A few weeks back, I resurrected an old thread due to my curiousity about Curtiss P-40 kits. Today at Hobby Lobby, looking through their 50% off kits sale, I found something interesting: An Ertl P-40E/1 kit re-packaged by Amtech with a resin conversion tail to make it a P-40K/5. 1:48 scale. The box says it's a Hobby Lobby exclusive. I'm not a warbird expert, but the lines of the kit look alright. There is an extra fuselage in the box (I guess it's there if you screw up the resin tail conversion), and decals for two USAAF and two RAF planes.

I also picked up a Testors F4U-1 Corsair kit in 1:72. It doesn't look all that great, but it's hard to go wrong at $2.50.

Wow, great finds!
I'm a P-40 fan too. I have all the modern 1/48 kits from the last ten years. Now all I need is more free time!

That AmTech P-40 is based on the original AMT P-40 released back in the late 90's.
AMT made a P-40N, longtail K, F and stopped producing aircraft kits around 1999.
These were nice kits and Amtech leased the molds and continued the P-40 series.
These kits were originally engineered with a tail mold insert so AMT could produce different versions. When Amtech released the P-40E the tail insert was not properly aligned and it created a step in the rear fuselage just in front of the tail. AmTech replaced the badly molded fuselages with one that was molded better. This is why there is two fuselages in this kit I believe. Since you will be lopping off the tail the new fuselage is redundant. You can also not use the resin tail and make a P-40E.

With the Muave/Eduard P-40's and the new Hasegawa P-40E these AMT/ERTL and AmTech P-40's seem to always be pushed out of the limelight but they are VERY good kits of the Warhawk!

Now that Corsair. This is a very old mold originating with HAWK. This thing is older than most hobby talk board members.
I say for 2.50 you got a fair deal on a model you can practice modeling/airbrushing skills on.

Cheers,
Max Bryant

Looking again, I see the step in question.

Another interesting thing about these - they weren't shrink-wrapped, the boxes just had a bit of heavy tape on each side. It's like Aurora, 1963! :tongue:

If Ertl had it set up to make a styrene K, why did they box the E kit and include a resin K tail? Why not just run them again with the K insert in place?

Ertl was to make an E but stopped making airplane models before this happened.

Cheers,
Max Bryant

There is somthing a bit funny about them releasing the version that Ertl planned but never got around to, then including a resin part for a version that Ertl did release. :tongue:

BTW, weren't the AVG's replacement fighters from the E series? I know the original 99 (apparently one was smashed up in a crane accident) were from the B series.

Actually the AVG's original batch were Curtiss Hawk 82s. Hadn't even been called P-40s yet. I think they were a batch of "Tomahawk Is" that were originally destiined for Britain, that Chennault managed to commandeer for China.

Was the P-40E even in production before the AVG disbanded in mid-1941 and got absorbed into the USAAF?

Actually the AVG's original batch were Curtiss Hawk 82s. Hadn't even been called P-40s yet. I think they were a batch of "Tomahawk Is" that were originally destiined for Britain, that Chennault managed to commandeer for China.

Was the P-40E even in production before the AVG disbanded in mid-1941 and got absorbed into the USAAF?


Yep. They got some replacement P-40Es not long before they were disbanded.

There is somthing a bit funny about them releasing the version that Ertl planned but never got around to, then including a resin part for a version that Ertl did release. :tongue:


Actually ERTL released a long tail K. The resin in the AmTech kit is so you can produce a short tail K. The P-40 was an interesting animal with versions of the same designation carrying long or short tails.

Cheers,
Max Bryant

Ooooof...I think I have this figured out... :freak:

Back to the Testors Corsair that I got for $2.50 - I know Testors is in the business of selling modelling supplies, but the included directions have to be among the best I've ever seen for painting guides and decal placement. They even include a bunch of tips on how to weather the kit to appear realistic. Many kits I've bought at much higher prices included far inferior instructions. They get an A+ there, especially for such a small, inexpensive kit. :thumbsup:

Just got my copy of Finescale today and saw that Trumpeter is releasing late model P-40s in 1/32! Looks like P-40E, M, and N.
Honestly, I'd rather see Tamiya or Hasegawa do it in this scale but it's my favorite plane so I'll gladly take what I can get. Bring it on Trumpeter!

Just read my FSM as well.
Hasegawa have the P-40 E and N out now and I hear they also have available in Japan a K. I saw in the magazine they have an M on the slate.

Cheers
Max (Still like those AMT/AmTech P-40's!) Bryant

Just read my FSM as well.
Hasegawa have the P-40 E and N out now and I hear they also have available in Japan a K. I saw in the magazine they have an M on the slate.

Cheers
Max (Still like those AMT/AmTech P-40's!) Bryant


You mean the 1/48 Hasegawa? I'm talking about 1/32. Before Trumpeter's offerings this year, the old Revell was the only game in town for P-40s in that scale.

Ooh...a 1/32 E? Big AVG fighter!!! :thumbsup: