Curtiss P-40K-1/5
Short Fuselage

S pecial Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Graham Carter

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There were quite a bewildering series of aircraft identified as P-40s and it is not the place of a reviewer to outline the whole kit and caboodle so suffice to say this nice little kit gives us one of the rarely kitted variants - the early K-1 to -5, the stumpy-tailed variant used largely in the Mediterranean theatre.

Predominantly used by the USAF, VVS and RAF, this kit has decals for the former two users. 192 P-40K-1-CUs, originally part of a French order were diverted to England under Lend-Lease as early Kittyhawk III. RAF serials were FL875/FL905, FR111/FR115, FR210/FR361, and FL710/FL713. The first examples were delivered to the Middle East in late 1942

(Referenced from the instructions and Wikipedia)

In what is now the standard SH sturdy top opening cardboard box with reinforced ends, the three mid-grey and one clear sprues nestle in the lower reaches, in their seperate resealable bags, with an A4 colour instruction booklet of twelve pages , the last being a comprehensive coverage of CMK accessories relevant to these P-40 kits, as well as tools and Star Dust weathering pigments - cross advertising at its best, but it does save a big search for those ‘needed’ parts.

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Thumbnail panels:

The kit contains no PE but there is a diminutive pair of resin pieces for the DF loop and base used in one of the decal options.

As the images attest, the parts are beautifully moulded, panel lines are just right and there is nowt but the tiniest seam around some of the finest parts that will need removal with a swish of your favourite stick.

Cockpit detail is really nice and will pop out with some fine painting and dry-brushing, certainly in this scale. The seat is provided with decal seat belts.

Wheel wells feature the typical Curtiss ribbed effect and include seperate walls. The radiator can be built with open or closed rear gills and the matrix is nicely represented by three pieces. Tyres are of the smooth variety.

Special Hobby has begun to use an interesting canopy form - an “about bl$#@y time” idea in this reviewer’s mind - of giving you two sliding canopy sections, one for a closed version and another, slightly wider version for popping open over the rear windows! Simple! and so effective. Well done SH, let’s hope other manufacturers follow.

The under wing loads are either a pair of bombs or tanks, with their associated carrying bits.

Colours & Markings

Decals are in their own cellophane sleeve and cover four aircraft, each covered by a full page four-view colour scheme, followed by a detailed stencil location diagram for the 65-odd wee stencils (which in many cases are TINY). They are glossy and well printed by Cartograf and will have great density.

The aircraft covered, and again there are details of the pilots and action for each, are:

1. 42-46040 1-3 of 64SF, 57FG USAAF in Tunisia in 1943 in sand over Neutral Grey.

2. white 23 of 436 IAP, 239 IAD, 6th Air Army of the VVS in winter 1943, in Dark Earth/Dark Green over Sky Grey.

3. 42-9768, white 255 of 26FS/51FG in China December 1943, in the same colours as ‘2’ above, but with a wholly green tail and a shark mouth and using the DF array, and

4. white 15, of 25FS/51FG in Assam, India in 1944, again in the same scheme as the above two, and with a shark mouth.

This is another cracker from Special Hobby, the complete package for a simple and well-produced kit in this scale.

Go out and get a couple while they last.

Thanks to Special Hobby for the review sample.

Review Text & Images Copyright © 2019 by Graham Carter
Page Created 28 January, 2019
Last updated 28 January, 2019

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