Hasegawa 1/32 scale P-40E Warhawk

Kit: No. ST29
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Hasegawa, from Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322, dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $59.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 201 parts (4 vinyl)
Pros: Good fit; thoughtful presentation of clear parts
Cons: Complex molding of fuselage, apparently for future versions
Issue Published: October 2008

Although it was often outclassed by enemy aircraft, the P-40's durability and firepower kept it in the fight. The preeminent U.S. fighter plane for the first two years of World War II, the P-40 served from China to Alaska to New Guinea and North Africa and was used by almost every Allied air force.

Hasegawa's kit is a welcome addition to the 1/32 scale line of WWII fighters. The 40-year-old Revell kit can now be retired!

The light gray injection molding reflects Hasegawa's high standards - clean, crisp, and flash-free. Options include a very nice pilot figure along with a bomb and a drop tank.

I found the cockpit well detailed and representative of the E model. However, the fuselage is broken into forward and rear components, probably to deal with future releases that will have a longer fuselage (M and N versions, and possibly the K with its dorsal fairing). The fit of the tail to the forward fuselage was imprecise. I followed the instructions and built the tail, then attached it to the fuselage. A better fit might be obtained by joining the sided tail components to the front fuselage, then joining the completed fuselage sides.

The fuselage has several access doors and panels to fill and sand smooth, as they belong on succeeding versions. This is indicated in the instructions.

The forward windscreen is neatly molded with part of the fuselage top. Unfortunately, Hasegawa's plan for universal kit parts falls down here. The windscreen has a panel line in each side panel that represents the hinge of a direct-view window. This was not a feature of the E model. Additionally, there is a small triangular panel at the bottom edge of the windscreen, not common for the P-40E. This triangular panel is the reason the closed canopy part looks odd, with the forward bottom edge clipped off. The real sliding portion of the canopy looks like the open-version part provided in the kit.

Though I did not plan to use it, I tested the closed canopy part and found it a very tight fit.

The rear scanning windows are also molded with the surrounding fuselage paneling, producing a nice, clean look.

Construction of the wheel wells and main wing components went smoothly. The landing gear's leading-edge fairing was a bit challenging. On test-fitting, I decided to deviate from the instructions and leave them off until after I joined the top and bottom wings. But they were still a problem. I had to enlarge their attachment slots in the wing to improve the fit.

I painted my Warhawk primarily with Hobby Color acrylics using their RAF-related numbers. Decals are provided for two dramatic schemes, one of which is a Flying Tiger (a given for any P-40E kit). Although the decals were more fragile than usual for Hasegawa kits, they applied well over a gloss undercoat. This undercoat is especially important if you use the Texas Longhorn markings, as the nose decals have a lot of clear area.

Lou Drendel's Walk Around P-40 (Squadron/Signal) and Jeffrey Ethell's P-40 Warhawk in World War II Color (Motorbooks) were great references for building this classic fighter.

I completed my Warhawk in an enjoyable 20 hours, and I look forward to future versions. While there were some annoyances, mostly related to Hasegawa's decision to create common parts for future releases, they did not detract from an excellent model. The kit can be managed by modelers at almost all levels. If 1/32 scale WWII fighters are your thing, Hasegawa's P-40 is for you!