P-40K/N Warhawks Pt. 3

Eagle Strike Productions
 

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

Eagle Strike's 1/48 scale P-40K/N Pt. 3 is available online from Squadron.com

The P-40 truly was a WWII workhorse.  Whilst its performance limitations did not see it employed in the European theatre of the war it did see extensive service in the Pacific and on the African, Indian and Asian continents.  Eagle Strike Productions 48077 Warhawks Part Three acknowledges this and provides markings for four aircraft from the Indian and Asian theatres. 

First is a P-40K as flown by Major Robert Liles out of Chunking, China in December 1943.  Finish is olive drab over neutral grey.  Markings consist of: 

·        A set of shark mouths complete with eyes. 

·        The name DUKE in white for either side of the nose 

·        A score board that is placed under the windscreen.  This marking is supplied as either a one-piece decal or a two-part one to address any register issues not that there were any on this sample. 

·        A green dragon on a white background for either side of the fuselage. 

·        White 400 for either side of the fin in place of the serial number. 

·        A diving eagle for either side of the rudder 

Next is a later P-40N as flown by Major Donald Quigley out of Kweilin, China in August 1944.  Finish is olive drab over neutral grey with medium green blotches to the edges of the rudder and wings, horizontal stabilizers as well as a white tipped spinner.  Markings consist of: 

·        A set of shark mouths complete with eyes. 

·        The name RENEE THE QUEEN in white for either side of the nose. 

·        A score board that is placed under the windscreen.  Again, this marking is supplied as either a one-piece decal or a two-part one.  

·        White 175 for either side of the fin in place of the serial number. 

The third option is a P-40N as flown by Flight Officer Samuel E. Harmer out of Moran, India in 1944.  Finish is olive drab over neutral grey with medium green blotches to the edges of the rudder, horizontal stabilizers and wings.  This time the spinner is blue.  Markings consist of: 

·        A white skull with black and red details for either side of the nose. 

·        The name RUTH MARIE in white for either side of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

·        A scoreboard of two kill markings in the form of rising sun flags that is placed under the windscreen.  Again, this marking is supplied as either a one-piece decal or a two-piece one. 

·        A black rectangle with the pilot and Crew Chief’s names that is applied beneath the windscreen. 

·        Large white 71 for either side of the fin and rudder.  The decal is supplied with remnants of the previous serial number as a part of it. 

The last aircraft is also a P-40N.  This time it is in Nationalist Chinese markings and was flown by Captain Raymond L. Callaway out of Liangshan, China in 1944. Finish is olive drab over neutral grey with medium green blotches to the edges of the rudder and wings.  Markings consist of: 

·        An unusual set of shark mouths complete with eyes. 

·        The name SHIRLEY II in white for either side of the nose. 

·        White 681 and smaller P-11243 for either side of the fin.   

·        A score board of four kill markings.  This time they are the in the form of a red hinomaru on a white background that is placed under the windscreen.  Again, this marking is supplied as either a one-piece decal or a two-part one. 

·        White 03 squadron ID numbers for the fuselage sides. 

·        The nationalist Chinese blue and white stripes for the rudder.  These decals are a one-piece affair that you apply to either side of the rudder.  A quick dry-fit on the Mauve kit reveals that they will fit without any problems.  The trailing edge of the decal is a tad large so that you can either trim it off or fold it over.  Should you opt for the latter, previous experience with Eagle Strike decals that have been printed in Mexico (as these are) reveal that the white is opaque enough not to show the underlying colour. 

There are two sets of U.S. stars and bars and one set of Nationalist Chinese supplied on the sheet.  However, there is no stencil data whatsoever.  As stated above, the decals themselves have been printed in Mexico.  The printing is superb.  Everything is in register and there is minimal carrier film surrounding each of the designs.  Again, previous experience in using the Mexico printed decals has been good.  Whilst they are opaque and strong they are not thick at all and blend in beautifully under a coat of varnish.  They lay down beautifully and if you leave them to set up overnight they conform to the surface quite well.  I’ve not experienced any adverse reaction to any settling agents that I’ve used, even the “last resort” Solvaset. 

The Decal placement guide is a full colour A-4 sized sheet that shows left hand side profiles of each aircraft.  The rear of the placement guide shows a generic plan view.  Missing from the plan view is a depiction of the medium green edging to the wings and horizontal stabilizers.   The sheet provides instructions on the painting of each aircraft and notes on the individual aircraft. 

A list of readily available references is also provided as well as the recommendation of using the Mauve and AMT P-40 kits. 

Packaging is in the standard clear plastic ziploc bag. 

I’ve not seen any of these aircraft produced in decal form before. A nice original effort from Eagle Strike. 

Recommended.