1:48 P-40M

The Kittyhawk Mk.III with the lengthened rear

The M version was a late branch of the Warhawk. It got the Allison V-1710-81 engine, a slightly lengthened section of the fuselage ahead of the tail surfaces and a conspicuous row of small cooling openings behind the exhausts. Most of the machines built went outside the US Army Air Forces: the British listed them as the Kittyhawk Mk.III, others served with Soviet regiments and in New Zealand. The long canopy has dense framing and it is precisely that which tends to be the most time-consuming part of painting in 1:48 scale.

Paint in two rounds, not all at once

It pays to keep to the order. First seat the inner parts of the film, spray the cockpit shade and let the coat set for at least an hour. Only then fit the canopy on the fuselage, add the outer parts and move on to the camouflage. With the reverse procedure the frames show through from inside in the color of the airframe, and looking into the cockpit that is immediately noticeable, because the glazing hides nothing.

Before the film goes on the glass

Leave the transparent parts completely dry before masking and rid them of grease from your fingers, otherwise the edge will not adhere and the paint will get inside. Anyone who coats the glazing with a gloss product should let it cure thoroughly, because a soft gloss likes to come up together with the film when it is pulled off. Seat the parts with fine-tipped tweezers and press the edges home with the blunt end of a toothpick.

What the sheet contains

In the bag lie masking shapes for the canopy outside and inside, one set for the national marking and a decal sheet on top of that. The base follows the parts of the plastic kit from Hasegawa in the same scale, so the outlines fit and the scissors can stay in the drawer. The paint shades and the aircraft itself are chosen by the modeler separately according to his own plan.