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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

GWH Curtiss P-40B; The Flying Tigers


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NICE!  Great choice, Peter. This will be my next build as well, assuming I have time before the Wet Work begins in December.

My goal is to build one from each Sqn, plus a true RAF version.

I’m glad you looked into the colors, because I’ve always thought that they would be factory painted using standard RAF specs.  
I don’t know if you did or not, but I recommend the EagleCals AVG sheet for this build.  Some colors on the GWH sheet are apparently slightly off. 
Plus, consider the Quinta 3D decals for the interior.  I have a couple sets and they’re amazing. They are in stock at Sprue Brothers. 

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8 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

NICE!  Great choice, Peter. This will be my next build as well, assuming I have time before the Wet Work begins in December.

My goal is to build one from each Sqn, plus a true RAF version.

I’m glad you looked into the colors, because I’ve always thought that they would be factory painted using standard RAF specs.  
I don’t know if you did or not, but I recommend the EagleCals AVG sheet for this build.  Some colors on the GWH sheet are apparently slightly off. 
Plus, consider the Quinta 3D decals for the interior.  I have a couple sets and they’re amazing. They are in stock at Sprue Brothers. 

Ernie

Thanks for the info and I'll be ordering a set of each. I should be finishing up the Whirlwind by Wednesday - gear is now on and update tomorrow.  The balance of the small parts and finish Tuesday and Wednesday and it should be done - thank goodness.

Finally found the Quinta set at Hobby-Zone USA and ordered it. I'll start with the engine first, so I won't be waiting for the Quinta set to arrive.  

 

 

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Had never heard of that floor mounted sight - wow very interesting!

very (very!) briefly, how did it work? Was there a reflector part that the pilot looked through up at eye level, projected up from the floor? And what was the floor part getting its information from, if that was the direction of all this?

I’m very confused, as you might have gathered!

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This is all fantastic!  Now I'm interested in doing a build. Count me in as a watcher!

Have always been interested in the AVG and in my school years I did a writing project on the AVG, giving them Mustangs!  Years ago I bought a copy of Tex Hill's autobiography, which my wife sent to him to be inscribed for my birthday.  A prized possession!  No help at all on the colors, but this sits above my workbench:

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Tiger Fire by Nicolas Trudgian.  Signed by Chuck Older, Dick Rossi and Tex Hill.  Can't imagine any pilot flying by a wounded enemy plane that was not clearly finished.  So much for the composition!

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I'm tinkering and motivating and going to sit at the bench and see if the juices will flow and the mojo kindle.

I've been tinkering with the Big Allison V-1710-30 first as my Quinta Detail Set hasn't arrived yet. I have my suspicions on the color callouts for the Allison V-12 and will go with my reference photos. As with all WWII aircraft, engine restorations are in their own color world, so I'm going with what I have and should look the part. With any luck and a lot of motivation from Lady Luck I just might have a real starting update early next week.

Fingers crossed   🤞

 

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Gary, GREAT picture of the aircraft.  I (wonder if this) image this has been colorized?  But showing the wear (and the replacement panel at the wing root) is pretty cool.  As well as the faded blue Chinese marking on the left wing.  Good stuff.

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10 hours ago, GazzaS said:

AVG ace pilot Robert T Smith sitting in cockpit of Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

 

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Thanks Gaz

Awesome photograph and the cammo sure looks like fine line - in scale should be close to a hard edge 😉

I've read many times Robert Scott's book: God is my Co Pilot and of course, I haven't seen it for years. 

 

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6 hours ago, CANicoll said:

Gary, GREAT picture of the aircraft.  I image this has been colorized?  But showing the wear (and the replacement panel at the wing root) is pretty cool.  As well as the faded blue Chinese marking on the left wing.  Good stuff.

I got the image of farcebook.  There was nothing saying it was colorized or not.  If it is a colorization...  it's a damn good one.

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  • 3 weeks later...

FINALLY UNDERWAY

The Whirlwind disaster is behind me. As my mojo started to rejuvenate, life began to take precedence: Important doctor appointments and procedures to undertake. My wife Diane also has serious medical issues requiring numerous doctor appointments and procedures and her Mom passed away a few weeks ago; our emotional stress kept on accumulating. As all that we have faced together, we are now starting the resume our somewhat routine, take charge of our lives again, including time at the bench.

At first, I was going to build the P-40 with the engine panels off so the Big Allison could be seen in all its glory. The more I thought about it, I nixed the idea. In my collection are three Tamiya Spitfires with the Merlin’s exposed, three Tamiya Mustangs with just one of the Merlin’s exposed and the Mosquito with both Merlin’s exposed. I’ve come to prefer the look of the engine panels closed up, as the aircraft looking ready for flight, so this was the new POA for the build.

I jumped to the nose section of the build to make sure this really would work as there are a mess of parts and the instructions again, leave a bit to be desired with part placement and orientation. The nose is basically done, needs the Mr Surfacer 500 cleaned up and priming. Fit was good, with no real issues. Assembly and detail wise, pretty good but not quite up to par with Tamiya. Yes, I’m a Tamiya fan boy and proud of it.

Starting now at the beginning of the instruction manual, it was time to build the front office and internal fuselage details. The only AM I’m using: Eduard 32997and Quinta 32116 cockpit detail sets, using what I considered the best of each.

So far both sets equally contributed about the same number of details and I did settle on the Quinta set for the IP but it was very close, as either would have filled the bill. Still to be done; clear gloss, the remaining kit decals, seat belts, some weathering and pin washes to high light the details and the front office should be done. 

I decided to add all the internal fuselage details and assemblies but NOT to do any detail painting, as they do look great but what a gigantic waste of time. Once the fuselage is close up, almost none of it can be seen through the radio access panel. I just have no idea why manufactures add all this interior detail when most can’t be seen. Why waste all the time, engineering and R&D money on providing unseen parts, which in the end adds substantially to the cost of the kit for no good reason.

Just glad to be spending time at the bench making some progress.

Please excuse the crummy photographs, just wasn’t up to setting up my photo area for the first pics.

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