Frederick, you got me. I thought that Scale Mates time line page showing the history of a kit linked it all, but I don't always put my glasses on to read stuff.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/313642-otaki-ot2-16-300-curtiss-p-40e-warhawk

I could not really get a good look at some P-40 data to clear up the rear window area that you were talking about. I was under the impression that they changed as the a/c progressed in series, but still could not find that smoking gun. I appreciate the help I need all that is offered.

Bob

Fantastic work on that really ambitious thread, Bob!
Will follow your way through that triple

Thomas

Hi Bob

Great work so far. This is a really interesting comparison build.

One point I'd make before you get too deep in is to watch out for the colour inside the glazed areas behind the main canopy. Kits all too often call out Interior Green - and it has been an on-going debate for yonks - but the consensus of opinion is that it was actually usually almost always the exterior colour.

All the best

Rowan

[quote]Hi Bob

Great work so far. This is a really interesting comparison build.

One point I'd make before you get too deep in is to watch out for the colour inside the glazed areas behind the main canopy. Kits all too often call out Interior Green - and it has been an on-going debate for yonks - but the consensus of opinion is that it was actually usually almost always the exterior colour.

All the bes

Rowan [/quote

Rowan, I Agree re: the color behind the cockpit area. Ive always thought as much, but as you stated it depends on the source. The research that I have done usually shows that the camo scheme dictates the color. What I am sure is the red gas cap cover located there.

I started gluing the fuselage halves together.

The Encore gave me a problem with the resin scoop on top of the nose. You can see that my efforts with the sprue cutter was not the way to remove the excess. I will apply putty to fill in the broken area.




On the Otaki/Arii fuselage gave no problem going together, but when the cockpit was attached I needed to remove a massive amount of the bottom of the floor and the bottom of the wing attachment point on fuselage also so that the wing would sit flush with the root. A drill was used to try and make holes in the end of the exhaust.

I thought your eyes were giving out. I've upgraded mine to Mark 1 Mod 1 and things are going a lot better. I can actually see stuff, like the instructions.

Allergies have me down today Mark.

Bob

It is time to tackle the wings! First is the Arii wing which went together with no problem, but you will notice the photo of the blemish on the wing bottom close to what looks like a landing light.
The Amtech and Encore wings assembled slightly off, not butting up flush with the other half without some persuasion.
All three wings attached to the fuselage with what looks like a 0 degree of dihedral. So the painter’s masking tape was used to help the wings to set at their proper dihedral. Just hope it works. More photos of this later.

This has been a great project. Any chance of continuing?

Christopher, sorry for the delay. Life got in the way, but as soon as I can get done with the VA I will continue on the P-40's again.

Bob

I have been re-posting the photos that photo-bucket took off. And will start the blog back up.

Bob

Finally a new post:

I have filled the wing roots with Luquitex using the tool shown and adding painters tape to keep the other parts of the wing from being scratched by the sand paper.

I used the resin carburator scoop on the Encore fuselage, but has some trouble removing it from the tree. Had to use some Miliput on the rear of the scoop.

Welcome back!

Neat Bob, I remember this one. Surprised by the Liquitex Modeling Paste. Looks like it's working OK. How do you rate it vs other fillers?

Frederick, thanks for the welcome.

Mark, I use the Liquitex to fill small fuselage cracks and seams where the wing meets the fuselage. After I finally figured out how to use it I love the stuff. Dries fast (but I let it dry over night) and sands easy. I just had to find that time when to quit or it was all gone, I wet sand. It leaves a nice surface and sometimes I will put a coate of Extra Thin over the putty to protect it.

For deeper cracks I use Tamiya gray putty.

Bob

Hi Bob great to see this project moving forward!

My favourite scheme for P-40's is the "Wairarapa Wildcat" of Geoff Fisken however I believe the airframe concerned was an "M". I found this rendition online over on FLICKR.

P40E Wairarapa Wildcat by Pete West, on Flickr

Great, Bob!
Nice to see this is moving on
Transferring all the pics was a good idea but time consuming, wasn't it?

Th mas

Chris, I like that scheme just those white stripes give me a headache. I just learned how to paint on D-Day stripes a couple of years ago. So I will learn how to paint on RNZAF stripes.

Thomas, It took only a couple of hours because of trying to go back and forth from the blog page counting how many photos were in each post and transferring those from Postimage back to Aeroscale.

Bob I "cheat' and use decals for the stripes Ventura make a couple of great sets for RNZAF P-40's with decals for the stripes (er at least I think it was Ventura). I'll check my decals when I get home to confirm whose decals I was using LOL.

Chris, thanks for the information. I will look up those decals, nothing wrong with a little cheating when it comes to white stripes.

I have applied liquitex to all three a/c anD will use tape to keep down the scratching on the wing.

When I turned all 3 a/c over I noticed that the Amtech kit supplied a bottom cowl for the P-40F (which I did not notice until all 3 were on their backs.

A little surgery was done to remove the wrong cowl and the resin part attached.

Hi Bob nice work, wasn't too sure how much the rear of the radiator housing differed between the "F" and "E" variants (so that would be the differences between Rolls Royce Merlin or was that Packard and Allison engines).

I checked up on the decals and yes Ventura do do the stripes for the Pacific P-40's. Which I'm guessing would work just as well For USAAF as for RNZAF.

Hi Bob,

Glad to see the progress.

Here's a little taste of what follows.


My apologies - I failed you. I meant to give you this URL to a P-40E walkaround (sit-in) I made: P-40E "Holding My Own"

May be too little too late but I hope these pix help your P-40s.

Here is a view of the fuselage cutouts behind the cockpit:


Here are views through those cutouts:

Mark, I know that this reply is a little late, but the Encore looks like an ATech, ESCI, ERTL mold.

After too many hospital visits most of my modeling stuff was packed away.

Today I rummaged through boxes and found more what I thought was lost builds and came across these P-40E's that started this blog.

And here are what their stage is today.




I will need to continue now.

Bob