Looking at the 2008 release of the aircraft flown by the legendary Flying Tigers.
The small end-opening box features nice digital artwork of a Hawk on a low strafing pass of a Japanese airfield. The reverse features a 4-plan view decal placement guid for the single scheme provided, along with colour call outs in Humbrol, with period DuPont paint codes included.
Sprues + Parts
Open the box, give it a shake, and 2 light grey and 1 clear sprue will tumble out, along with the decal sheet. The main sprues are the familiar soft grey plastic we know from Airfix, while the clear is nicely transparent, and should come up even more so after a dip in Future or Gauzy Agent.
Parts are typical Airfix — prominent panel lines, and basic detail on the airframe with the control surfaces graced with the faintest hint of a ribbed structure within.
The cockpit features shallow and non-descript detail; the instrument panel is represented by a decal on a predominantly flat panel; while the cockpit sidewalls, following the outer shape of the fuselage as they do, will create a substantial gap between the cockpit floor and the wing root.
Exhausts are moulded solid, and the 4 wing machine guns are quite thin making both ideal candidates for aftermarket replacement, and saving the builder some stress. Gear and wheels look decent enough for the kit and feature flattened, though not really bulged, tires.
No frills here, my friends.
For those inclined, however, there are a substantial number of aftermarket sets specifically for the this kit, covering most of it’s shortcomings.
An A3 sheet, folded down, provides a brief description of the aircraft history, and some key statistics, before diving into the 15 easy-to-follow steps.
Along the way, the builder will have a few options to consider: open or closed ventral cowl flaps — though with no internal cooler details, this seems pointless, landing gear deployed or retracted with separate parts provided for each option; and the option to include a pilot figure.
1 decal options is provided in this boxing, and AVG Flying Tigers aircraft.
3rd Squadron, American Volunteer Group,
Kunming, China, 1942
Markings for the aircraft of Flight Leader Charles H. Older
The decals themselves are well-printed, reasonably thin, and feature minimal carrier film around each (huzzah!). I’ve heard through the grapevine that the light blue sun motifs are too light, however.
Purchased for a commission build, I was surprised at how poorly represented in 1/72 the Hawk/P-40B is, considering it’s history. Some shortcomings aside, Airfix’s kit should still make a decent representation of the type.
For more insight into how it comes together, follow the build on Instagram.
