1:48 P-40 Tomahawks

Fragments from two squadrons of one group

The subjects are two Curtiss fighters that belonged to the same formation but to different squadrons. The first carries the fuselage number X44, the name Angel Wings and belonged to the 86th Fighter Squadron; the data places it in the P-40F series. The second flew with the number X26 and the name High Kicker with the 85th Squadron in the Mediterranean area in 1943. Both therefore capture one unit at the moment it was moving on behind a retreating front.

Nicknames as the signature of the mechanics

Names painted under the cockpit were not usually the pilot's privilege. The ground crew who kept the aircraft running often decided on them, and for that reason several pieces of lettering succeeded one another on a single aircraft during its service. Thanks to them a particular example can be traced today in photographs and reports, even when the serial number is not visible in an image.

Tweezers, water and a flat brush

The smaller lettering under the cockpit settles more easily when it is not carried from the paper with your fingers. Pointed tweezers serve to grip the backing, a flat soft brush to shift the motif gently into place. They cannot be pushed into position once the film starts to dry, so it is better to work one piece at a time and let them dry side by side before reaching for the next.

The colors of the Mediterranean theater

Aircraft operating over Tunisia and Sicily carried a combination of sand and brown shades with a light underside. Sun and sand quickly stripped the finish on the edges and at the wing root, where the crews walked. For a model that means concentrating the wear at the leading edges and at the places where people climbed into the cockpit.