Seversky P-35

Here's my latest build from Dora Wings, their P-35 in 1:48 scale. It's a nice, well detailed kit, much nicer than the Academy P-35A/J-9s I built years ago. I won't go into the history of the P-35, but if you're interested see Tom Cleaver's P-35 post on this forum, a very interesting and informative read.

The build was fairly easy, only a few gripes. The PE cowl flaps just don't work for me, I used them as a pattern for making new ones from sheet styrene. The canopy won't work for an open option, so I heat smashed a new sliding portion from clear packaging material. I masked the windows, then sprayed several coats of primer on it to build up the frames, painted it, and I have a new sliding portion for posing the canopy open. I also filed the kit part to fit snugly in place for the closed option. One minor problem I had with the build was the front fuselage former. I had to reduce the diameter a little to bring the fuselage sides closer together to get the top to match up properly. Once that was done, the nose ring fit perfectly, no sanding required, which was nice, because I painted it before installation. I added ignition wiring to the nicely detailed engine. Also, the kit pushrods are almost impossible to remove from the sprue without breaking a few. I didn't even bother, I just cut the ring out and used .020" styrene rod for the pushrod tubes. Everything else fit nicely, no filler required, just a little Mr. Surfacer to clean up some minor dings and scratches. The tailwheel is a delicate piece that just looks like it wants to break off, so I drilled a small hole in the top and used stiff wire to mount it to the top of the fuselage. I also used an old drill bit for the pitot tube, as the kit part broke off during my ham-fisted attempt to attach it. I used small diameter aluminum tubing for the exhaust stubs. The kit provides belts and shoulder harness, but I used Eduard seat belts, no shoulder harness, as they were not in use by the USAAC in 1938. I finished it with several shades of Alclad II, and limited weathering to exhaust stains, since this airplane was well taken care of in peacetime The kit decals are great, went on very nicely, even the yellow fuselage stripes. This airplane represents the machine flown by the squadron commander of the 27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field in 1938.

11 additional images. Click to enlarge.