Kit: No. 01632
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1555
Price: $15.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 38 parts, decals
Pros: Good detail; easy to assemble; good fit; good decals
Cons: Shallow interior; thick canopy; detail inaccuracies
Issue Published: March 2008
Labeled "Warhawk" on Trumpeter's box top and "Kittyhawk" on its color guides, the P-40B/C Tomahawk was the mount of the American Volunteer Group, the "Flying Tigers." Trumpeter's small-scale P-40 is clearly based on its 1/32 and 1/48 scale kits.
Surface details are recessed lines and the occasional recessed rivets. The cockpit assembly is well detailed, but too shallow. This shows up clearly in the abbreviated pedals beneath the instrument panel.
Assembly was a cinch, and almost everything fit great. The lone exception was the thick, sliding portion of the canopy. I had to force it onto the spine and use super glue to hold it in place (not a good idea). It didn't fit when closed, either. The windscreen has no forward bracing, which is correct, and it has mounting tabs for the armored glass panel molded inside - but the panel is not provided.
I painted with Testors Model Master dark earth and dark green enamels, adding a touch of olive drab to FS36622 gray for the sky gray undersides. After a coat or two of Future, the decals went on easily. Markings are provided for one AVG machine (not a well-documented one; I found only one fuzzy photo of it in my references), a Soviet plane, and a Royal Air Force Tomahawk. Stenciling is printed on the sheet, but locations for them were not included in the instructions.
Overall, the shape of the finished model is good. But some details suffer: The prop blades look skinny and the wing-gun barrels are too short. The lumpy pitot tube is incorrect for early P-40s.
Only 20 hours were needed to build and finish Trumpeter's Tomahawk out of the box. Detail work and a vacuum-formed canopy will make a better model.