Painting Questions, Tutorials and GuidebooksDiscuss Academy models Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk 1:72 in the Modeling forums; Picked up this kit prior to reading the reviews about it's terrible quality and lack of dihedral, however I'd like ...
Picked up this kit prior to reading the reviews about it's terrible quality and lack of dihedral, however I'd like to build the kit anyway.
As usual I have googled a bunch of pics and previously built models, but again find myself struggling to capture the correct colors to use.
The kit says the plane was flown by Charles Older 3rd Pursuit Sq., "Hell's Angels", AVG Kunming, China, Spring 1942, however the directions give very little advice to the paint scheme.
I have seen many pics after a Google search of 1/72 and 1/48 scales of this very bird, but no reference to paint.
Jon, these P-40s of the AVG were painted with DuPont paints that were similar to the RAF colours: Dark Green - 71-013, Red-Brown - 71-009 or 71-035 or 71-065 on top surfaces and the Light Grey Sky S type - 71-021.
As references for these paints you can use Humbrol equivalents... DG - Humbrol 30 or 116, RB - Humbrol 29 for tops and Humbrol 90 on undersides. Also , Testor's Model Master Enamels - 1710 Dark Green ...FS 34079, 1702 Field Drab ... FS 30118, 1728 Light Ghost Gray ... FS 36375.
The colour of undersides can be a problem because these DuPont paint was of a little bit different tonality. The RAF Sky S type was more greenish when the DuPont one was slight greyer and less green than true Sky. So I would suggest adding some of white to the Humbrol 90.
The P-40 of Academy is really the plastic scrap. The Trumpeter kit is the kit if you want to make a nice model of the Curtiss' fighter plane.
Which Ju-87 Stuka are you going to make ? The Academy one?
The Airfix Stuka - sounds good. I would go with the kit. However the Academy P-40 is very basic and ignoring all mistakes done by the manufacturer, you can make it quick.
Oh.. all is clear now. These two P-40s are painted of two different camo schemes. The first one is of the camo used by AVG. The Dark Green/Chocolate Brown/DuPont Sky type S Grey. But the second one is of the RAF desert camo scheme, Mid Stone/ Brown Earth/ Azure Blue. Just two Curtisses used at two different operational theatres.
They were, as Wojtek stated, finished in DuPont 'equivalent colours', for RAF issue but, IIRC, diverted to the AVG. The colours were the equivalent to Dark Green/Dark Earth/ Sky, in the paints mentioned by Wojtek. There was an extensive article covering the restoration, and painting, of a particular P40 from the unit, now flying in the USA, in 'Fly Past' magazine a year or two back. The article mentioned the extensive research into the colour scheme, and interviews with it's pilot from the era.
In the photo posted, allowing for the highlight effect of the bright lighting, and the reproduction, the Green/Brown are clearly visible.
I started on this kit and as I said I knew after reading the reviews it was bad, but man is it ever bad.
I'm so disappointed I almost want to stop building it. Nothing matches up and it's just a bummer.
Don't despair, the kit can be built. I did have to remove the pitot tube to get the wing to fit together though! . I also didn't fit the bomb, which is hideously ugly...
Don't despair, the kit can be built. I did have to remove the pitot tube to get the wing to fit together though! . I also didn't fit the bomb, which is hideously ugly...
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Originally Posted by copcheck 
. I also didn't fit the bomb, which is hideously ugly... 
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