Airfix 1/48 P-40B "Flying Tigers" AVG

[Mike]

This is a rescue from the "Box of Forgotten Projects" that I've been going through lately. Inspired by 41Chevy's same kit build I have repaired some damage and have begun to proceed with finishing this build. I had to begin with sanding down the pebble finish from the last gloss cote I added to the model and from there I did a pin wash with Tamiya Dark Grey panel liner and then did an overall dirt wash with Vallejo Burnt Sienna wash diluted to about 50%. Just brushing the wash in the direction of airflow and not letting it pool up anywhere.







I resprayed Vallejo Curtis Grey in some areas on the bottom of the model for two reasons, One, there was damage to the right wing which was sanded down and when I remasked the decal it lifted when I removed the tape, so that led me to the second reason. After applying the wash I had to match of the repairs as best I could and I had to hand paint the roundel back onto the model. I didn't get an exact match to the decal color and one of the points is a little off kilter, but it's mostly unnoticeable so I'll give it a pass lol. 





Obviously I have more weathering to do yet, but Progress is progress, right? I have most of the small pieces in primer and just need some paint so I'm actually on the tail end of this build and I can finally display this kit with a few of the others that turned out well. The P-40B is one of my absolute favorite aircraft after all and this one will look amazing next to my Monogram P-40B from Mitchel Field. This kit is such a solid chunk of plastic I worry about the landing gear possibly flexing over time, but I guess I'll find out in the years to come lol.

Have a good one, gentlemen. Thanks for taking a look.

[kyledehart5]

Very nice!! I love the camo on this one. Look forward to seeing more. P-40s just always look cool. And if it starts to sag you can always reinforce with a discreet piece of rod

[Mike]

Thanks, Kyle. I have the gear attached and it will be sturdy enough to hold up just fine, but it is still a solid chunk of a model lol.

I've been checking it over but I can't seem to find the iron sights in this kit. I've decided to scratch build them myself instead. Hopefully they turn out okay. The rear window panels don't fit quite as well as I'd hoped and they push the canopy out a bit because of it. Nothing that can't be compensated for, but anyone else building this kit should take note and dry fit them more than I have lol.







Exhaust, gun ports, and chipping were all taken care of although I might do a bit of post shading later if I think it still needs it. I'm waiting till the very end to add the .30's, radio wires, and pitot tube. As per my usual unorganized methods I am going round and round over and over again and always finding something I've missed, like the gear bay doors. I still need to attach those as well but I'm letting the rear window panels solidify after glueing them several times to make sure they stay in place. Stupid white glue takes ages to dry properly, and then I might have to do a bit of colored fill (PPP mixed with paint) to close up the gaps. So as close as I am, I'm still not there lol.

Three cheers for a chaotic mind!

[handiabled]

Bookmarked and following along! Great re-work your doing on this "shelf of doom" project Mike!

[Tojo72]

This is really turning out nicely

[keavdog]

Looking really good. Glad to see you bring it back to the bench. I've got this kit in the stash and intend on doing the same AVG bird.

[spook]

I'm impressed .
Really looking good !

[buddho]

Awesome work!

[406 Silverado]

Dang it Mike!! This one looks just great so far and I'm glad you brought it back out onto the bench. I haven't built an AVG P-40 but I sure want to at some point as I've had a great interest in these aircraft since childhood. As a matter of fact, I had a problem with my deaf pit bull distorting my chain link fence at our side gate to the back yard. The little sucker would elongate a hole in the gate chain link portion and crawl through it and escape the back yard. I tried putting haddock blocks and bricks over there in front of the gate on the inside of the yard and he'd move the blocks out of the way and still get out. The solution? I got a piece of 3/16" sheet iron and painted it rust oxide primer. Then I put a black marble pattern over the rust oxide and came back over that with a thin layer of OD green creating a color modulated paint job. LOL. After that I put a large tiger shark mouth decal, eyes and bullet hole decals across the surface. After that I applied 5 Japanese "plane kill" decals at the R/H top corner and then an AVG decal in the lower R/H corner and applied a flat coat over all of that to protect everything. 

