1:48 P-40B/C Detail Set (control surf.set,flaps)

P-40B/C — control surfaces and flaps 1:48, resin set from AML

A detail set from the Czech manufacturer AML in 1:48 scale for the early Curtiss P-40B/C. This is not an aircraft model but a resin accessory: the set of control surfaces and landing flaps replaces the fixed molded parts of the base kit with separate ones that can be set in a deflected position. A model of a parked aircraft with the flaps lowered and the control surfaces turned looks immediately livelier than a straight out-of-box build.

The real subject

The Curtiss P-40 was an American fighter with an Allison V12 engine, one of the most widespread American types of the opening phase of the Second World War. The early B and C versions, known to the British as the Tomahawk, made their name among other things with the American volunteers in China and in North Africa. A characteristic feature of the type was the bulky chin radiator, to which modelers owe the unmistakable shark mouth of many camouflage schemes.

Building and painting tips

Before you start the build, plan which surfaces you will cut out; remove the fixed kit parts with a sharp knife or a razor saw and clean up the edges. Try the resin replacements dry, and only then glue them with cyanoacrylate glue. Choose the deflection of the control surfaces convincingly: on a parked aircraft the flaps are usually retracted or fully lowered and the control surfaces slightly deflected by the wind.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who want a P-40 in an as-on-the-airfield pose rather than stiffly out of the box
• Advanced builders with experience of cutting into kit parts
• Fans of the early P-40B/C versions and their famous schemes
• Competition modelers, who will appreciate the crisp detail of the trailing edges

An accessory set; this is not a stand-alone model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package.