Nostalgia Build: 1964 1/48 Monogram P-40
I think all of us have built the Monogram P-40 at least once in our lives, and more than once for many of us. It first came out in 1964, and was last released as recently as 2020. According to Scalemates, this kit has been released 22 different times over the years, and has been re-boxed by 6 different companies. I would bet that the parts are unchanged since their first molding in 1964.
Several months ago, I was in my local hobby store and found the original 1964 version of this kit in its original 1964 box. Better yet, it was on sale for less than $10. It crossed my mind for about a half second to save the kit in its unbuilt condition, but I build models, I don't collect them. My wife may disagree with this, but I still plan to build every one of my kits. I first built this kit when I was in high school in 1965, so this was truly a nostalgia build for me.
I wanted to build this plane almost exactly how it comes in the box, so I made little effort to fix inaccuracies. I made no effort to remove the large rivets covering the plane. I happened to have a really old True Details PE set for this plane, so I used it to detail the cockpit. I wanted to use the pilot (a short poll during the build named him Jake) for the build, but his head was badly disfigured with a huge ejector pin mark. I had a 3D print file for a similar pilot, so I substituted the resin pilot for the old Jake. The kit decals were shot, so I used a set of Xtradecals for a P-40B that was stateside at the start of the war.
That's about it. It was enjoyable to build and really brought back those old building days. Thanks to everyone that followed along and offered suggestions and support during the build. Thanks for stopping in. Cheers.
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- 1. Remember when instructions were like this?
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- 1. Kit decals were unusable.
Fine job, George, on your build/finish of this old oldie.
Thanks, Bob (@bails). It was a fun build.
A nice piece of nostalgia for you, George, and a good idea not to try and bring the kit “up to date”. However, I, for one, have never built any of the versions of this kit, in fact, I think the only Monogram kit I’ve ever built was a car, probably a Chevrolet, given to me by a very kind cousin after I had a short stay in hospital when I was a kid, the first time I encountered chromed plastic.
Hi, George (@chinesegeorge): I built a lot of cars in high school. As I recall, the old Monogram cars and trucks were pretty good also. I thought chrome parts were really cool when I built cars in high school, but now I am not so sure. I have a couple of Tamiya cars farther down the build queue that will be coming eventually. Thanks for stopping in. Cheers.
Very cool! I've got a couple of those and a couple of the original decal sheets.
Thanks, Chas (@chasbunch): I couldn't resist building one of the first kits I ever built again. It was fun to build.
Sweet. I too have some classics in the stash and they will all get built...I hope
Hi, George (@blackadder57): It was really worth taking the time to build, even in the midst of other stuff going on. I will be there to cheer you on when you do yours. Georges gotta stick together. :o)
Excellent result, George! What a cool idea to build this oldie! I loved reading your thoughts on your article above, aren't we all like this? It was a real pleasure as always to follow your build thread.
Well done!
Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten). I appreciate you following along during the build and providing your support and ideas. I think building a kit like this from the dawn of our modeling days is fun.
An absolute wonderful result on this oldie, George @gblair
Being able to get your hands on this kit for just $10 is a no-brainer.
Thanks for taking us along your journey on building this beauty.
Thanks, John (@johnb). There are a lot of collectors who would take issue at building a kit like this, but I have always been a builder. I plan to build all the models in my stash one day. As usual, thanks for following along with your comments and support.
I once built a few Monogram kits and I think they were top-notch at the time. Very nice conversion.
Thanks, Milan (@milantesar). This really was fun to build. Now it's on to something more recent.
Excellent result, George. It was fun watching it come together.
Thanks, John (@j-healy). As usual, thanks for following along on the build. Have your started your DC-8 yet?
Great idea for a nostalgic build, George @gblair! 👍 And she did turn out so well! 👏
That old kit still produces a very accurate P-40, here's my take on that classic model, done 30 years ago now:
Thanks, Gary (@garybrantley). This old kit will still produce a nice model. I suspect you can build this kit using any of its releases through the years and get the same model. Nice work on yours. The flaps are a nice touch. I left mine up for simplicity.
Thank you, George! 😊
Have three of these in the stash... I ordered seats from Utracast but that's the only change to be made.
Hi, Brian (@wyvern1965): The TrueDetails PE set I had for this kit included a seat. Of course, I had to fold it and then fit it in the cockpit. The PE in this set was so thick that I had to use pliers to fold it. Looking forward to seeing yours.
Gary is correct that the Monogram kit can - with work - create a very accurate sharknose P-40. the surface detail is mostly right - P-40s are covered in raised rivets, and the raised panel lines give the effect of lapped panels. the only place the rivets need to be sanded off is the leading edge of the wings back to the main spar, top and bottom. Stick a good cockpit in it and invest in a Squadron/Falcon P-40B canopy, use some aftermarket decals, and you're there.
This is my result - a model of Chuck Older's plane.
Your result is realy nice, @gblair George.