After that.....I just bolted it up to the gate and viola!! Problem solved!! He doesn't get out anymore and I've got a cool display piece on the side gate. 


  

[stikpusher]

I’ve always loved the Flying Tigers… how could you not after growing up watching the old John Wayne film, reading and watching Baa Baa Black Sheep, seeing Flying Tigers air freight line next to my dad’s TWA hangar at LAX as a kid and hearing tales about that line, eating at a place called The Hungry Tiger (started by a former Flying Tiger and having one of the best clam chowders around) and reading about their exploits later properly when I was old enough to do so… later in life I was stationed in LA with the 23rd Fighter Wing in A-10s nearby giving us constant air support in their shark mouthed A-10s…. Fast forward a few more decades, my son joins the USAF and his first unit of assignment is, 23rd Wing, The Flying Tigers… When I had my man cave set up in our new home, I installed a Flying Tigers ceiling fan



My son’s 23rd Wing patches



Flying Tigers A-10, 1980s Ft Polk, Peason Ridge area



Man Cave Flying Tigers ceiling fan

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 1:38:46 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Bookmarked and following along! Great re-work your doing on this "shelf of doom" project Mike!

Thank you, Sir! I suppose it is a"Shelf of Doom' project, but since this one was in a box with a bunch of other kits that my o-so-charming now ex-wife tossed them into for me before she abandoned me, is why I referred to it in the "box of Forgotten Projects" category. However, all bitterness aside, I did pick up this kit in 2016 when it was first released as I was super excited for a modernized and well detailed kit of my favorite aircraft. It's amazing just how many years have passed since I started this build lol.

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 3:23:55 GMT -5 Tojo72 said:

This is really turning out nicely

Thank you, VERY much!

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 10:50:05 GMT -5 keavdog said:

Looking really good. Glad to see you bring it back to the bench. I've got this kit in the stash and intend on doing the same AVG bird.

Thank you! Just be mindful of the wing fairings as they can be a bit deceptive because they look like they fit perfectly until you start glueing parts together. Glue the fairings to the fuselage first for the best fit. Dealing with the alignment issues after that is easier then attempting to fit the wing roots after the fact (glued to the wings first). As I learned later, like everyone else who made a build video has commented on since the kit's release. Watch a few build videos first if you haven't already and that should point out the weak areas before you make the same mistakes I did.

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 15:04:10 GMT -5 spook said:

I'm impressed .
Really looking good !

Thank you, VERY much, sir!

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 17:21:13 GMT -5 buddho said:

Awesome work!

Thank you!

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 18:47:09 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Dang it Mike !! This one looks just great so far and I'm glad you brought it back out onto the bench. I haven't built an AVG P-40 but I sure want to at some point as I've had a great interest in these aircraft since childhood. As a matter of fact, I had a problem with my deaf pit bull distorting my chain link fence at our side gate to the back yard. The little sucker would elongate a hole in the gate chain link portion and crawl through it and escape the back yard. I tried putting haddock blocks and bricks over there in front of the gate on the inside of the yard and he'd move the blocks out of the way and still get out. The solution? I got a piece of 3/16" sheet iron and painted it rust oxide primer. Then I put a black marble pattern over the rust oxide and came back over that with a thin layer of OD green creating a color modulated paint job. LOL. After that I put a large tiger shark mouth decal, eyes and bullet hole decals across the surface. After that I applied 5 Japanese "plane kill" decals at the R/H top corner and then an AVG decal in the lower R/H corner and applied a flat coat over all of that to protect everything. 

After that.....I just bolted it up to the gate and viola!! Problem solved!! He doesn't get out anymore and I've got a cool display piece on the side gate. 


  

That's just Bad Ass. Nice solution to the escapist issue for sure! 

How have you not built an AVG bird? I thought everyone built at least one, lol! I do recommend the Airfix kit but watch out for the roundels as they are missing one point on the stars for some confounding reason. They got it right on the 1/72 kit, but not the 1/48. Bizarre.

