United States of America


Curtiss P-40


P-40B/C (Academy)

Cheap and inaccurate. Direct to the spares box.


P-40B/C (Pavla)

Detailed interior. Typical short run kit. Lots of work ahead. I have not checked accuracy. The side windows are not provided, you are expected to cut them out of a piece of clear plastic. This is bad since that window is curved not flat. I plan to do an AVG plane with this model.


P-40C (AML)

This kit comes in multiple flavors. This kit represents the -C version used by the RAF in the desert. I have not studied the kit in detail but it should be interesting compared to the Pavla model. The side windows are correct on this one. This one is marked to be RAF in the desert.


P-40E (Academy)

Pros

Cons

In hindsight, if you're willing to add an aftermarket interior, the Hasegawa P-40's look to be more accurate.

Click here for the SMAKR review of this kit


P-40E (Airfix)

Pros

The kit is completely outclassed by more modern offerings. I bought it for the pilot and the desert sharkmouth RAF markings. GA-Y was flown by Clive Caldwell. (You can also build his P-40C, Spitfire Vc, and Spitfire VIII). The accurate canopy was a pleasant surprise when I encountered issues with the Academy kit.

The RAAF 77 Squadron machine flown by Dick Cresswell is also depicted by Academy. It sports a beautiful 4 flag marking on the port side of the nose, which is poorly rendered in decal form (kit decals have hard colors and fall down on shaded markings). Follow this link for an analysis of the markings of this plane on Hyperscale. Both Airfix and Academy have missed the squadron leader flag on the starboard side. I sure hope PynUp do a 1/72 version of their 1/48 sheet.

Click here for a more complete SMAKR review of this kit


P-40F/L (MPM)

This is an early MPM production. I stumbled upon it by chance in an store. I didn't even know they had one. The kit is typical short run with thick details and tree-sized sprues. It seems accurate though. This link shows that you could easily marry the typical Merlin engine front to a standard P-40N from Academy or Hasegawa. Marking are for an F during Operation Torch and a L in 1943.


P-40N (Hasegawa)

Despite the bare interior I find the Hasegawa P-40's more accurate than the more recent Academy models. My main gripe with this kit is the cream colored US markings. I suppose Hasegawa's way to prevent decal yellowing is to provide them already yellowed.



Bell P-39 Airacobra


P-39N/Q (Academy)

The Airacobra model is is as popular as its original. The Academy P-39 is pretty much the only one on the market in this scale. I haven't examined it much. There is a throttle on each door, another case of “what were they thinking?”. Decals are provided for a white-tailed P-39Q from a USAAF TRS unit in New Guinea in 1944 (did the US still use P-39's that late!!) and a Soviet P-39N with overpainted US markings. The Russians did well with the Airacobra as its heavy armament and low altitude capabilities were well suited to that theater. Academy released the same kit with Russian Aces markings in 2005. I used some of the stars on my La-5FN. They are very thick and do not stick well. When I removed the very visible carrier film between the stars, these started falling off!

Here are some cool reviews of this model:





Republic P-47 Thunderbolt


P-47D Razorback (Academy)

Very good level of detail but some major shape flaws. Not worth the price/effort of correcting (wings, tail, engine...)

Pros

Cons


P-47D Bubbletop (Academy)

Same as above with new fuselage. The transparent canopy has incorrect framing. It should be deeper around the middle part of the canopy.

Superseded by Tamiya kits


P-47D Bubbletop (Revell)

This kit has received rave reviews but I find it as bad or worse than the Academy kits.

Pros

Cons


P-47D Bubbletop (Tamiya)

I couldn't resist buying the Tamiya Thunderbolt to act as judge between Revell and Academy. The verdict is in: if Tamiya is reckoned to be accurate, then Academy is a close second. The two kits match well, wing and fuselage, with Tamiya having a better larger rudder.



