1/72 P-36 SurfHawk floatplane fighter

[Brian da Basher]

In late 1940, the Netherlands East Indies felt vulnerable to Japanese expansion, and these fears were only worsened when reports were recieved of a new Japanese floatplane fighter being developed. In a panic, representatives of the N.E.I. government sent a purchasing mission to the United States seeking to counter the pending threat. Curtiss aircraft rose to the challenge in creating the P-36F SurfHawk floatplane fighter. Curtiss saw the N.E.I. requirement as an ideal testbed for the new six-gun wing they were planning for the forthcoming generation of P-40 fighters. Bowing to the N.E.I. requirement of a radial engine, Curtiss was able to mate spare P-36 airframes with the new six gun wing and the fast and furious SurfHawk fighter was born. The SurfHawk more than exceeded expectations in flight trials and the Dutch purchasing mission was impressed with the new six-gun wing arrangement which yielded devastating firepower hitherto unknown to single-engined N.E.I. aircraft. A crash production program was immediately undertaken, and by December, 1941, four squadrons of SurfHawks were deployed in various locations around the vast territories of the N.E.I. After the Japanese attacks, the SurfHawk acquitted itself well, achieving a 5 to 1 kill ratio and holding off the much feared Japanese Rufes in a rearguard air action that allowed an orderly retreat of Dutch forces to aid in the defense of New Guinea. Little known is the fact that the P-36 SurfHawk pictured here spirited out the last precious Dutch cocoa as the N.E.I forces retreated to safer havens.

1st of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

The kit used as the basis of my first entry into the Airfix GB is the 1/72 P-40E. I used the engine, cowl and prop from a 1/72 Fokker D.XXI and the floats from a 1/72 Airfix Arado 196 (do I get extra points for that?). Everything seemed just a natural fit on the P-40 and this kitbash pretty much fell together with only minor adjustments (like scratching a firewall behind the engine to hide the gap and using blsiterpack matierial to fill in the hump under the wing near the engine).

2nd of 5 pics

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

I used ModelMasters Dark Earth and Euro Green acrylics for the uppers and Testor's Light Gull Gray acrylics for the undersides. The decals are from the Fokker D.XXI (a great little kit with no less than five decal options). Here's a cool head-on shot.

3rd of 5 pics

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

This venerable Airfix kit had some challenges. The biggest challenge was the gap between the wing and the wing root on the fuse. I overcame this with liberal applications of CA. If you look close at the pics, you can see another challenge, the poor fit of the clear canopy parts. I considered trying to add some filler after the fact but was afraid of messing up all my work. One tip I've found helps my projects a lot is attaching the clear pieces with white glue. White glue dries clear and helps keep your canopies looking sharp. This one is no show winner, but I get a lot of satisfaction seeing my wacky ideas come to life anyway. Here's a shot of the undersides. You might be able to see where I added the bit of blisterpack to cover the hole left where I removed the hump from the detached Allison engine.

4th of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[K5054NZ]

I love it Bri!                


Fantastic work!


Even less well-known is that this aircraft survived the Japanese invasion, was shipped to Australia and, following the war, ended up in New Zealand. Now she awaits restoration in Auckland, to be flown by a twelve-member syndicate.

[Brian da Basher]

Here's the last pic, the requisite box shot. I had a lot of fun with this little project and I'm enjoying the Airfix GB immensely. I've got three other projects pending for this one and the toughest part is choosing which one to complete next. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed building this model.

5th of 5 pics.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Glad you like Zac! One of these days, I've got to go down to Kiwiland to see a SurfHawk in flight. Maybe there will be a dual display along with a Kittiwake?

Brian da Basher

[cthulhu77]

 Nice, sweet, and to the point...the absolute pinnacle of whiffery, sir !  Hats off to you, I think.

              greg

[Captain Canada]

Looking good, Brian !

Love the colours, and thanks for saying what they were....I'm taking notes.

It's nice to see it operating from a paper towel base as well, don't want any environmental damage when that big radial starts leaking oil !

 

[NARSES2]

Thats nice Brian  

[retro_seventies]

that really hits the spot!

great job there bri - love it!      

[lancer]

Damm fine piece of work Brian.

[F-32]

Kick donkey model Brian!  

[Joe C-P]

Dat's niiiice. Floaty planes are the best!  

Great job, and good story.

JoeP