AIRCRAFT - On The Warpath: The Curtiss P-40

Ahhh...errr... Glad I was able to help... in a round about sort of way ;o)

Ever realize you just did something dumb? I didn't even catch the import of those weird circles. Well, this is the danger of using a camo mask for a P-40B/C which would have the roundels. This P-40E doesn't necessarily have the same roundels as it's well, not a P-40B/C.

I'll have to look at the markings and see if I need to do some additional masking and painting. I suppose the good news is that this is a relatively easy fix. Note to self: pay more attention to markings.

I'll laugh about this later.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark Joyce Arki30, the camo looks great! I've a couple sets of those masks but haven't used them. I'll keep in mind the problems you had if/when I use them. Mark

Ever caught yourself thinking something real dumb? I was looking at the camo and said to my self I didn’t like the mask. What's with the weird round shape on the wings? Oh... round shape... round... roundel. Had a small senior moment but it has passed.

Looking great so far arki. Keep up the good work.

Regards, Rick

Nice looking camo arki. I can't wait to see the next steps.

Arki30, the camo looks great! I've a couple sets of those masks but haven't used them. I'll keep in mind the problems you had if/when I use them.

Mark

Thanks pingtang and wing_nut.

It's the 1/48 AMtech P-40E. Great kit, but wow did this one need some putty.

Arki30... looks good. What kit and scale... or did I miss that??

Pix - Great work on that cockpit mate. I like the looks of that PE set. Thanks for sharing it.

arki30 - Your build is looking really nice. The camo looks great.

Ah, the vagary of email. Or in this case a forum. Dang, should have put an emoticon on my sentence, like , Pix. I don't actually feel inadequate when I see your work, just amazement. Great stuff and don't even think about not posting. I along with others learn from it.

Hmm, $400 is still a bit above what I'm able to spend, but thanks for letting me know. I have a much lower end digital camera that just isn't cutting it, so I'm looking for that next upgrade.

In the meantime I've borrowed a better one so enjoy my posting of progress. Camo on! I cheated and used the Black Magic mask for the P-40B/C which works relatively well with a little work. I've used the BM masks before with great results, but this one almost did me in. When I peeled off the masks, they left an amazing amount of adhesive behind. I've never had that happen before and even used the "press on palm" trick before applying. I didn't think it was coming off, but Goo Gone worked without removing any paint. Crisis averted.

Still a lot of work to do yet , but much farther along than a month ago.

Thanks arki30 !

It's not my intention to make anyone feel "inadequate." I just a modeler, like everyone else here. I enjoy sharing pics of my work with others of like interest, as I enjoy looking at pics of other people's work. If I make others feel that way, I'll have to stop posting pics. I don't want to do that to anyone. I thought others may be interested in seeing what Eduard's detail set is like. Please forgive me if it makes you feel badly.
Here's a pic of my camera, taken with my camera (OK, it's a pic of a mirror). I flipped it horizontally with Photoshop.

It had a high retail price when new, but they can be found for $400 or less today.

Does anyone else feel inadequate when Pixilator posts progress pictures? Sheesh, that cockpit is amazing.

Actually, a serious question for you. What camera do you use?

Quagmyre

That really bites. But until we all can figure out how to get rich doing this we still have to use a real job to fund the hobby. The good news is the hobby, and all of us, will be here when you get back.

Thanks for the comment everyone

Mucker, I used Polly S

As for my wire I did not have the right size at the time of the photo, and it was drivin me nuts the way it looked with it off. So thats why I went with the bigger wire. Believe me when I bring my boat back from the lake the 1st thing Im going to do is dig out the correct size from my tackle box.:)

Thad

Sorry to backout Steve-O but I got assigned to a Hotel California type project at work (I've checked in, but can never leave it seems) commuting from Chicago to Seattle on a weekly basis and I just won't have the time for this build this year let alone a number of other things.

Excellent work Pix. Looking forward to the finished model.

Regards, Rick

Pix: Looks great. Did Eduard supply those plaques too? THey look great!

THAD...Looks good. Nice paint and weathering. But, honestly, the wire detracts from the overall effect. Please please please replace it! Seriously, I'll lose sleep if you don't.

My apologies for joining, then not responding or posting pics. Just a lot of stuff happening at home at the moment.

First, there are some GREAT P-40 builds here ! Far too many for me to acknowledge separately, but I've gone through all the pages and seen the pics. NICE WORK, EVERYONE !

I'm building Hasegawa's 1/48 P-40E using Eduard's new photoetched detail set. I might get to painting the airframe on Monday, so I'll have some new pics then.

Here's one shot of the cockpit:

The rest of the pics, along with a build dialogue, can be found here:
http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/p40build.htm

The canopy has been Futured, and the landing gear and door interiors are done. I've also painted the exhausts and wheels. The PE radiator flaps and actuators are also finished. Thanks for the opportunity to be part of this Group Build !

Looks great THAD. I like the weathering. Nice build.

Nice build and great weathering, James! Looks like your antenna has seen better days, though!

Mark

KingThad: Absolutely stunning! I am amazed at how nicely you weathered it. Out of curiosity, which brand paint did you use on the exterior?

Looks pretty good Thad. What did you use for the Antennae wire ? In the pics it looks over size & not as taut as it should be. Kinda detracts from the rest of the build, which looks real nice.

Regards, Rick

Here is my P-40 hope ya like it.

Robert, looking forward to seeing your next P-40 build!

Marc, thanks for the compliment! I had planned on using Moskit exhausts for my build, but apparently Roll Models couldn't get them to fill my order. I'll be using Ultracast's exhausts, which I had a spare set of.

Mark

Mark

Real nice job there so far… reeeeeal nice.

After seeing Pixilater's E 'pit I could not resist. Have just ordered the Hasegawa E, the Eduard detail set and Moskit pipes...still have decals left from the sheet I used for 'Ryan's Daughter". As soon as I finished the 109-E for the WWII AC GB that starts tomorrow, I will be working on a 2nd entry to this GB.

THanks Mark. I've never built an Eduard kit and you've provided me with a little motivation to give one a try. Thanks for the info.

Sounds good Rob. Looking forward to the pics.

Regards, Rick

I've progressed on the P 40f as a 3 Sqn RAAF bird, I'll have some pix soon, I'm also doing a P 40n at the same time, both of these are the older AMT kits.

Chuck, James, Daniel, and Rick-Thanks for the kind comments!

Chuck: You might know this already, but the Eduard kit is simply the Mauve kit reboxed with PE and resin parts. I think the decals are different and better quality, but don't know that for a fact. The only real issue I had with construction was the resin cockpit. The cockpit includes all the bells and whistles so nothing else is needed, but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get the floor to fit well, and the seat sits too low as a result. Also, try as I might, I couldn't completely eliminate the seam where the rear canopy insert attached to the fuselage. Those are probably more 'operator errors' rather than inherent problems with the kit. My only true complaint about the Eduard kit is that includes the wrong resin wheels for most N versions. I ended up using the correct Muave kit wheels, which are included, and they work fine. I haven't seen the Hasegawa N yet, but I think the Muave/Eduard kit will hold up well against it.

Rick: My camera skills are sadly lacking. The last time I photographed a model, I apparently messed up the settings which weren't discovered until I took some family photos. That's the main reason I don't do many In Progress pictures-fear of repeating those mistakes. When I finish this build in a couple of weeks (hopefully), I'll try for more and better pictures.

Mark