North American P-51 Mustang


P-51A (Italeri)


P-51A (Academy)


P-51B/C (Academy)


P-51D (Tamiya)



Grumman F4F Wildcat


F4F-4 (Academy)

This kit is in the same vein as the P-40B/C. It sells for under $5.00 and delivers comparable value. It is wildly inaccurate. If you map it to a drawing only the starting reference point will match. Panel lines are pure fantasy. The interior is a black hole. Yet when built, it looks like a Wildcat. This was my first attempt at airbrushing and I have kept it in my collection despite all its flaws.


F4F-3, F4F-4, FM-1/Wildcat V, Martlet III (Hasegawa)

If you exclude the preceding toy, Hasegawa Wildcats are the only game in town. The same kit comes in multiple flavors, with different props and cowls. Overall the kit is accurate with the usual Hasegawa quality. The interior could be beefed up with the True Details resin interior, which also include the wheel wells. The one major issue is that the wings are only for a -4. You need to fill the wing fold line for a - 3 and remove the outboard guns and related panel lines. For the FM-1/Wildcat V just remove the guns. The kit also comes as a Royal Navy Martlet III F4F3A used over the Lybian desert. The cowl flaps need to be rescribed for this version, and it is explained in the instructions.


FM-2 (Sword)

This kit broke a record when it came out in 2005: the first 1/72 single seat fighter to sell for more than 42 US dollars!!! I got it on sale online for less than 20. I have not opened it yet. It is not high on my list.



Grumman F6F Hellcat


F6F-5 (Revell)

="

VF-17 on the USS Hornet

This is a pretty good kit of the Hellcat with some correctable flaws.

Pros

Cons



Vought F4U Corsair


F4U-4b (Italeri), F4U-5 (Revell), F4U-5N (Italeri), F4U-7/AU-1 (Italeri)

The 4 kits have obviously been designed together as a lot of the sprues are shared. Unfortunately Italeri has made a mess of it as indicated in the table below:

Model

Features

1/72 Model

Correction

F4U-4b

chin jowl under cowling

OK

F4U-4 model fuselage is good

4 staggered stub rocket launchers under each wing

wings with 5 launchers

use F4U-5 model wings if you don't care about the fabric ridge pattern on the outer panels. Otherwise build as F4U-4 with 6 .50 MGs using wings from a F4U-1d (Tamiya ?)

fabric wing (same as F4U-1s) with 2 20mm cannon

metal wing

elevators with round access panels, asymmetrical panels top on left, bottom on right

OK

F4U-5

2 cheek jowls under cowling

OK

lengthened fuselage with raised cockpit

fuselage too short by 1/8in just fore of the wing

use longer fuselage from F4U-7 box and modify exhaust (should be 1 frame higher)or scratch : no easy choices

higher canopy with a sill

OK

4 staggered stub rocket launchers under each wing

OK

all metal wings

OK

elevators without access panels, redesigned actuators

F4U-4 elevators

fill in round panels

redesigned tail gear doors (flush with fuselage when closed, no opening, goes all the way to tail cone)

wrong F4U-1 type tail gear doors

modify tail gear doors

F4U-5N

same as F4U-5 plus radome on right wing, shielded cannon, exhaust shields

same as F4U-5

same as F4U-5

F4U-6 (AU-1)

2 closed cheek jowls under cowling

OK

lengthened fuselage with raised cockpit

OK

higher canopy with a sill

OK

5 full length rocket launchers under each wing

OK

all metal wings

OK

elevators without access panels, redesigned actuators

F4U-4 elevators

fill in round panels

redesigned tail gear doors (flush with fuselage when closed, no opening, goes all the way to tail cone)

wrong F4U-1 type tail gear doors

modify tail gear doors

F4U-7

chin jowl under cowling (F4U-4 engine)

OK

lengthened fuselage with raised cockpit

OK

higher canopy with a sill

OK

5 full length rocket launchers under each wing

OK

all metal wings

OK

elevators without access panels, redesigned actuators

F4U-4 elevators

fill in round panels

redesigned tail gear doors (flush with fuselage when closed, no opening, goes all the way to tail cone)

wrong F4U-1 type tail gear doors

modify tail gear doors


Other comments

References