1/32 Scale
P-40s in USSR

Data Decals

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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More 1/32 scale P-40 decals from the Polish company Data Decals.  This time they focus on five aircraft of the Russian VVS (Army Air Force).

The individual aircraft and their markings are as follows:

P-40B, as flown by Lieutenant Alexey Khobstov of the 20th GIAP (Guards Fighter Regiment).  The markings depict the aircraft as it appeared on 8 April 1942.  The machine is in olive drab over neutral grey which has been over sprayed with white distemper.  The supplied markings include:

• Individual aircraft number 58 in white.

• A scoreboard that comprises eight 'kill' markings.  This marking is provided in two different forms, firstly as eight individual red stars and as eight red stars with a thin white border on a red rectangular background.  The accompanying notes to the placement guide advise that profiles exist showing this aircraft wearing both forms of markings so Data Decals have provided both of them – your choice!

• Small red star national insignia for the vertical stabilizer/rudder.

P-40B AH975 as tested at TsAGI (Central Aero-Hydrodynamics Institute) in 1941.  Finish is advised as being dark green, dark earth upper surfaces over sky undersurfaces with a white tail band.  The original British national insignia has been over painted with fresh paint of a different shade and the Russian red star national insignia (in six positions) has been applied on top of it.  The supplied markings comprise: 

• Black AH975 serial.

P-40B AH965 of the 126 IAP (Fighter Air Regiment), flown by Lieutenant S.G. Ridnyi in the Moscow area in 1941.  Finish is dark green, dark earth upper surfaces over sky undersurfaces with a white fuselage band.  The upper surfaces have been over sprayed in white and are slightly weathered.  Supplied markings comprise:

• Black AH965 serial.

P-40B of 154 IAP in the Leningrad area in 1942.  Finish is dark green, dark earth upper surfaces over sky undersurfaces with a (probable) white spinner.  Supplied markings comprise:

• White 75 individual aircraft number.

The odd man out of the sheet, P-40E of 154 IAP flown by a Major Pokryshev.  Finish is also dark green, dark earth upper surfaces over sky undersurfaces with a (probable) white spinner.  Supplied markings comprise:

• A Scoreboard of 15 stars.  Two different styles of this scoreboard are supplied.  The first one is with all white stares and the second one has nine yellow stars, and six red stars – no explanation as to why the two styles are provided.

• White 65 individual aircraft number.

• White star national insignia for the vertical stabilizer/rudder.  The white star needs to be applied first so as to give a thin white border once the red star has been applied over the top of it.

A single set of red star national insignia is supplied to share between all the machines on the sheet.  Stencil data is confined to a single set of propeller blade data. 

The decals themselves are superbly printed, in perfect register and the colours appear to be dense enough to survive application over division between camouflage colours without showing through.  They are very thin with a minimum of film surrounding each subject.  If I had to make a comparison to other decal manufacturers, I would have to say Superscale. 

The placement guide is A-4 in size and shows full colour illustrations of the upper and lower surfaces of each option as well as a side profile.  The sheet also provides a legend that matches each colour to FS 595A.  There is also a further printed sheet that provides notes to each aircraft as well as a short discourse on the US colours that Curtiss used to match the RAF specified colours.  This further sheet also contains a list of references used to produce the sheet. 

This is another nice sheet from Data Decals. 

Recommended.

Footnote

If you are contemplating building any of these options or, in fact, any aircraft of the VVS and want to get it right, take a trip to Matt Bittner's ‘Modelling the VVS 1930 – 1945 at http://vvs.hobbyvista.com/sitenav.php   You will be glad you did!

Thanks to Data Design for the review sample.

Data Decals' MiG-3 Decals are available from their website at http://www.datadecals.com.pl and from hobby outlets

Review Copyright © 2004 by Rodger Kelly
Page Created 05 September, 2004
Last updated 05 September, 2004

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