Hasegawa 1/48 P-40E Warhawk

Hello out there,

New around here so I thought I might post some of my work. This particular kit was built around the time I returned to the hobby so I learned quite a bit. As I recall the fit was tough in places. The fuselage is molded in four pieces to allow for different tails. While this is a great option in terms of mold versatility it makes for a challenge to get it all lined up. I ended up reinforcing the join with a thin shim of plastic strip. Without doing so would result in a step at the join and the loss of some great surface detail. One excellent characteristic of this kit.. The only other real fit headache was the fuselage to wing root. I couldn't manage to get them attached without a large seam as is evident in some of the photos. I also hadn't quite figured out fillers either. Besides that this was a great kit. Their was plenty of detail in the cockpit and wheel wells, the chin scoop, and landing gear. A skilled builder could make a masterpiece out of it. I finished it in Model Master Olive Drab and Neutral Gray enamels and gloss coated with a Krylon Gloss for plactics. I've had really good luck with that particular gloss. The decals, though thick, will settle down with some heat and I used just a bit of Mr. Mark Softer on the nose decals. The rest got a hot towel treatment and conformed very well. That pretty much sums it up. I will build this one again in the near future as some of my skill has improved (I think?) since then. Thanks for your time and enjoy.

John

3 additional images. Click to enlarge.