1:48 P-40B

The real subject

The Curtiss P-40 was an American single-seat fighter which at the start of the Second World War formed the backbone of American fighter units and was supplied to the Allies on a large scale. You will know it by its long nose with the big radiator under the engine, thanks to which many machines wore the famous shark mouths. The P-40B is an early form, with armor and protected fuel tanks added. The Royal Air Force used the name Tomahawk for the early Curtiss machines.

What the photo-etched set offers

Photo-etched metal parts for a P-40B model in 1:48 scale. They replace items that in plastic are necessarily thicker than the scale warrants, and they add the fine structure an injection mold cannot hold. The extent of the set and the position of the parts are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building tips

Separate the parts with a sharp blade on a hard surface and take hold of them with tweezers by the face, not by the edge. Sand the remains of the tab away with a fine file. Bend them in one stroke, in a bending tool or between two blades. They are glued with super glue applied drop by drop on the tip of a pin; ordinary cement for plastic has no effect on metal. Degrease the surfaces before painting and spray them with an undercoat, otherwise the paint will not hold on smooth metal.

Who it is for

For modelers who are building an early form of the P-40 in 1:48 scale and want to replace coarser plastic items with finer metal ones. Whether the parts will fit a particular kit is something to check in the instructions for the set before you start altering the plastic. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.