1:48 P – 40 E Warhawk

The armament moved into the wings

Guns above the engine accompanied fighters from the First World War onward, but firing between the propeller blades meant synchronization, long ammunition paths and endless jams. On this production form the decision was taken to do away with them altogether: six heavy machine guns moved into the wings, where longer belts fitted and where nothing had to be timed. That doubled the weight of fire and speeded up maintenance.

From the desert to the Aleutians

The machine turned up almost everywhere something cheap was needed at once. The British and their allies flew it over North Africa, American squadrons defended the foggy islands in the north of the Pacific with it and further examples went to the Eastern Front. The engine lacked a second supercharger stage, so at altitude it fell short, but down low it carried a bomb and other loads and took rough handling.

Frames that run across the whole spine

The glazing continues far behind the pilot's head and is divided by frames as far as the tail. Every inaccuracy therefore runs in one line and several frames are visible side by side, which convicts the eye faster than a single isolated mistake. Pre-cut parts hold the width of all the frames the same.

• the spine frames and the side facets
• the frame of the front armored pane
• counterparts for the inner side
• no plastic, no paints, no decals

The dimensions come from the clear parts of the kit manufacturer named. On a mold of another origin the spacing of the frames differs and the film would miss the frame.