lmagna

I give up! There is no way that anything I can build has any business on this forum! I have no words in my head that can cover either of the cars here.

Was that last skeleton Dr in the same scale made from PE? Great looking set. I am having trouble deciding which one I like the best.

If you are going to strip it down anyway OC why not take it all the way and try a bottle of Super Clean like EG described in his car build and take it down to the plastic? https://www.walmart.com/ip/SuperClean-Tough-Task-Cleaner-Degreaser-1-gal/23752162?selected=true Might be better to start from the beginning rather than go halfway. Sorry this happened to you it was going so nicely.

The rear differential assembly has an odd shape like it has standard axles out to the outer assembly then possibly chain driven out to the wheels? Do you have any information on how this was done, chains or gears?

Hope you find it OK Denis.

Thanks Mark for all the extra reading on what is probably my favorite underdog aircraft of WWII. I need to get more modeling done rather than more reading! But I have not read much on P-40s in years. My first book was "God Is My Co-pilot" by Robert L. Scott when I was in my teens.

Got my numbers confused.............. Got the name right though!

The British and Dutch did pretty much the same thing. They felt the Brewster Buffalo was good enough The British realized their mistake and brought in the Hurricane that had done so well in the Battle of Britain but it fared only slightly better than the Buffalo. The British then threw in the Spitfire feeling that it would be more than a match, but in only two engagement the Japanese took out 17 of 27 Spitfires while only loosing two Zeros. The P-40 also served quite well in other countries against the Zero, primarily Australia and New Zealand. Although their numbers never matched the AVG or the followup P-40s of the 23rd Fighter Group, also under Chennault, that was able to claim 594 confirmed kills! Perhaps the most dramatic difference between the two aircraft is how history remembers them. Today the Zero is thought of as one of the great fighters of the Second World War, despite its flaws and its ineffectiveness when those flaws were exploited. The P-40 is denounced as being one of the worst fighters of the war even though it achieved a 70 to 1 kill ratio with the AVG, was used by the most successful U.S. squadron of WW II (the 23rd FG), was essential in the defense of China, Australia, North Africa, New Zealand, and the South-West Pacific, and even with all of it's flaws proved to be a better fighter then the Zero time and again. Hopefully someday people will be able to see it a little differently.

WOW! I have no idea why postings like this don't show up on my computer until two days after they are posted! Fantastic work Jack, I would not have been able to do as well even by going out back and getting real rocks! I'm jealous. I kind of like the the indoor pictures a little better, They look darker and more winter like for some reason. But I also think the shot where you are looking through the trees at the tank coming behind is classic as well. Thanks for letting me watch and showing me how it is done.

Yes Chennault was sending the information about how his fifty active aircraft of the AVG were able to achieve a 70-1 ratio of kills against the Japanese. In 7 months the AVG was credited with between 286-296 confirmed kills, depending on your source, with an additional 153 probables with the loss of only 12 P-40s and 3 pilots in combat. This was with pilots from all three branches of the American military with virtually no prior experience with the P-40 or with actual combat. He was continually sending information and intelligence about the Zero and methods on how to combat it to Washington but his reports were being filed and disregarded so the lessons had to be learned all over by the American and pilots in other countries using the P-40 and they also started using the Thach weave tactic and the drive by shooting method preferred by the AVG. I was once able to watch a "Race" between several unmodified WWII aircraft. One was the F4F. The P-40, P51, and others all turned around the pylon in wide sweeping turns and comming up last in line was the poor F4F. It looked like he almost reached out and grabbed the pylon ad instantly was heading in the new direction! It was almost too fast to follow. I was able to talk to the pilot later and he said that the turning of the F4F was the only way the Wildcat could even hope to keep up with the other planes. He claimed that the plane could even do better but he was flying a plane that was about as old as he was, (He had white hair) and was one of only two flyable F4Fs in the world and when you are flying "races" at less than 100 feet above the ground there is little time to react if something goes wrong. According to at least one book, written by a WWII Japanese pilot, the F4F was nothing compared to the F6F and the F4U Corsair.