[Mike]

Oct 25, 2024 20:49:19 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

I’ve always loved the Flying Tigers… how could you not after growing up watching the old John Wayne film, reading and watching Baa Baa Black Sheep, seeing Flying Tigers air freight line next to my dad’s TWA hangar at LAX as a kid and hearing tales about that line, eating at a place called The Hungry Tiger (started by a former Flying Tiger and having one of the best clam chowders around) and reading about their exploits later properly when I was old enough to do so… later in life I was stationed in LA with the 23rd Fighter Wing in A-10s nearby giving us constant air support in their shark mouthed A-10s…. Fast forward a few more decades, my son joins the USAF and his first unit of assignment is, 23rd Wing, The Flying Tigers… When I had my man cave set up in our new home, I installed a Flying Tigers ceiling fan



My son’s 23rd Wing patches



Flying Tigers A-10, 1980s Ft Polk, Peason Ridge area



Man Cave Flying Tigers ceiling fan

Not only my favorite WWII airframe but my favorite modern airframe as well! Super cool! Thank you for adding those pictures, I love that! I wish I had more to say to you on this post, but I'm drawing a blank with how to reply to this awesomeness. The patches are awesome, the fan is awesome, and seeing that you've been to see these monuments is just awesome. I'm a bit envious, honestly.

[Mike]

Now, after all of those responses I have to post my "finished build pics" before I'm actually finished. As I just know I'll be looking at it again tomorrow or the next few days afterward and thinking about how I want to change something or improve something and I'm aware that I may be calling it finished but I'm really not lol. I did get the marker lights backwards with the red and green reversed and I'm just letting that exist, for now.

But I am satisfied for the moment lol.

Probably the part I'm most proud at the moment are the iron sights. I scratch built those and I think they really turned out well.







I really need to stop adding windscreens to my models before I'm done with main assemblies. Dust and micro debris is such a mood killer on a finish and no matter how careful I am the paint buildup around my masking always ends up chipping paint and looking bad. I've got techniques to mitigate the poor results, but I need to learn my dang lesson once and for all and just stop doing it this way. No matter what brush I used I couldn't get between the armored glass and the windscreen.

Anyways... So yeah, finished until tomorrow or something lol.

[stikpusher]

Mike, your P-40 is turning out beautifully! Looks like you’re at the finish line now.

[handiabled]

The scratch built sights are phenomenal! You really got this bird looking great!


406 Silverado, Joe that's a mighty impressive fix for your rowdy puppy!

stikpusher, Carlos great pictures!

[brandonk]

That is one super nice bird. You can never go wrong with such an iconic plane. Well done.

[Mike]

Thanks a lot, gents. I appreciate the really nice comments a lot. This isn't a amazing build by any means of the imagination lol. I used reference photos as a guide for my finish. Not too much chipping, not too much dirt, and not too much gun and exhaust smoke. The only weathering I'm missing is the dirty hand prints and cleaned up engine grease around the nose and the dirt caked tires. But I may add that later anyways. It's not a gorgeous build and it's not an amazing build. It's a "This Airfix kit builds up nicely and it was enjoyable" build lol. Suitable for display for my eyes.

Give me a few days to enjoy it as it is and then things will probably change lol. I've got to get over the self-depreciating and seeing every flaw stage.

[adt70hk]

Mike

That's coming on very nicely indeed. Love the Vallejo wash idea. Very simple and very effective. Will have to give it a try some time.

Keep up the good work.

Andrew

[Mike]

I setup and snapped a few glory shots for you guys. Even though I don't think I'm completely done yet this should be okay for now lol.





(Aircraft in the background, for the curious, is the Monogram P-40B in the 8th PG, Mitchel Field, NY. 1940 markings sitting on a late 1040's Philco radio)

















Now I just need a better lighting setup other than on old Torchier Lamp lol.

Edit: just noticed I put the hubcaps on backwards. Too late for that now.

[stikpusher]

Beautiful! 👍🏼🫡

[handiabled]

Terrific finish to this Mike!

[kyledehart5]

Oh just an awesome result!! I love it. You did some really outstanding work on this thing.