Curtiss P-40S/Kittyhawk V of RAF 112 Sq., Italy 1944 (SPINNERS Tribute)

Dizzyfugu · January 07, 2015, 11:56:46 AM

This whif is a tribute work! The P-40S/kitthawk V is based on a CG rendition that fellow user SPINNERS posted in late Oct. 2014 at whatifmodelers.com, a P-40N featuring four Hispano cannons, six missiles and RAF 112 Sq. markings:

Inspiring CG of Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - posted by SPINNERS at whatifmodelers.com88 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I liked the idea, and aircraft in desert cammo are few in the collection. Thus, after some weeks, I had a matching Hobby Boss kit in my stash and started the conversion. And here it is...

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service.

The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter, after the P-51 and P-47.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

P-40 Warhawk was the name the United States Army Air Corps adopted for all models, making it the official name in the United States for all P-40s. The British Commonwealth and Soviet air forces used the name Tomahawk for early models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C, and the name Kittyhawk for models equivalent to the P-40D and all later variants, which were used by many Allied nations during and even after WWII: The last P-40s in military service, used by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), were only retired in 1960.

One of the last operational versions of the P-40 was the P-40S, better known as Kittyhawk Mk. V because it was a derivative of the widely used P-40N for the Royal Air Force. The P-40N was manufactured in 1943–44 and marked the final production model.
The P-40N featured a stretched rear fuselage to counter the torque of the larger, late-war Allison engine, and the rear deck of the cockpit behind the pilot was cut down at a moderate slant to improve rearward visibility.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A great deal of work was also done to try and eliminate excess weight to improve the Warhawk's climb rate. Early N production blocks dropped a .50 in (12.7 mm) gun from each wing, bringing the total back to four; later production blocks reintroduced it after complaints from units in the field.

The P-40N was supplied to Commonwealth air forces as the Kittyhawk Mk IV. Subvariants of the P-40N ranged widely in specialization from stripped down four-gun "hot rods" that could reach the highest top speeds of any production variant of the P-40 (up to 380 mph), to overweight types with all the extras intended for fighter-bombing or even training missions.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The P-40S was such a special variant - it was a dedicated ground attack version that dispensed with any air combat capability, but rather exploited the P-40's ruggedness and good agility at low and medium altitude. Firepower was considerably improved through the replacement of the six 0.5" machine guns with four 20mm Hispano Mk. II cannons in the wings.

Furthermore, the wings' undersides were reinforced so that, beyond the normal hardpoints for light bombs outside of the cannons, three launch rails for unguided missiles could be mounted. Cockpit and engine received an improved armor against small caliber weapons.

With full ordnance load the Kitthawk V's handling was mediocre, at best, but the type was easy to maintain and proved to be highly effective against armored targets - this was especially true in early 1944 in tactical co-operation with the Army while fighting in Northern Italy. 200 P-40S were built for the Royal Air Force which primarily operated them in the MTO and Western Europe in 1944. A few of these aircraft were also handed over to the South African Air Force.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 33 ft 4 in (9.66 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 3 1/2 in (11.38 m)
Height: 10 ft 7 inch (3.76 m)
Wing area: 235.94 ft² (21.92 m²)
Airfoil: NACA2215 / NACA2209
Empty weight: 8850 lb
Loaded weight: 8,280 lb (3,760 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 11.400 lb (4,000 kg)

Powerplant:
1× liquid-cooled Allison V-1710-81 V12 engine, rated at 1200 hp (894.59 kW)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 343 mph at 15.000 ft
Cruise speed: 308 mph at 5.000 ft
Range: 750 mi (560 nmi, 1,100 km)
Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,800 m)
Rate of climb: 2,230 ft per min at 10.000 ft
Climb to 20.000 ft in 8 min 48 sec
Wing loading: 35.1 lb/ft² (171.5 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (228 W/kg)'

Armament:
4× 0.79 in (20 mm) Hispano Mk. II cannons with 120 RPG in the wings, plus up to
1,500 lb on three hardpoints, each rated at 500 lb, plus six launch rails under the outer
wing panels for unguided RP-3 missiles

The kit and its assembly:
The Hobby Boss kit was mostly built OOB, I only added a pilot figure, some antennae and closed the hardpoint attachments under the fuselage.

