Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk IIb 1/72 scale

[yak face]

Hello peeps , heres something I thought I would start while waiting for the filler to harden on another build. This is the new tool Airfix Tomahawk IIb , in this instance the one decal option (Neville Dukes aircraft 112 sqdn ) starter set. My missus picked this up for me at a reduced price as the paintbrush /glue and half the little paints were missing. This will be a build / review as i know a lot of people are keen to see how these new school Airfix kits go together. Anyways heres the box art and a few pics of the instruction sheet and paint guide.





With this being the starter set and possibly aimed at younger modellers, there are only 4 paints provided (well there should be !) - Black , dark earth, azure blue and sand.The problem is that the instructions only give colour call outs using the 4 colours , whether or not this is correct . for example the cockpit interior is given as sand , it should be green , and the wheels tyres and U/C legs are all given as black, they should be silver and azure blue. I know this simplifies it for the young starter , not being told to paint something in a colour thats not provided but it is misleading . The kit itself is in a soft grey plastic and has lovely recessed panel lines and rivets. The interior is quite well done , with detail on the sidewalls and a decal for the instrument panel , more than sufficient as theres no open canopy option.The undercarriage and wheels are nicely done with separate hubs ,bulged tyres and a neat square axle tab that ensures the flats on the tyres are in the right position.



The nose section with its tricky intake on top has been moulded as one piece as has the chin intake, a great solution to the problem of the seam on these features. One thing that could be a slight issue is the very soft plastic and the sometimes very thick sprue attachment points. The previously mentioned nose top section had to be sawn off the sprue !(see pic) The other thing is because the plastic is so soft ,if you try and cut close to the part with sprue cutters it can tear and leave a hole to be filled, so the large lugs have to be sanded back. I think i'm going to enjoy it though, a quick trial fit shows it should go together with no problems. more pics tomorrow, cheers tony

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[flyjoe180]

Looks good Tony, looking forward to seeing the build.

 

[colin m]

Looks nice Tony. I'm always interested to hear about new tool Airfix kits, so, bring on the good news, I hope !

 

[AlasdairGF]

I'm guessing this is essentially the same as the P40 Warhawk from the Dogfight Doubles kit, which I did earlier this year.

Mine came together really nicely, the only bits I got a bit hamfisted over were the canopy panes behind the pilot which I ended up getting glue all over unfortunately, and getting the wheels in place (wheels up version) which was quite a tight fit and the wheels ended up being not quite parallel to the wing surface. Other than that, a great build, hope it goes as well or better for you!

 

[yak face]

I started on the interior yesterday , after a bit of research i found the colour was a green ,similar to Zinc chromate so off we went. The detail on the sidewalls and floor was picked out , and the seat had a sutton type harness fashioned from strips of tamiya tape - not quite eduard but under a closed canopy it'll do! The Instrument panel has the rudder pedals and rear of the guns moulded to it and is finished with a nice decal , again perfectly acceptable under a closed canopy. Ive glued the fuselage together and the fit is very nice, the only bit of filler I think i'm going to need is where the sprue gate left a tear when i snipped it off. The cockpit is all fixed to the lower wing and goes up into the fuselage later.heres some pics, cheers tony

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[Plastickitbasher]

Good start, looking forward to seeing how this one turns out

 

[Ziper_it]

Looks promising, waiting for more.

Francesco

 

[eddiesolo]

Nice little kit, Alan sent me the U-96 sub, that is a starter kit, with four paints, although for some reason there was only three-the blister was sealed so I know Alan hadn't nicked it before posting.

Looks like you have made a great start Tony.

Si

 

[yak face]

heres the latest progress. The fuselage went together no problems and the separate nose and chin did too , just needing holding in place with tape till the glue set.After cleaning up the fuselage seams the wings were attached, again just needing a bit of tape to hold them in position .The fit so far has been great with just a smear of vallejo acrylic putty needed on the wing joints then a wipe off with the Mk 1 finger leaving a recessed line identical to the rest of the panel lines.The tailplanes fitted so well they dont need anything further doing to them,and the rudder is a separate item so I think I may have this slightly deflected to add a bit of interest. Ive dipped the transparencies in Klear and they really are crystal clear , just a bit of care will be needed when removing from the sprue , especially the frameless side pieces!

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[colin m]

Looking good, nice build, nice Airfix quality. I've always like the look of the P40, even if it wasn't a favourite with the pilots.

 

[flyjoe180]

Good start Tony. Looks to be a nice little kit.

 

[The Migrant]

Looking good Tony, nice work on the cockpit.

 

[papa 695]

How did I miss the start of this. Great work so far Tony Airfix certainly look like they have got there act together with the new toolings

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Good stuff Tony!

Your review has just convinced me to see if I can find one !

Theuns

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Do you know if this is the same kit as the Airfix P-40b just with RAF markings?

Theuns

 

[yak face]

I think it is Theuns , but in the other boxing its called a Hawk 81-A2 and in the dogfight double with the zero , P40b, cheers tony

 

[Dave W]

Not my scale but these new Airfix 1/72 kits have some impressive detail.Especially considering the low price.Are you not tempted to do it in Russian markings Tony?.

 

[yak face]

Not my scale but these new Airfix 1/72 kits have some impressive detail.Especially considering the low price.Are you not tempted to do it in Russian markings Tony?.

I was very tempted dave , theres a few nice winter camo ones to choose from ,but i thought that as I was trying to do a pretty much OOB review /build I'd use the kit decals. The kit option is a good one though , nice sharks mouth and a great bit of provenance with the Neville Duke connection. cheers tony

 

[T. van Vuuren]

No come on Tony. DO a SAAF Western desert plane !! The same camo ar RAF but with orange roundal centres and fin flash LOL

Theuns

 

[Paul Daniell]

Being new/coming back to modelling me and my 6 year old lad have just done this kit him paint me glue probably not as good as yours Will turn out but not bad little kit.