TOMAHAWK IIB (P-40C) ROYAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER ACADEMY 1/48

Hi, I decided to build this British Tomahawk purchased a few years ago. Original in the United States Army fighters P-40, the British military was called this from type A to P-40C Tomahawk, the D-type after the Kitty Hawk. I like this coloring box series kit, maybe many kits include a high-quality Cartograf decal like them. I have a lot of this series of kits in my stock.

I think that parts are rather less and it’s good, and the form is not bad. Maybe I can build it early. Because it became warm these days, I seem to be able to do airbrush immediately to my room window fully open. I try so hard to keep my motivation.

There wasn’t a decal of cockpit panel. There are also no seat belts, so I’ll attach something later.

Because there were not any holes in the exhaust pipes, I opened them first of all.
(22-April-2016)

The junction point of a spinner and a nose is shaky, so a propeller was fixed. If a machine gun was just as it is, it’s not good looking, so a muzzle was opened.

I try to use the Creos WWII U. S. Army and Navy, Royal Air Force aircraft interior color set. The mixed colors are delicate working so recently I use only such convenient items. The original aircraft is the U.S. one, but belonging is the British Air Force, so I think I use British interior color.

Beautiful decal is attached. After all the decal which is not yellowed is comfortable.

Almost all assembly has ended. The work of burying some gaps are left.

I am masking the canopy now.
(20-May-2016)

Although I think there is a little more to do so, I used a solder line as a brake pipe, just put it along with the landing gear.

For keeping the brilliant color chroma saturation, I suppose the best is the first base color white.

The painting of the lower body that I acquired the light and shade to some extent.

The Tomahawk has a hollow behind a cockpit, and there seems to be colored interior color inside, I masked this area, too.

There is a small number of parts for airplane models, however, there is a lot of such masking work. But the most difficult point is next camouflage painting.
(23-May-2016)

I tried to use an interesting masking tool from the manufacturer called Horizing.　I think it’s better to be shades of different color boundary for the camouflage painting of the British Air Force plane, this slime-like object turns the shape slowly during my splay work by gravity. A couple of times splaying after dry, the boundary was slightly shifted.

When the Horizing slime (Masking Gum) was left a little while, I think it isn’t too transformable and becomes stable. It’s difficult to make them stable by the pattern my favorite, but this is fascinating.

Whether the Horizing Masking Gum can be used when making small area quickly, but I’d like to decide the pattern while seeing the whole balance. Anyway, I’ll study how to use this item effectively. When I see a box picture, color separation of camouflage seems clear, so I think that’s OK.

I painted the cockpit panel a moderately fine painted with a brush painting. If it’ll be completed, it’s over a canopy looking, so this may look quite fine.

The third party seat belt amounted, the only left is the finish paint.
(25-May-2016)

In the UK, Curtiss P-40 fighters, which was provided from the United States called Tomahawk (up to the C-type).

The performance was ordinary but seemed to be able to fight against German Messerschmitt Bf109 on equal terms, except for the high altitudes in North Africa.

It has also been frequently used as a fighter-bomber. The shell-proof performance was high and with a strong fuselage, it was popular with the fighter pilots.

It was used in not only the U.K. but also Australia, New Zealand, and the Soviet Union, etc. The number of total production is approximately 13,800 planes.

A fuselage underside is a vivid blue. Maybe it’ll be similar to the color of the sky in North Africa.

Shading and highlights by an airbrush and inking lightly. I felt better paint than the upper surface.

Weathering around the muffler was not completely satisfactory. I should have painted a little more delicately.

Small decals are attached, and a propeller looks realistic.

It carries 2 x 7.62mm M2 machine gun in the one side. It is the strong arm of 4 machine guns in total. Tomahawk equipped with a bulletproof fuel tank.

I used the antenna line extra-fine metal wire.

A marking is RAF 112th flying squadron Tomahawk Mk. IIb AK 578 GA-V Neville Duke pilot airplane in January – February 1942 in Egypt.

When there are kill marks, it seems to be strong. This is fiction.

There are some decals which couldn’t be stuck beautifully. It’s sometimes wrinkled. After drying, the more or less becomes beautiful, but wrinkles left a little. I think, mark softer may be overused.

I thought it’s better to use the softer from a small amount of weak one while watching the situation carefully. The best thing is not even in a hurry. What is next time try using also towel or use lukewarm water? I’ll use lukewarm water next time and also try a steaming towel.

Academy Tomahawk, because the parts are less, the assembly was not too difficult. I wonder it’s still available.

This time I used the Creos special color set, WWII Royal Air Force standard color set of Aircraft (Early period & Desert Camouflage). I like the overall color tone.
(29-May-2016)