Curtiss P-40B Warhawk by Asat- Airfix- 1/48

[ASAT]

Hi everyone, so this build is a precursor to prepare myself for an Airfix 1/24 Typhoon build that I am waiting to receive due to “delays due to the recent earthquake in Salt Lake City” that’s what amazon said anyways. So I went to my local Hobby Lobby and bought some 1/48 scale kits - the Airfix P-51 and P-40 new release’s and the Revell 1/48 B-25J kit - I thought I could develop some needed skills on the two fighters, and I just really like the B-25 and they were all around $20 ea with a coupon at Hobby Lobby so I dove in. 
I decided to build the P40 first, it looks like a nice kit, very clean parts, no flash to speak of and only a few mold lines to remove so far. I have the cockpit almost done but there are no seat belts or harness for the seat - there is a pilot figure with a harness molded in but I’m depicting them all wheels down, like they are parked on the tarmac so no pilot figure for me.  So I’m waiting for a harness kit from eduard and while I’m at it I ordered some paint masks for the canopy and a camouflage set too. 

Edited April 25, 2020 by ASAT
Compliance

[ASAT]

So here are some pics of my start, I haven’t done a plastic model in a loonggg time and when I did I didn’t use an airbrush or weathering techniques so as you can see it’s not my forte.... I did try and show some worn paint area’s where I think the pilots feet, and seat would wear/chip paint. I definitely need you guys to help, suggest, guide me so my next build and subsequent get better and better.  I am impressed with the fit and engineering of this kit though, but it is definitely tough painting details at this small scale.... feel free to critique and offer critique and advise for more realistic outcomes.... here are the cockpit side walls before and after decals and dry brushing, need to get some decal setting solution though - the decals won’t conform to the relief molded into the parts.... I’m dreading the instrument panel decal....

[Old Collingwood]

Hey!   welcome aboard - looking forward to this  your in good company .

 

OC.

[ASAT]

And here is the cockpit built up and my first try at weathering/wear....

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by ASAT

[ASAT]

And here dry fitting together and in place in fuse....

Edited March 23, 2020 by ASAT

[ASAT]

Hey OC! Your Mossy and CDW’s TBM are a big reason why I thought I would give plastic a whirl again! That and our illustrious Admin James H. - I checked in on a few of his builds and reviews and asked him for input on a large scale build. I was considering the 1/24 Airfix Hellcat and he pointed me to the Typhoon - I really like the look of that one, probably cause of the huge “mouth” intake... reminds me of the A7E’s I used to work on during my Navy days back in the mid 70’s - made two Westpac’s on the USS Coral Sea and the USS Kitty Hawk as a flight deck troubleshooter aviation electricians mate. Best job I ever had! Looking forward to learning the nuances of plastic with you guys!!

[Old Collingwood]

Your doing an excellent job with that  cockpit.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Your work so far looks very nice Lou.

 

This kit has all kinds of potential for additional work. Of course you know all about the AVG, (Flying Tigers) in China where they flew almost daily from somewhat crude airfields and put a lot of wear and tear on their limited number of aircraft. Then there is the months following Dec 7 when the P-40 was almost the only land based allied fighter of any worth in the Pacific as they were chased across the ocean island by island by the Japanese forces. Even three or four months of almost constant combat puts a lot of wear on any aircraft. 

 

I will be following with interest. Good luck into your venture into the dark side.

[Edwardkenway]

I'll be looking in on this as I got tempted in by the builds down here!!😏 have fun.

[mtaylor]

21 hours ago, ASAT said:

I definitely need you guys to help, suggest, guide me so my next build and subsequent get better and better.

Lou, looking great from here.  Maybe we should get advice from you?  Or at least I should.

[ASAT]

Thanks guys for the kind words, and all the likes! Didn’t do anything on it tonight, wife and I just hung out together on the couch and watched some movies.... trying to de stress and chill from all the strange days lately.... hoping everyone stays safe.... 

[Old Collingwood]

Look after yourself.

 

OC.

[ASAT]

Got the instrument panel painted and decals and prepped a few air intake pieces and the wheel wells, still waiting on my belts so I can put the cockpit together and close up the fuse....pretty cool the way those screens show up with a wash.... I don’t think you’ll see em in the model though....

