawa 1/48 P-40E, Eduard detail set, Eagle Strike decals, Ultra Cast tires and exhausts, MM enamels. First time using an Eduard mask for the canopy… really liked how well that worked. Wash is made from ground pastels mixed with water and a drop of dish soap. Works great and will be my method of choice from now on.

A few of the tiny stuff to add but basically done.










More pics here:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/P-40E/

Very nice build Mark . A real beauty.

Regards, Rick

my fav fighter of all time
also under rated
put in the hands of a GREAT pilot it could out do MANY though not all "better planes"