Additions were the wing hardpoints (from an Airfix Mosquito), the Hispano cannons and the six RP-3 launch rails - the latter are all Pavla resin parts. The bombs come from a 1:100 F-105D from Tamiya.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Painting and markings:
With the 112 Sq. benchmark, the overall livery was early settled - even though I decided not to create a 100% copy of SPINNER's rendition (FX544/GA-K), but rather got for a sister ship which could excuse certain small differences.

Paint scheme is typical RAF Desert, with Mid Stone/Dark Earth upper surfaces and Azure Blue undersides. The colors are Humbrol 29 (Dark Earth) and 187 (Sand) - the latter was chosen for more contrast to the earth brown.
On the udersides I used a mix of Humbrol 157 (Azure Blue) and 145 (FS 35237) - I found the pure RAF tone to be much too dark for a 1:72 scale model, so I made a 1:1 mix with the lighter, grey-ish USN tone. Inner surfaces were painted in Zinc Chromate Green.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The kit received a thorough balck ink wash and serious panel shading with lighter basic tones (Humbrol 237, 142 & 87), for a worn and sun-bleached look. Soot and exhaust stains were added with grinded graphite, applied with a dry, hard brush.

The yellow ID markings on the wings' leading edges are simple decals, national markings as well as the codes were puzzled together from various kits and aftermarket sheets.

1:72 Curtiss P-40S 'Kittyhawk V' - aircraft 'GA-W'/FX688 of Royal Air Force (RAF) No.112 Squadron; Cutella, Italy, April 1944 (Whif/Hobby Boss kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A rather simple project, only with small cosmetic changes, and realized in just three days – the P-40S is simple, but the Hispano cannons and the RPGs suit the Kittyhawk well, the combo looks almost natural?

DogfighterZen · January 07, 2015, 02:31:47 PM

Suits very well, and all armed to the teeth, it just looks ready for destruction!

Once again, a fine build and great pics!

Captain Canada · January 07, 2015, 04:33:34 PM

Another beauty ! When he posted those screencaps, I saved that one of the rocket attack. A perfect shot of a P-40 in action ! Nice to see her in plastic. Excellent work, and once again your photos really bring her to life !

PR19_Kit · January 07, 2015, 04:45:53 PM

Very subtle, and without the backstory you'd have to look closely to see the differences.

KiwiZac · January 07, 2015, 07:06:48 PM

Very very nice! The HB kits are great whiffing fodder, and you've done the prototype proud.

nighthunter · January 07, 2015, 09:18:03 PM

Fantastic!!

Dizzyfugu · January 08, 2015, 12:05:55 AM

Thanks a lot!

Another SPINNERS tribute is also already on the list, the recent Swedish Meteor NF.14. Even less complicated, but it looks IMHO gorgeous and deserves to be taken to the hardware stage.

zenrat · January 08, 2015, 01:28:15 AM

Good one Dizz.

NARSES2 · January 08, 2015, 07:24:08 AM

Never thought of putting rockets on a P-40. Great idea sir

May "borrow" the idea but use Bazooka Tubes on a USAAF one.

Did anyone else notice the 3 days comment

? !!!

PR19_Kit · January 08, 2015, 07:52:08 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on January 08, 2015, 07:24:08 AM
Did anyone else notice the 3 days comment ? !!!

No, please explain Chris.

Gondor · January 08, 2015, 07:56:06 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 08, 2015, 07:52:08 AM
Quote from: NARSES2 on January 08, 2015, 07:24:08 AM
Did anyone else notice the 3 days comment ? !!!

No, please explain Chris.

At the end of the pictures of the build Dizzyfugu said that the build was realised in only three days! So how many do you think he could make in a one week group build if he pushed himself?

Gondor

Dizzyfugu · January 08, 2015, 08:05:49 AM

Just the kit... started on 1st of January in the afternoon, and it was done on the 3rd, in the evening. It's just a Hobby Boss kit!

Pics took some more time, though.

PR19_Kit · January 08, 2015, 08:29:48 AM

Ahah, I did a search under '3' and I should have tried under 'three'........