H75N Hawk
Advanced Kit

Clear Prop!, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Curtiss Model 75 was a private venture by the company, designed by former Northrop Aircraft Company engineer Don R. Berlin.

The first prototype, constructed in 1934, featured all-metal construction with fabric-covered control surfaces, a Wright XR-1670-5 radial engine developing 900 hp (670 kW), and typical United States Army Air Corps armament of one .30 in (7.62 mm) and one .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun firing through the propeller arc.

Also typical of the time was the total absence of cockpit armor or self-sealing fuel tanks.

The H-75N Hawk was a simplified export version for Thailand with non-retractable landing gear and wheel pants.

A few Hawk 75Ns were used by Thailand during the French-Thai War.

They also fought at the Battle of Prachuab Khirikhan against Japanese forces during the Japanese Invasion of Thailand.

On 28 January 1941, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) dispatched nine Ki-30 Nagoyas, escorted by three Hawk 75s, to bomb Pailin and Sisophon in French Indochina. Thailand was perhaps the only country simultaneously operating Japanese and American aircraft during the Second World War.*

Clear Prop! has launched their H75 / P-36 family with a 1/48 scale Curtiss H75N Hawk.

Clear Prop's 1/48 scale H75N Hawk Advanced Kit comprises 105 parts in dark grey plastic (includes eight marked not for use), five parts in clear, one photo-etched fret with 33 parts, and one decal sheet with four marking options.

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Thumbnail panels:

The plastic parts are moulded in dark grey plastic. The texture of the plastic is very smooth and sprue attachments are narrow.

Parts breakdown is perfectly conventional with port and starboard fuselage halves, full span lower wing half and separate parts for the upper port and starboard wing halves.

Control surfaces are separate parts. Fabric is represented by recessed scallops. I think this looks good.

Surface textures are world class - fine and consistent. The panel lines and rivets lines are narrow and crisply recessed.

There is plenty of detail in the cockpit with lap and shoulder straps plus instrument panel and small detail parts supplied in photo-etched copper.

The cockpit's plastic parts are well detailed and feature crisp textures as well.

An alternative instrument panel with raised plastic bezels, buttons and switches is also offered although it is not mentioned in the instructions.

The kit supplies the breeches of the fuselage machine guns plus feeds and mounts, glimpses of which will be seen behind the instrument panel after the cockpit is installed.

The only slight issue here is the pilot's seat, which I think looks a little on the thick side and does not seem to reflect the shape of the real thing. It feels like a bit of an afterthought compared to the high quality found everywhere else in the kit.

The Wright XR-1820-39 Cyclone radial engine and cowling are broken down into 15 plastic parts.

An alternative resin exhaust manifold and engine mount is available separately.

The undercarriage has spatted legs and separate wheels.

The canopy parts are nice and clear. The sliding section is a separate part that may be posed open or closed.

Painting masks are not included in the box, but they are available from Clear Prop! as an after-market accessory.

Instructions are generally clear and laid out over 30 steps in a ten page folded A4 paper booklet.

The marking guide is in full colour and colours are called out throughout using Mr Color and MIG paint numbers.

It might have been nice to have a few other paint brands cross-referenced too.

Assembly

Although this model was not my radar at all, I could not resist starting it soon after it arrived a couple of days ago. I have already just about finished basic construction.

I can report that the model goes together very precisely. Fit is almost perfect. Some of the cockpit elements are a bit fiddly but the front office looks fantastic when it is painted and weathered.

I replaced the kit's plastic seat with Ultracast's 1/48 scale resin SBD pilot's seat, which I think looks more like the shape of the Hawk seat, and is also closer to scale thickness than the kit seat.

I also used the unmentioned plastic instrument panel with the raised bezels. The one-piece dial decal was laid over the raised detail and it settled down nicely after a couple of rounds of Solvaset and a few slices from a new hobby blade.

Spots of Future were applied to represent the glass lenses.

Markings

The colours and registration of the decals look good.

Four marking options are offered.

Camouflage colours of these Thai Hawks seems to be a bit of a minefield.

One of the options is Tan and Dark Green upper surfaces with light grey below.

Two of the options suggest three colours on the upper surfaces - Tan, Brown and Dark Green - with light grey underneath. Sources disagree about what the three upper surface colours might have been, or if in fact it was actually two colours.

My guess - and it really is just a guess - is that these aircraft may have been delivered in DuPont equivalents to RAF colours as was the case with the later P-40. I think that is how I will interpret mine.

The final option is overall painted silver. I think you will be safe with this one.

Clear Prop!'s second 1/48 scale release maintains the very high standard of their earlier offerings.

Their 1/48 scale H75N Hawk is highly detailed, features world-class surface textures and fits together very well.

What more could we ask for?

* Historical text adapted from Wikipedia

Thanks to Clear Prop! for the sample

Text and Images Copyright © 2021 by Brett Green
Page Created 16 August, 2021
Last updated 17 August, 2021

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