Hobbycraft's 1/48 scale
Curtiss P-40F Warhawk

by Bob Aikens

Hobbycraft's 1/48 scale P-40F Warhawk is available online from Squadron

Here is Hobbycraft's boxing of the 1/48 scale P-40F Warhawk.

The box art for the packaging of this kit is particularly striking - it combines a hight degree of realism with a forced perspective that seems just right in depicting the whirling flux of an air combat over the Western desert. The artist's name is obscured by graphics....and yes, I'm a sucker for boxtop art- been that way since I was a kid. I always paid attention to the names and styles... still do.

For anyone who is interested in doing this kit, Tony Hodun's article (in Modeling Madness' review section) is a must. It was almost a godsend as I set about trying to get this project in order.

If you proceed you will discover that the kit is a re-box done with the AMT/ERTL tooling, of the long-tailed P-40F.

I determined at once that this was not going to be a sow's ear-silk purse type of thing- it had to be a stick-to-the-basics: get a good paint job and a neat finish approach. And as in all of the recent HobbyCraft releases you will find the decal sheet to be superb.

The model was built literally straight from the box.. The only addition was Eduard seat belts.

ModelMaster Dark Earth, RAF Middlestone and RAF Azure Blue, all lightened about 10% with white were used in the overall painting;and sticking with my simplicity code, I used low-tack painter's masking tape to do the Mediterrean camo scheme.

The most trying part of the whole project was getting the exhaust-area cowling inserts smoothed in; they didn't look right just plopped in there, so after about five fillings, sandings and re-primings they appeared suitable. Of course I had removed any traces of the panel lines that had been there. Rather than trying to rescribe, I penciled them back in after painting- a compromise of an almost political nature!

As you can see from the photos I used the kit canopy and the model appears to be crying out for thinner sliding section.

There are 4 decal options- my choice was P-40F-5 41-143 499 (114-499) of Commandant Konstantin Rozanoff of GC II/5 'Lafayette' of the Free French in Morocco.

This was a pretty basic effort in modeling but still fun to do, and thanks to Tony Hodun's fine article I felt satisfied that it was fundamentally accurate.

At the same time I learned much about the P-40F/L series. But still, it was that great boxtop art that started it all!


 

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 Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2004 by Bob Aikens
Page Created 23 December. 2004
Last Updated 23 December, 2004

Back to HyperScale Main Page