Trumpeter 1/72 01632 Curtiss P-40B / P-40C Kittyhawk

Details of Trumpeter 1/72 01632 Curtiss P-40B / P-40C Kittyhawk

Basic Specifications

• Brand: Trumpeter
• Item No.: 01632
• Scale: 1/72
• Subject: American Curtiss P-40B / P-40C (Tomahawk) Single-Seat Fighter
• Material: Plastic
• Finished Size: Approx 135.7mm ×157.8mm

Kit Contents

• Total around 37 plastic parts
• Clear transparent parts for single-seat cockpit canopy
• Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V12 engine and three-blade propeller assembly
• Fuselage centreline hardpoint parts for external drop tank
• Decals & assembly instruction manual
• Unpainted and unassembled kit, paint and glue not included

Product Features

• Accurately reproduced early variant Curtiss P-40B / P-40C fighter, known as Tomahawk Mk.IIA / Mk.IIB in British service
• Faithfully modelled Allison V-1710 inline engine and distinctive air intake below the nose
• Fully detailed single-seat cockpit with instrument panel, seat and harness details
• Fine engraved panel lines and rivet details across fuselage, low-mounted wings and empennage
• P-40B version with cockpit armor; P-40C variant adds self-sealing fuel tanks and centreline drop tank capability
• Precise taildragger landing gear with detailed wheel wells, struts and wheels
• Wing-mounted machine gun details replicating original 0.30in and 0.50in machine gun armament
• Multiple marking options: AVG Flying Tigers in China, Soviet Naval Aviation, USAAF, and RAF desert squadron schemes

Historical Background

• The Curtiss P-40 series was developed from the P-36 Hawk, powered by the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engine, and was one of America’s primary fighters in the early WWII period.
• P-40B was the first version fitted with pilot armor protection. P-40C further upgraded with self-sealing fuel tanks and external fuel tank mounting points. In British service these were named Tomahawk.
• This type is famously associated with the American Volunteer Group (AVG), the Flying Tigers, operating in China with iconic shark-mouth nose art to fight Japanese forces.
• P-40B and P-40C were present during the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941. The aircraft also saw combat in North Africa, the Soviet Union and Southeast Asia.
• Though outmatched by high-performance German and Japanese fighters at high altitude, the P-40 was rugged, reliable and excelled at low-altitude combat and ground strike missions.