P-40B/C 1/24 (FINISHED AT LAST!!!!)

[Alex Kontiveis]

Hi guys,
I'm building a high detailed P-40B museum quality model, and i miss images or drawings for B/C type gunbays and ammunition loaders and anything for these areas. I've got stuff enough for E-K types but no pictures at all for P-40B. I cant find nowhere something could help me to build the gun bays on the wings.

Also a good cutaway for P-40B would be a gift for me.

Thank you
Alex Kontiveis
Greece. 

[Mark Joyce]

If you haven't already, you might want to look into Squadron/Signal's book "P-40 Warhawk in Detail and Scale, Pt.1."  This book covers the P-40 through the B/C models.  I don't have this book but have Pt.2, which covers the later models and has numerous photographs and drawings, including the gunbays for the .50 caliber wing guns.  There's a good chance that Pt.1 has the same for the wing .30 calibers found on the early P-40s.

Good luck!

Mark

[hbbates]

I 've spent about two year' s trying to get a good handle on the P40 B wing guns arrangement. There really very little to see but most of the info out there on the wing gun bay set up on the early P40 wing is way wrong. 

If you can wait a week or so I’m prepping a small detail article on the early P40 with a lot of new detail info for one of the modeling sites  …it will include a very basic wing gun layout with the correct one and two gun wing setup

It might not  be the level of detail your hoping for but it will be better then what you commonly find and correct a lot of misinformation.

[Alex Kontiveis]

Hi guys, Of course I can wait. Anything can be found is very useful for me!

I' ll keep in touch and Thank u so much for your interest!

Best Regards,
Alex Kontiveis.

[Alex Kontiveis]

If you haven't already, you might want to look into Squadron/Signal's book "P-40 Warhawk in Detail and Scale, Pt.1."  This book covers the P-40 through the B/C models.  I don't have this book but have Pt.2, which covers the later models and has numerous photographs and drawings, including the gunbays for the .50 caliber wing guns.  There's a good chance that Pt.1 has the same for the wing .30 calibers found on the early P-40s.

Good luck!

Mark

I've got both of them. No light at all!

Here is my 100% scratch built cockpit of the P-40B













Thank you for your help
Alex Kontiveis
(administrator of HELMO)
www.helmo.gr

[Mark Joyce]

Alex,

That is beautiful work!  What scale is it? 

By the way, nice website you have there with some outstanding builds on it.  When I have more time I'll check it out more thoroughly.  Thanks for the link!

Mark

[Alex Kontiveis]

TNX Mark,

the scale is 1/24, and its the total re-build of the Kenneth Tailor's plane from Vintage F.S. Everything is made by metal. I use the Kit for a scale-guide. It will be scratched from the beginning, all of it.

[P-40 Admin]

That’s great looking work, especially in metal.  Would love to see your technique sometime.

I hope you have a good set of plans to go by as well as the VFS model, that model was their first attempt and it was rife with errors, virtually nothing escaped.  Part of it came from them using other models that they enlarged and they copied no mistakes like the terribly shallow Trumpeter cockpit, other parts came because they were planning on also making these “toy like” as they thought they would appeal to kids (at the prices these things go for?) which is why the wing is too thick, it was supposed to have retractable landing gear and in order to keep the landing gear scale they needed to make the wing thicker.

Just thought I’d let you know in can you are unaware of its shortcomings. They have changed the way they do some things on their next model that has come out is fairly accurate. Just wish this one could have been, I would love to have had a 1/24 P-40.

[Alex Kontiveis]

Dear Admin,

On this kit, VFS made a terrible mistake. I can understand the absence of experience, but placing the floor 2 cm higher of the wing surface is a crime!!! I saw the pre-production kit of p-47 and i have to admit that nothing seems to remind me the VFS of the P40! The surface is great and the detail is much better!!!

The images I posted here, show the floor before test fit on the fuselage!!! I was socked!!!, as soon as I realized that the floor was 1 inch higher!!! (I trusted the VFS). I didn't expect such a mistake! So I destroyed everything and I'm building it from the beginning!!

Wait for its progress because you r gonna see a different Kit!

If you want I can post the progress here, as far as i do at HELMO.

My techniques can be seen at my recent article in LSP, concerning a Dora. Into the article exists a link to a forum Helmo Thread. Everything step by step!

Best regards,
Alex Kontiveis
Helmo administrator
www.helmo.gr
 

[P-40 Admin]

Yeah, just about everything on the model has a mistake unfortunately.  From the canopy to the fin is to flat.

Please, post your progress photos as you go, would love to see them.  That’s a lot of work to scrap, and that the new interior will look even better.  If you can find any aluminum to make the seat out of, you wouldn’t need to paint it as they were just left bare aluminum.

I used to be on the staff of LSP for six years, I’ll have to go check your model out. 

[Alex Kontiveis]

For the seat I cant use NM aluminum. Its hard enough to work on, making the engraved details. I use copper, a soft material. Anyway, painted with Alclad the final result is very natural!

The kit will be used as i have already told you as a guideline. I'm building also an Arado 196 in 1/24 scratched also.

So... as soon as i restore my progress in a few days, I will post new images concerning the interior of the fuselage.

Cheers
Alex.

[hbbates]

Hey Alex

I just wanted to give you a heads up on the seat and seat mount, if you’re doing a US P40 then the seat and seat mount is correct

However, the RAF and AVG aircraft they used a different seat and seat mount setup setup (the seat is the same as the first RAF Mustangs) 

My article should appear in the next few days on over on Hyperscale… I go over the different seats the wing gun setup and other things

[Alex Kontiveis]

Hey Alex

I just wanted to give you a heads up on the seat and seat mount, if you’re doing a US P40 then the seat and seat mount is correct

However, the RAF and AVG aircraft they used a different seat and seat mount setup setup (the seat is the same as the first RAF Mustangs) 

My article should appear in the next few days on over on Hyperscale… I go over the different seats the wing gun setup and other things

Yes, I'm building the old and pure Kenneth Taylor's plane! US Army.

I already know the differences between AVG's and US Army P-40Bs. Thank u for your interest. I appreciate it.

Alex.

PS: I'm working on fuselage interior, tail details. I will be late for new images.

[Alex Kontiveis]

Hi guys,

I ve got some new images of my progress. This time the visible fuselage interiors and cockpit sidewalls.

This is the first phase of building the fuselage interior structure. Will follow more one of these days.

Hope you like it.


 

 

 

cheers,
Alex.

[Mark Joyce]

Very impressive work, Alex!  Will you be detailing an Allison engine for it as well?

Regards,

Mark