2 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Nice oldie, George.
The beautiful box-art really brings back memories of me as a kid spending quite some time in the toy shop in order to decide what kit to choose from.
You’ve made a beauty out of this vintage Monogram kit!
@gblair
Thanks for the kind words, Alfred (@alfred). There is something cool about the old boxart that is all wrapped up in our childhood memories.
As kids, I remember whenever my brother and I would buy a Monogram kit we would check the kit out and would always be saying, 'check out the detail !'
Very cool work on your Tiger-Shark, George.
Thanks, George (@georgeswork). I think the reason this kit has been released so many times is that it started out with good "bones" in the very first release, and has really stood the test of time. That's one of the reasons I wanted to build this kit without adding a bunch of stuff to it. The exterior is pretty much straight from the box.
Hi, Tom (@tcinla): It looks like there are a lot of us that still have this kit floating around, either built or in the garage. All of the changes you mention are simple to do, but sadly I didn't take the time to do any research. Yours came out really well. It looks like you made on upgrade that I wish I had done, which was replace the ring sight. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers.
George (@gblair), reading your build article and seeing the final result with a yellow nose and a shark's mouth that is not another rendition of the Flying Tigers is refreshing. Some early P-40s became advanced trainers and got some interesting paint jobs. I believe your build is one such example. Doing a retro build from 1964 is an adventure in exploring a lot of Boomers' roots. The Monogram P-40 was the gateway drug into modeling for some.
Thanks, Stephen (@stephen-w-towle). I appreciate you following along on the build. I specifically didn't want to do a Flying Tiger or a Pearl Harbor plane. This stateside plane was perfect. When the newer versions came out after the war started, they rolled the older planes into training. Being an old instructor pilot, I am partial to all sorts of trainers. I was born in 1951, so I think I am close to the front of the boomer group. My gateway model was the original 1/113 Revell B-47. I remember I "borrowed" some of my mother's red finger nail polish to paint the front of the nacelles. :o)
LoL, the spirt of adventure and the I gotta have now definitely would require red nail polish.
Hi, Stephen (@stephen-w-towle): I recall it was a really cool shade of red. I thought it was pretty cool, and even came with its own brush.
George (@(gblair), using women's cosmetics still holds true. My arsenal of modeling has metal nail files, nail files, a few soft brushes for applying pastels. Tweezers which may have been borrowed. You grab what ever you can to bring to the party.
Absolutely, Stephen (@stephen-w-towle). I plan a trip to Sally's Beauty Supply at least once each quarter. I get a wide variety of sanding sticks there, and especially like the ones that have 4 different grits on one stick. I also have a model train layout, and watch a lot of videos from Model Railroad. In one series of 3 or 4 videos, they go through all of the stuff they found in Sally's that can be used for model railroading. Most can also be used for plastic modeling. Lots of fun stuff.
This is an awesome build George @gblair! It is great to see this kit built up so nicely and yes, I also built this kit back in 1969...In the 80's I was going to build it again, I started it but never finished it. A couple of years ago I built the Hobby Craft kit instead. The Monogram P-40 to me is still the king of the early P-40's in this scale. I know, the Airfix kit is the best but I enjoy looking at the Monogram kit a lot more. 😉
Hi, Bob (@v1pro): It was a lot of fun to build this model, especially since the plastic went back to 1964. I was just starting high school back then, and graduated in 1969. I still have several of the Monogram/Revell P-40 floating around, so I may have another one in my future.
Nice work on that golden oldie George (@gblair). I like both approaches to building this kit (maintain original idea and do an improvement). With some work, they still very much hold their own. You're looks great.
I last did one of these around 2003 if I recall correctly. Mine was pretty warped but I managed to whip it into shape. It's still in my display shelf.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Hi, Carl (@clipper): Thanks for stopping by. I was surprised by the condition of my 60+ year old plastic. Aside from being a little brittle, the plastic was very good. The only problem that I had was that the glass for the side panels was significantly too small. I dug out the glass from a newer casting of the P-40 and found it fit much better. Photo of your plane looks great. Cheers.
Great build of an oldie goldie!
Thanks, Greg (@gkittinger).
A great build of a classic kit. I usually build out of the box, rarely with modifications so I can relate to the fun you had. A simple build such as this brings back pleasant memories of the first ever P-40B. Monogram decals from their early years were good decals but in the 1970's we never knew what the quality might have been. If the decals were in Monogram's "good phase," they often do rather well (with some care) forty years or so later. This kit can still be found at Hobby Lobby by the way.
Hi, Charles (@n81we293). Thanks for stopping in. I still build a few of the old Monogram and Revell, and they are always enjoyable. I still have several of the newer releases of this kit, which is basically unchanged since the very first release. The big attraction for me was that this kit was the first release, so the plastic was almost as old as I am.
This P-40 turned out very nice, George @gblair ! You did a great job building it. I’ve got the Airfix P-40B to build, I hope it turns out as well as this one you just built.