Edited March 25, 2020 by ASAT

[popeye the sailor]

great start on a really cool plane Lou........looks like you got your ducks in a row to me....    nice job detailing!

[Old Collingwood]

Love that cockpit.

 

OC.

[ASAT]

Well the C-Vi must be taking its toll on Amazon too, I just got word that my seat belts are delayed and the 1/24 Typhoon got lost somewhere between the model shop and USPS.... so I had to re order it and now it won’t be here till next week or the week after. I decided I have waited long enough for the P40 harness so I tried my hand at making some out of asking tape and annealed wire. They are a bit out of scale (unless they were made wider than I think they were) but they look ok for my first attempt... and this is my learning mule after all! Here’s some pics .....

[ASAT]

and this is how they look with the cockpit sides on - they really are a focal point since that’s about all you’re gonna see when you look in the cockpit.... definately need to make the next ones smaller or use some aftermarket- but these guys are only 2mm wide - I don’t know if I can handle them smaller .... need a bigger scale!

[lmagna]

WOW Lou

 

I have no idea if they are out of scale or not. But I do know what the 1/35th pilot harnesses look like on my Huey. They are small, so yours must be TINY. You did a fantastic job in my opinion, such as it is. My hat is off to you.

[ASAT]

Thanks Lou, yeah looking at some other builds online I’d say they should have been 1mm wide but as fiddly as the little wire buckles were at 2mm I would probably still be doing them at 1mm. Appreciate the good word though, maybe on my next build I’ll try something smaller or PE... I’ll have a 1/48 eduard set by then - I can probably make them work on the P 51 I have waiting...

Edited March 29, 2020 by ASAT

[popeye the sailor]

considering they are laid out like that {as they all would be},  they'd be the first thing seen.  they look good though......nice  

[ASAT]

Man! What a nice kit this is! I can’t believe how everything fits together, light years different than the stuff I used to build.... very little filler needed and all the seams matched up really well. I am amazed at how the wing roots, fillets and fuse to wing joints were just a pleasure to fit and fair. I might just be swayed - might have to try a new release armor kit too! 😁🤯. Here’s a few shots before I spray it with primer - all my mistakes are right out in the open....

[ASAT]

Hmmm - on that pic those wing gaps look huge! Do I need to fill them before I primer it? They don’t look that big sitting on the bench but I guess there wouldn’t have been any gap on the real thing right? I just hate to have to sand it with all that nice rivet detail so close to the gap..... ideas please?

[CDW]

Just now, ASAT said:

Hmmm - on that pic those wing gaps look huge! Do I need to fill them before I primer it? They don’t look that big sitting on the bench but I guess there wouldn’t have been any gap on the real thing right? I just hate to have to sand it with all that nice rivet detail so close to the gap..... ideas please?

First of all, you are doing a beautiful job on the P-40, Lou. I love the subject and am impressed with your model. And those new 1:24 scale Airfix kits are amazing. I think a lot of guys are hitting the models real hard during this virus shutdown. Seems like all the normal hobby sellers are backlogged everywhere I look. I'm glad to see a resurgence in the hobby.

 

Take a few minutes to watch this little video. It may be the answer to you wing root gap problem. It will not damage the surrounding detail on your model and keep sanding to a bare minimum.

 

 

[Canute]

I'll second the recommendation. I use it on my freight cars. Has minimal odor. Good stuff.

[lmagna]

I have used it a number of times on my Huey build and it has been almost perfect with no loss of surrounding detail.

[lmagna]

I have used it a number of times on my Huey build and it has been almost perfect with no loss of surrounding detail.

[ASAT]

Look what the Amazon Man just brought! (Disinfecting wipes not included) 😎 Build log coming soon! 

[popeye the sailor]

1:24.........big model!     very nice..........   really good progress on the P 40

[CDW]

There is at least one great youtube build video for the 1:24 Airfix Typhoon. Maybe more, but I watched most of the one, a great video.

 

[Old Collingwood]

Congrats on the purchase   - that will make a great build.

 

OC.