Not quite true if you look at things a little differently than many history books do. The Zero had a top speed of about 330 in level flight and maxed out at 350 in a dive. Late war models with more power could reach 350 in level flight. The early P-40s could reach 350 in level flight and that dropped to 345 after they started adding self sealing fuel tanks and armor, but came back up to 360 in the E model and 380 in the late war N model. The dive speed is mostly stated as over 480 in a dive depending on your source. The early 40s were a little under-gunned compared to the Zero but when they deleted the nose guns and went to six .50s in the wings with the D model they were pretty much carrying as much firepower as anyone else, and more than some. The Zero did have two 20s and two 7.7mm guns. Most often they would use the 7.7s for aiming and when on target the shorter range slower firing 20s for the kill. This arrangement was more suited to killing bombers than as a fighter. As for maneuverability, you might want to looks at that as well. While there is no question that the Zero could out turn the 40, it could also out maneuver the Spitfire, BF-109, P-38, P-47, P-51 and more. The P-40 was considered more agile that the BF-109 and P51 Mustang and several others. Not bad for a 1937 design with a non supercharged engine. Of course the extra armor and self sealing tanks made the P-40 MUCH more survivable than the Zero. That was proven time and time again. While the Zero was certainly more agile at low speeds of 200 (+-) they started to loose that advantage at higher speeds above 275. They completely lost the ability to roll and started loosing wing skin at speeds of a little over 350 and if the pilot pushed too hard he could loose his wings all together! Think what it would be like to be in a fight against a P-40 with the P-40 on your tail. First off you are being chased by a plane that has a faster speed than you do, so out running him is out of the question. You push hard and try to out maneuver the P-40 but in order to stay at maximum range you need to push your aircraft to the limit and get outside of your maximum maneuvering speed range. To make a loop or turn you need to make a roll first but your aircraft is going too fast to start the roll. A climb or loop would be the best as there is almost nothing in the world that can match a Zero in a climb, a dive would be fatal, the 40 would catch you in no time. So you try for the loop anyway. If you succeed you will almost certainly gain the advantage of the favored "6 O'clock" position, but you will also have to deal with two other factors of the American aircraft's abilities. #1, when you start your maneuver you will almost certainly have to fly through a burst of .50 cal bullets and without armor or self sealing fuel tanks this could easily be the end of the maneuver before it even starts. # 2, if you are able to complete the loop you run into the next problem. The Americans, starting with Chennault's Flying Tigers over China, have adopted the wingman flying a weave formation behind the aircraft you are trying to avoid. This second aircraft is almost certain to get you if you try to become aggressive against the first plane. If somehow you are able to pull it off and get into a favorable position then the smarter pilots just go into a dive that you are powerless to follow and the engagement is over. You never even got a chance to use your powerful but short range 20mm guns. While the Zero was certainly not an aircraft to be disregarded, it also was not quite the legend history has made it to be. As a dogfighter the Zero was unparalleled, and its great range gave it tactical flexibility. It was the world's first great long-range escort fighter. Yet as an all-around fighter its flaws came back to haunt it. Once its adversaries became aware of its drawbacks and limitations, the myth of the Zero's invincibility was shot to ribbons, along with many a plane. The P-40's attributes were near opposites to that of the Zero's. The fastest model P-40 could outrun the fastest model Zeke by at least 30 mph and no model Zero could outrun its contemporary P-40 rival. The P-40's dive speed was also better. The normal dive limit speed for a P-40 was 480 mph and sometimes exceeded 500 mph. This proved especially useful using the hit and run tactics pioneered during the war. The structural integrity of the P-40's airframe could stand over 9 G's, far better then the frail Zeke. The Curtiss also had pilot armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, standard for all U.S. fighters. I could go on and on about how the P-40 has been underrated in history while the Zero and other Axis fighters it had to fight were bathed in glory, yet it somehow continued to hold it's own and more against all of them when properly flown. But this is not the time or place for that much history and examples of ability. This is your build log and I will apologize in advance for getting on my soapbox and rambling on. Now, back to your fantastic build!

Yes, one of only two recovery vehicles I ever saw up close. The other was the M578 Light Recovery Vehicle. I never got any closer than just seeing them but they seemed pretty big to me at the time. I even have a kind of war story about them. We had a lieutenant who was giving a speech on these vehicles and as a side note he was explaining how the track system had two modes, the road mode where the wheels were locked out and made everything stiff and allowed the vehicle to travel faster on smooth surfaces. And the unlocked mode , where each wheel was allowed to rise and fall over whatever obstacle it came across, letting the vehicle have a more stable ride over rough terrain. To prove his point he threw the stainless thermos he had been drinking coffee from under the track and told the driver to move forward. I have no idea if the driver knew what was going on or not, but instead of the wheels rising over the thermos when the first wheel reached it the thermos spit out it's lid and flattened like a squished banana! The wheel and of course the vehicle didn't even attempt to rise over the thermos! It seems that the suspension was in lockout mode! I don't think I ever saw either type of vehicle ever again.

Great work on your P-40 Lou. I have always had a soft spot for this aircraft. It may not have been the best aircraft in the American WWII inventory, but for a while it was almost the only one we had in the Pacific and in the right hands gave out damage with the best.

Love the patriotic music. Actually quite the maneuver getting that tank out the way they did. When I was stationed in Ft. Sill for my AIT training the vehicle they used to retrieve tanks was: And it was only considered a medium recovery vehicle!

Possibly it was the camo doing it's job and fooling the camera. Still some striking models by any measure, the camera doesn't know what it is missing.

Lead on McDuff. I am certain the journey is going to be enlightening. Hard to envision a racing Fiat of that era in anything but red.

I'm in. No need to find extra room I will find a place, Usually somewhere in the rafters. Now that I am getting to the OD section of mi build I need some lessons on how to properly spread it around and make it look right.

Phenomenal!

Not much room left but I will certainly be looking from somewhere. I'll try not to step on any toes.

That came out pretty nice Craig. I was wondering about doing the top white when you said that was the color you were going to use but it really does add a touch of elegance to her looks.

I am not certain what conversion you are using, but they come up as about $4-$12 on my computer. Both companies are noted as putting out high end aftermarket products, and I see no reason to think these would be different. Your kit and build so it is also your choice. Your canopy looks fine in your pictures.

Wow J, she sure turned out nice. I'm glad I didn't take out a bet early on as to who would finish first! I think you may have set a new record. Congratulations on a great job.

I still don't know why you don 't look at using one of these: https://www.squadron.com/1-48-Squadron-Canopies-Mosquito-SQ9600-p/sq9600.htm https://www.ebay.com/c/2129470313 https://www.hlj.com/1-48-scale-mosquito-b-pr-mk-iv-canopy-for-tamiya-rob48069

Starting to look like a Mossy. Love that wing shape.

Thanks Denis I have a few ideas of what I am at least going to try, based on builds by you other guys that I have followed over the last few months, including your B-17 builds. I have no idea how it all will turn out as virtually every aspect of this build has, and will involve techniques I have never done before. Even just building a plastic kit is almost a new activity. I have probably built less than 20 plastic kits in all of my adult life and none of them using the methods I am using now. Can't think of a "spare" kit that I might own that would lend itself to be sacrificed for practice. I will just have to learn as I go and hope for the best. Again, hanks for looking in.