Home  |  What's New  |  Features  |  Gallery  |  Reviews  |  Reference  |  Forum  |  Search

Arii/Otaki 1/48 scale
Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

by Eddie "Grunticus" Wilson

 

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

  

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron 

 

Construction


Here is my Otaki 1/48 scale P-40E that I built a few years ago.

The model was built pretty much stock but I had to replace the landing gear because I misplaced a strut and wheel. Thanks to a kindly knowledgeable soul here on HyperScale I was able to fashion some new struts that ended up looking better than the original kit parts.

 



There is nothing really remarkable about this model but with all the talk of the new Trumpeter kit and the debate over the rivets, I thought it might be useful for anybody interested in how dimpled divots look after a coat of paint!

Fit was about average for a P-40 with some filler needed at both wing root fillets.

The worst part of this kit is the wing which is swept to the rear on the leading edge. No P-40 ever had a airfoil shape like this and to fix it would probably require a whole new wing. The model's side view elevation seems correct for the most part but I would not chose this kit again if i were building a proper P-40E.

 



The interior is pretty much straight from the box though I did add some masking tape seat belts and a set of photo etch gun sights at the front of the windshield. The rear quarter windows fit was really poor. At some stage I should go back and replace them with some clear styrene or acetate. So many models, so little time.

 

 

Painting and Markings

 

I used Testor's Model Master paints on this model (enamels) and replaced the kit decals with a markings from a Microscale sheet that was actually intended for P-40B and P-40C.

The markings represent the 55th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group based at Selfridge Field in Michigan before the start of WWII.

 

 

Additional Images

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images: 

Modelling the P-40
Hawk 81, Tomahawk, Warhawk and Kittyhawk
Osprey Modelling 15

Author: Brett Green
US Price:
$17.95
UK Price: £12.99
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Publish Date:
 January 10, 2004
Details: 80 pages; ISBN: 1841768235
Shop cart
Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Model and Text Copyright © 2005 by Eddie "Grunticus" Wilson
Images Copyright © 2005 by Faith Jackson
Page Created 10 January, 2005
Last Updated 10 January, 2005

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to HyperScale Main Page