#049 P-40B Flying Tiger in 1:144
Improving the already well-detailed 1:144 AFV Club Flying Tigers P-40B with a scratch built cockpit.
No electronics in this one.
Here’s a quick demo..
Notes
The Hawk 81A-2 is an export version of the P-40B, with 110 aircraft produced for the RAF as Tomahawk Mk.IIs and Mk.IIAs. Apparently some ended up with the Flying Tigers in Kunming, China.
The aircraft depicted in this AFV Club AR144S01 1:144 kit was flown by Flight Leader Charles H. Older, Third Squadron, American Volunteer Group, Kunming, China, 1942.
It sports the roundels of the Republic of China, and a “Flying Tiger” insignia that was created by the Walt Disney Company.
The Kit
Paint Scheme
To the extent I kept track of this…
| Feature | Color | Recommended | Paint Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| cockpit | Pale Yellow | Humbrol 81 | Vallejo 70.824 German Camo Orange Ochre |
| prop tips | Matt Trainer Yellow | Humbrol 24 | 70.952 Lemon Yellow |
| lower fuselage | Matt Camouflage Grey (approx DuPont 71-021) | Humbrol 28 | 70.986 Deck Tan + 70.993 white grey ~3:1 |
| Matt Black | Humbrol 33 | ||
| upper camo | Matt US Dark Green (approx DuPont 71-013) | Humbrol 116 | 70.893 US Dark Green |
| upper camo | Matt US Light Earth (approx DuPont 71-009) | Humbrol 119 | 70.921 English Uniform w/ 70.824 German Camo Orange Ochre ~ 3:1 |
Build Log
There’s no cockpit in the kit, so a little scratch building goes a long way..
Drilling out the exhaust pipes with a PCB drill bit
With seatbelts and a quick paint job and wash:
Time for masking and painting
The light earth camo was a blend
With the main paint job complete and decals added:
The cockpit detail is reasonably well visible through the canopy, but so small it is a challenge to photograph with my old phone camera.
With an antenna aerial rigged and some OPR:
The AFVClub 1/144 Flying Tigers P-40B joins its big brother - Airfix 1/72.
Credits and References
- this project on scalemates
- Flying Tigers P-40B/C Hawk-81A2 AFV Club No. AR144S01 1:144
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - wikipedia
- P-40B - wikipedia
- Flying Tigers - wikipedia
- Curtiss-Wright Model 81-A2 - this day in aviation
- BUILD JOURNAL Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 - luftraum72